Richmond’s inclusive, diverse punk scene embraces weird

Peggy Stansbery, Spectrum Editor 

Punk can’t be defined; who’s to dictate what it is and isn’t, as it’s a movement of people doing stuff that isn’t expected of them, said Caitlin Hall, co-founder of SouthEast Punk Flea Market. 

The SouthEast Punk Flea Market came to the ACCA Shriners’ Center in Richmond on Sept. 23 and 24. The market included over 50 vendors and a coffee and food truck. 

The punk market takes place at various markets across the Southeast, but Richmond stands out due to its large and supportive arts and music community, Hall said. Hall hoped people found this support and community at the flea market. 

Richmond’s punk scene acts as a midway and mixture between the North and the South, Hall said. 

“It’s got its own uniqueness in that way that I feel it’s not the same as places in the South or the North, it’s right in the middle,” Hall said. “I think it’s just kind of cool, and it’s raw. It’s different.”

Shawnis Jones, the lead singer and songwriter for Shawnis and the Shimmers, fled to Richmond with their friends over a decade ago as “cultural refugees” to join its active art and culture scene, they said. Shawnis and the Shimmers is a sassy, raunchy and queer Richmond garage-punk band, Jones said. 

“That’s why we came to Richmond, and that’s what a city needs is art, culture and vibrancy and creativity,” Jones said.

Richmond’s punk scene is active, always changing and involves people forging their own paths within punk, Jones said. 

Punk has many universes, and Richmond has a lot of crossover within the punk scene, Jones said. Richmond’s punk scene is inclusive, and being weird is embraced. 

The Richmond punk scene includes people of all races, sexualities, gender identities and ages, and various forms of punk, Jones said. There’s hardcore punk, dancy synth punk, classic garage punk, leather and riff punk and heavy metal meets punk.

“There’s a lot to punk, and it’s grown and become this tentacle beast, which I love,” Jones said. 

Jones thinks Richmond is a good place for a punk flea market because Richmond is “just as punk as anybody else,” and it’s important for people with similar interests to gather, meet, share and build community, they said. 

“I think punk means a lot to Richmond, and not just punk, but music and art,” Jones said. “It’s always been vibrant and diverse.”

Juniper Jackson, a Richmond local and an attendee at the market, finds punk to be a feeling, she said. Jackson attends many punk shows in Richmond and feels safe and happy to be around good people when participating in the punk scene. 

Jackson finds that Richmond is full of artists, and its punk scene includes kind and creative people, she said. Jackson found this kindness at the flea market. 

“If you look around, there’s a bunch of different people from all over, like different vendors, different age demographics, and no one is mean, everyone is really nice,” Jackson said. 

Vik Hart, a vendor at the event from Wilmington, Delaware, sold a mixture of watercolors and drawings that focused on world-building and the implication of storytelling through artwork. 

Hart said that Punk is “doing what you want to do.” 

“It’s realizing that I don’t want to live my life kind of the standard way, and these events allow me to do that,” Hart said.

Hart enjoys Richmond’s punk scene because the city isn’t afraid to put its uniqueness out front, he said. 

“I like the vibe of Richmond,” Hart said. “You can tell there’s a good art community here, and it’s a weirdo community. They are not afraid to be odd.”