A Circus, at a Church?

By Hope Rasa

Vendors Sam Fozard (@lightsinthecitystudios), Nora Lindsay (@craftswithnb), Max Kilpatrick (@artby_puppyknuckles) and host Skitt Galacci at their tables on Saturday, Jan 11th

Things were quiet in the old church building there as everyone carefully sifted through the art for sale. The only sound was chitter-chatter between vendors and browsing customers. 

It was a full house at the Karate Church for the first-ever Silly Circus Art Market on Saturday, Jan. 11. A whopping 22 vendors and a healthy amount of patrons packed in a small venue made for a church and warmer than a middle school dance. Vendors all sell handmade items, including watercolors, illustrations, pins, prints, clothing, and more. 

Silly Circus is a monthly art bazaar with rotating vendors; all local artists. Think similar to Wonderz Market and Lemonaid. Silly Circus happens on the second Saturday of each month in the beloved Karate Church. The Karate Church is a multipurpose event space on Maple St. used to house concerts, markets and other get togethers. The Karate Church is a next for local art and music. 

The whole thing was put together by three local artists and has been in the works since October. Skitt Gallacci (@crafty.clown on Instagram), Alana Salazar (@trinketsandtalismans on Instagram) and Shain Bobrowicz (@rabidd_threadds on Instagram) realized a need for markets accessible to both new and seasoned art vendors. 

What makes Silly Circus special is its affordability and accessibility. Besides being iconic, Silly Circus’ hosts chose the Karate Chuch because it’s wheelchair accessible, fairly priced and easy to land.

“The main concept when creating Silly Circus was to make an event that’s cheap and also accessible enough that any and every artist can work it regardless of income or disability,” said Bobrowicz.

Vendors pay a negligible fee to sell their wares at Silly Circus. It’s only $10 for a full 6-foot table. Some vendors can snag a free spot. Every month, there will be four 4-foot tables for free. 

Vendors also don’t have to give a cut of their earnings to the house. The hosts don’t see any profit from Silly Circus beyond what they make from selling their art. There’s no entrance fee for patrons either. 

To get away with all that, the hosts put on a raffle to raise money featuring art prizes donated by featured vendors. Ticket sales from the raffle go straight toward the next market’s venue fees. 

Gallacci said the host team is working on making the vendor fee $0 in the future. 

Silly Circus has a subtle carnival theme, which is reflected in its promotional art and the design of its raffle contraption. The name comes from Gallacci, who is very into the circus aesthetic. 

“I’m definitely clown-coded,” Gallacci said. 

The hosts have plans to incorporate more circus-y elements; like cotton candy and popcorn machines. 

Silly Circus will always have a bit of a carnival vibe, but some months will incorporate special themes. Like next month, which is set to be love-themed for Valentine’s Day.

Each month will feature rotating vendors as well. Shuffling the vendors and themes is meant to keep things fresh and get people to keep coming back for something different each month. 

Bellingham’s local art scene is bumping. Vendor Ashley VanCurler (@tigerlilybeppo.crochet on Instagram) said it feels like every weekend there are unique events with different vibes going on across town. 

“It's one of the things that's really magical about Bellingham,” VanCurler said over email. “An artistic community that helps support and sustain itself with no hostility or territorial negativity in the way.”

Silly Circus also serves to bring these local artists together. Vendor Katelyn Luna (@the.tipsy.toadstool on Instagram) said her favorite part of markets like these is always talking with other vendors. 

“I always like collecting business cards from everyone who’s there and just making connections that way, with other artists and the community,” said Luna. 

Vendor Nat Sandrin (@__drama__llama on Instagram) said that the art community in Bellingham can be intimidating at first because of how tight-knit it is, but once you find your niche it starts to be a lot of fun. They described the local art landscape as very self-sustaining. 

“I know that there’s a big jewelry scene, and a lot of jewelry makers meet other jewelry makers during events and kind of push each other forward. All of a sudden you’re friends,” said Sandrin. “It’s fun when you find your people, and they keep pushing you to do more things.”

It’s all local at Silly Circus. Bellingham’s vibrant art scene attracts creators from Seattle and elsewhere to sell at local markets. These out-of-towners often sell at a much larger scale than local folks. It makes for tough competition. 

“Bellingham is becoming a bit of a hot spot for artists who are not local, and a lot of local artists are currently struggling because of that,” said Salazar. “We just wanted to make an event to lift those people up.”