A Night of Oddity and Opportunity
Review and photos by Ani Heslop
The Alberta Aviation Museum wasn’t my first thought for a venue to host a night market. On May 2nd, I didn’t know what to expect; half of me thought that it would be in the parking lot, but when I walked in, it dawned on me that an airplane hangar might be the perfect place for a market. The wide open space, the echoing chamber, and the warehouse vibe set the perfect scene for the type of strange things for sale at the Cabinet of Curiosities market.
It wasn’t too busy. Some people milled about, but there seemed to be way more vendors than there were patrons.
The first booth I came across was White Lightning Distillery, and they were giving out vodka samples: delicious real fruit-infused vodka. A good way to start the night. The next booth was filled with framed and jarred taxidermy. A giant brown moth was encased in resin with a golden frame, bugs were suspended in jars, and a raven was clinging onto a branch with his feet. I don’t think the raven was actually taxidermy: when I felt its feathers after asking the booth owner for permission, it didn’t feel real. Or maybe I’m just telling myself that; it was fascinating, and a little scary.
Other booths included more taxidermy, including a “Demon Goat,” handmade jewelry, handcrafted sewing projects, pottery, and ‘nerdy’ stuff like Dungeons and Dragons dice and horror movie character mini figurines.
I was drawn into the Enchanted Emporium Ink booth by the dynamic owner Jessica; her bright smile and passion for her product was infectious, plus it was a really neat premise. For $35, I got to make my own collage kit. I got to pick a notebook (I have plans to make this my new poetry notebook).
Jessica had made with care, including stickers, papers, borders, and they were all themed; that plastic bag I chose was filled with dark red and black themed collage material. I also got to pick 4 postcards, 10 pieces of paper, 10 stickers, and a bookmark. The choices were endless, and I stayed for 40 minutes chatting with Jessica, her partner, and other patrons as we flipped through the postcards, rifled through the stickers, and picked out our purchases. It was dynamic and interactive.
The booth behind Enchanted Emporium Ink was called Intuitive Pathways, a company offering classes on how to ‘tune in’ to your own ‘mediumship’ with psychic classes and courses. They were also offering on-site readings. The sign-up list for readings was long, with almost an hour’s wait, and as much as it would be a cool experience, I wanted to see more of the market.
And I’m glad I did, because the experience I stumbled upon at the very back of the venue was more useful to me than a psychic reading; it was a tattoo booth! Angie from Acethetically was doing tattoos on site. I had been wanting a tattoo all winter long, and I definitely saw this as a sign. Acethetically usually does microblading and cosmetic tattoos, but she had a bunch of flash for sale at the market, and one of her $100 designs caught my eye immediately.
I felt spontaneous! Before signing the waiver, I made sure the area was set up properly — tattoos at a market in an airplane hangar doesn’t seem the most sanitary, but their process checked out. I was ready to add to my arm sleeve, and I have to be honest, I didn’t dislike the attention as people watched me get tattooed while they browsed the booths.
I took one more gander around the market before calling it a night; I was tired, and definitely not expecting to get a tattoo, it kind of drains your energy.
The Alberta Aviation Museum has been the venue for this market for several years now, and there are Cabinet of Curiosities Markets scheduled for July 18, September 5, October 31, November 21, and December 12 (all 7 pm – 11 pm). Until then, check out the Oddbird Fair happening in Old Strathcona this weekend (May 9 – 11, link for info here), and follow Alt After Dark’s Instagram for updates.
Cabinet of Curiosities Night Market
Alberta Aviation Museum, 11410 Kingsway NW, Edmonton
Entrance was free, and the Market was open from 7pm to 11pm
Alt After Dark Instagram, @altafterdarkmarket
