Nashville Punk Rock Flea Market pairs bands with vendors
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Punks swarm a singer at a previous Nashville Punk Rock Flea Market event. Photo: Emily Chavarie/Courtesy of the Nashville Punk Rock Flea Market
Mac Wallace started the event that became the Nashville Punk Rock Flea Market in her backyard as a pandemic era necessity.
- Wallace is the owner of the clothing business All Hallows LLC, and she had a house full of items she needed to sell at a time when retail business was bottoming out.
Catch up quick: So she invited people to her backyard for a sort of punk rock yard sale, asked a few bands to play and put on a spur-of-the-moment event. "It was so unintentional to do it," Wallace tells Axios.
Fast forward: Word spread quickly, and Wallace put on more flea markets over the years. Nashville Punk Rock Flea Market surged into a preeminent showcase of the thriving local punk music scene.
- It wouldn't be surprising to see over 3,000 people show up to the next flea market at Eastside Bowl on Saturday and Sunday.
Why it matters: The DIY ethos of the Punk Rock Flea Market makes it a refreshing festival at a time when Nashville feels more like Music Business City than Music City.
Details: Nashville Punk Rock Flea Market features performances by local punk bands and vendors selling items that appeal to rock music fans.
- The event spans two days with about two dozen artists taking the stage.
- There's also a charitable component, as the flea market partnered with Second Harvest Food Bank and asked attendees to bring boxes of cereal to donate.
What she's saying: "We've come a long way since my backyard," Wilson tells Axios. She says she gets asked what the Punk Rock Flea Market is when people see her bumper sticker at gas stations. "I tell them, 'It's an alternative event with vendors and live music. It's just a casual thing.'"
Zoom in: Perusing the website for Wallace's clothing shop All Hallows LLC, you can see how she gravitated toward punk music.
- A canvas tote for groceries has "F*ck plastic bags," printed on the side.
- Another shirt reads, "Keep Nashville Clean," and depicts a stick figure throwing away a swastika.
If you go: The Nashville Punk Rock Flea Market costs $5 for one day or $10 for two days. A $15 ticket lets attendees arrive early to shop.
- Bangzz, Bazookatooth, Elzig and Olivia Jean are among the bands performing.