GOTH MARKETPLACE THORN & MOON TO REOPEN
Before Houston shut down for the ongoing COVID pandemic, the most goth place to be was at the monthly Thorn & Moon Magickal Market. The stalls full of oddities and art have been packed away in the name of safety, until now, as the market reopens at The Raven Tower on April 3.
“I’ve waited this long to bring it back because I had a lot of inhibitions with the pandemic,” says owner Jessica Anderson, who also manages an apothecary shop and the Kitchen Witch Spice Company. “People have been asking me to do it since last June. We’ve got this wonderful community. Hopefully, an outdoor event will make it safer.”
Previously, the market was held at Avant Garden, just down the street from the traditional goth stronghold of Numbers. Anderson still loves the venue but feels that the smaller areas and compartmentalized interior remains unsafe for the event, even as vaccination rates soar in the state. Her team will still be requiring masks and social distancing.
“We didn’t agree with the governor’s decision to lift the mask ordinance,” she says. “I can only hope that people are going to be responsible.”
Thorn & Moon is the largest collection of macabre and morbid vendors in the city, most of whom have had no in-person place to ply their wares since March of last year. In addition to the bazaar, the new Thorn & Moon will also include a free performance by the Bewitched Burlesque troupe, specialty witch themed cocktails and the Cosmo Flamingo food truck.
One of the people most looking forward to getting back into meeting people is Daniel Cesspooch, owner of Redcale. He specializes in taxidermy of large insects and makes startlingly beautiful mosaics from beetles and other bugs. He’s also a cancer survivor in remission and has barely left the house in a year. Cesspooch has been vaccinated and feels ready to go out now.
“I’ve been selling online, but it’s not the same,” he says. “There’s no interacting, no education. I’m highly introverted, but when I’m in my element, you can’t shut me up. I love to watch people’s disgust turn to wonder when they see these animals. I’ve really missed that. I hope this can be a regular thing again. It was my only outlet.”
Another biological artist anticipating the return is Lilly Westcott, owner of Obscure Houston. She makes jewelry, mostly out of bone and horn. All of her work is ethically sourced, usually from friends that run ranches and animal sanctuaries when animals die of natural causes.
“When you’re the Dead Thing Lady in your circle, you’d be surprised how many calls you get about corpses,” she says.
Westcott, who is newly pregnant, hasn’t been vaccinated yet. She recognizes that attending the market, even as the fight against the coronavirus appears to be going well, is a risk, however, she has confidence in Anderson’s promise of a safe environment.
“With Thorn & Moon, there is such a strong sense of community. It’s the only place I’ve gone to since high school where I can know 50 to 100 people and be friends. It’s a different head space,” she says. “At some point the universe tells you to stop letting opportunities pass you by, even when you’re being safe. I’ve missed the forced creativity.
You know you’re doing it so someone will smile or get excited and put it on their house. The personto-person factor has always driven my art. If there’s not a person loving it, what’s even the point?”
Christopher Rich can’t wait to be back at the market. A retired Type 1 diabetic who lives just outside the Texas Medical Center, he was part of the most vulnerable population when it comes to COVID. He has been in strict quarantine, but armed with the vaccine, he’s ready to meet people again.
Rich runs Beauties in a Bottle, an assemblage art company that combines plants with antique dolls and toys. These include herb gardens made out of doll heads, and terrariums with succulents and dollhouse furniture. He sees the return of the market as the light at the end of the tunnel.
“I think it’s like saying, ‘Hey, we made it,’ ” he says. “I lost some people and so many got sick. I wasn’t able to go be with them and be helpful. This is a new fresh start.”