By Ella R. Dunn
MOST PORTLANDERS embrace weirdness, at least in some sense, from funky decor to artsy markets and unique eateries. Portland is a hub for people who have odd interests, and it is fairly easy to find curated experiences in the city for most unique niches.
The Oddities and Curiosities Expo lives up to its name: the convention hosts a curated collection of vendors selling creepy, cute and plain weird wares, ranging from taxidermied ducklings to antlers and elk skulls. According to their website, all taxidermy pieces are ethically sourced, which certainly put my mind at ease, being surrounded by dead animals and all. Among these findings, many traditional artists bring stickers and prints of their creative, odd designs.
The expo tours around the country and visited Portland on Oct. 5-6. The event took place at the Oregon Convention Center, occupying two of its huge halls. Vendors were set up with displays from simple tables to elaborate tents with hanging plants and decor. The Expo does a great job of curating its artists while still allowing enough variety to provide options for every creepy niche.
“We are a heavily curated show and only book within our dark, strange and odd theme,” their website reads.
The convention center was packed on Saturday, and for the most part, due to gothic-leaning fashion choices, it was easy to tell that most of the crowd was there for the Expo. Inside the halls, booths were surrounded by interested buyers. I refuse to divulge the amount of money I spent on stickers and art — and one lucky rabbit’s foot — but all I will say is that my bank account took quite a heavy hit that day.
One artist I grabbed a sticker from was Fogbarrow, a female collective focused on creating art revolving around folklore and cryptids. They are based primarily in Austin, Texas and Knoxville, Tennessee. This certainly shows the wide breadth of locations where people who sell at the expo are from. TK Krussow, an illustrator, displayed their work, including stickers, bookmarks and prints. Their merch is sold at both Hot Topic and Spencer’s. They had a great collection of pop culture-related stickers, including packs for “Coraline” and “Over The Garden Wall” (both of which I bought), two great examples of film and TV that fit into the Expo’s dark aesthetic.
If you are in the market for a hollowed alligator head, a unique handmade jewelry piece featuring a crow skull, or a car bumper magnet depicting a well-known serial killer, keep an eye out for next year’s Oddities and Curiosities Expo.
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