Local Sacramento-based artist gallery, Flower Fist Market, hosted its annual “Punk Rock Flea Market” on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025. Attendees were met with a wide variety of vendors selling handcrafted merchandise ranging from jewelry to pottery, all with one message in mind: artists creating unique goods using their imagination.
Evan Alfaro, a local artist who sells as the moniker Trash Override, and their partner Tallin, who sells as FrickinFrogs, sold one-of-a-kind merchandise, including art prints, bolo ties, buttons, pins, fabric patches, and stickers.
The pair said their artwork places a heavy emphasis on body positivity, fashionable Western wear, and political activism, all while signaling the message that “punk rock” means freedom of expression. Evan and Tallin said they wanted to create subcultural connections with people that like punk rock music or rock music in general, Evan and Tallin wanted to create subcultural connections with those people.
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Evan and Tallin worked on a variety of media such as paper, canvas, plastics, sticker sheets, and fabrics to spark attendees’ personal interests, whether it be art, clothing or fashion. Their works incorporate a variety of warm and cool-toned colors, hand-drawn sketches, raw scratcher-style patches, and pins.
Evan said they believe that handcrafted art is better than mass-produced art.
“This event allows the community to directly interact with these artists, as well as provide a safe, social environment for younger punks and people who might be curious about the subgenre and art. That’s the level of community we need in the scene,” Evan said. “I would rather see people walk away with something that they thought was super cool and unique.”
Evan (left) and Tallin (right) showcase their art and merchandise for sale on Nov. 16, 2025. They created a variety of expressive and unique pieces for customers to shop from. (Photo by Abby Eger)
Tallin said they believe that the ultimate purpose of this event is to provide Sacramento-based punk rock artists and artisans with a platform. Punk Rock Flea Market presents the opportunity for punk artists to showcase their artwork unapologetically without fear of criticism from the public.
“The purpose of the Punk Rock Flea Market is to showcase our local artists and make sure they have an outlet to have a safe space to sell and provide wares for the community in Sacramento,” Alfaro said.
Alfaro said he also relishes opportunities to develop relationships with people he encounters at the flea market every year, whether they are strangers or people he already knows.
“I love when people come up and they’re like, ‘I bought something from you like two flea markets ago.’ Or people come up and they’re like, ‘I think I was one of the first people that you’ve sold art to,’” Alfaro said. “I just love getting out and meeting new people and reacquainting myself with people that already know me and see the progression of our art.”
Salem Plasencia, one of the vendors who was selling their artwork at the Punk Rock Flea Market, said they are inspired by other vendors, motivating them to create art that they could have never imagined.
“I love the inspiration that [the flea market] gives me to create and make more stuff. I started very small with just some art prints, and now I have clothes,” Plasencia said. “I’ve gone into screen printing because of how much inspiration I get from just wanting to make things to show to people. I’ve made art prints and do things that I never would have done with my art previously.”
Plasencia, who has been at every Punk Rock Flea Market since its inception, said they believe that sharing punk rock culture with friends and family will allow it to eventually spread and grow into not just a small subculture, but something that is more accepted in mainstream society.
“I think that a lot of people in the punk rock scene love to gatekeep smaller artists. I think that the beauty of it is to share these smaller artists and to spread them around,” Plasencia said. “If you see some art you like, just share it with your friends and family. Sharing a lot of the things that you see in the punk rock community with other people who don’t really see that every day is honestly the best way to start it.”
Skye Bergen and business partner Maria Quintero-Lenihan, two local Sacramento artists who sell as “Succulent Sirens,” sold one-of-a-kind oddities, vintage mortem photos, and politically charged porcelain decorative plates.
They said their artwork places emphasis on challenging social norms and expressing oneself politically through everyday life, ultimately illustrating how daily acts of creativity can disrupt systems of oppression and redefine the boundaries of political engagement.
“We love making things, especially things we don’t normally see outside and around. We both quit our adult jobs to start this business together, to have the freedom to really do whatever we wanted to do.” Bergen said. “We’re both artists, we both enjoy art and want to make what we want to make in the punk community that accepts us, which is a huge thing.”
Succulent Sirens booth merchandise is displayed on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025. Owners and artists Skye and Maria said they create morbid oddities for curious and punk minds alike, depicting unconventional and alternate artistic pieces.
(Photo by Abby Eger)
Skye and Maria worked on a variety of media such as porcelain plates, photo paper, gemstones, leather jewelry, and framed taxidermy bugs.
By incorporating a variety of artistically expressive media and unconventional materials, they blur the line between expressive art and everyday objects. Each piece invites attendees to question cultural expectations, engage with political dialogue, and consider the role of personal identity in shaping artistic expression.
The next event hosted by the Flower Fist Market will be the “International Solidarity Market,” which will be held on Nov. 23, from 12-4 p.m. at 1819 E Street in Sacramento. According to Flower Fist Market’s Instagram, this market is a fundraiser to support Palestinian safety.