Market of the Beast is a dark market for all the weirdos and occult lovers who have a bit of a funny bone in them and it’s coming to Richmond Feb 7th, 2026. This handmade market specializes in all things macabre from taxidermy and bone jewelry to home decor, occult prints and more. We chatted with founder Heather Loop about why she started the market and what you can expect from a market of darkness.
The market was founded in October 2018 in Seattle, WA, out of frustration. Loop had gotten into making bone jewelry. “I really liked the way bone jewelry looked, and there wasn’t anything out there on the market at that time. I also have a nickel allergy, and everything has nickel in it, so I started making nickel-free bone jewelry. It turns out a lot of people liked my stuff and wanted it.”
In the same vein, that frustration with the lack of bone earrings led to her making her own jewelry, and the lack of markets that supported her art was another catalyst. “What actually inspired me [to start the market] was that I couldn’t get into any art markets because my shit was too dark. I couldn’t get into these, I guess for a lack of a better term, ‘Etsy-style markets.’ So, I was like, fine, I’ll start my own, and then it kind of just blew up.” She found a partner with Alex Clunt of Pyromanced and went into beast mode. Clunt now runs the West Coast markets, while Loop handles the East Coast. She came up with the name Market of the Beast because “it’s funny, it’s punny, and it’s not like we are out here sacrificing goats, ya know.
This will be the second year in a row Market of the Beast will be held in RVA. Loop moved here in 2024 from Washington. She’d already had some friends here and wanted to expand the market to the East Coast, and is now loving the community.
More information on Market of the Beast can be found HERE.
“The market works in Richmond because there is a dark market community here already. There is Saturn Return, Rest in Pieces and Nevermore. Rest in Pieces is an oddities store, Saturn Return is a gothic cowboy store, and Nevermore is a gothic boutique. This community here has existed for a long time, and I am becoming a part of it and being accepted into the already established community, which I really appreciate because sometimes there is that whole ‘no new friends’ mentality.”
With around 40 vendors, there is a huge range of strange and unusual art. Rather you are a pastel goth or a witchy bitch, a nature lover into pressed flowers, or maybe you are looking for rings or rugs, Loop has you covered. There will also be dried bugs, taxidermy, and wet specimens.
If you are a lil bugged out about the idea of dead things and the ethics of it all, there are rules here, people. Everything needs to be ethically sourced, such as finding roadkill or dead animals in the woods. Dead butterflies are found on a stroll.
“I will walk around the woods and train tracks to find animals that died naturally. I have gotten gifts from people, from farms that had animals that had passed away. No artist is killing an animal for art purposes, and we don’t allow animals from trappers.”
There are also things that are not allowed, such as bats and human bones, both of which can be hard to prove they were ethically sourced. “Bats specifically, a lot of them are coming from Asia from these bat farms, and they are literally being slaughtered for people’s Halloween spooky decorations. And Market of the Beast does not support the slaughtering of animals for art.”
As she states on the site, “instead of being discarded, our vendors give these animals another purpose in the afterlife, whether its beauty is preserved in a jar, becomes a taxidermy mount, or used in an art piece.”
You are not going to want to miss these oddities and absolutely unique creations. Grab your brooms and ride over to The Workshop (1400 Mactavish Ave) on Feb. 7 from 1–6 p.m.
There is a $5 entry fee, and the event is all ages. A portion of the door fee is donated to the local Planned Parenthood.
Take a peek at some of the beasts of the market below:
Sensual Beasts / @sensualbeasts
This artist made the flier for the event and her ink and watercolor tattoo style illustrations are a metalheads wet dream.
Rosy Bones Co / @rosybonesco
Rosy Bones gives death an elegant rebirth with stunning mounted butterflies in Victorian frames, dried flower decor and unexpected bone jewelry like a pair of earrings made from possum pelvis bones with cicada wings dentially dangling from them.
O Wisteria / @o.wisteria
Gorgeously detailed pen and ink illustrations of nature with just a drop of creepy. Think a moth perched on a flower bud, barn owls, and ravens but with the occasional two headed rabbit. Aside from prints she also sells stickers and bag charms that feature her art.
Circle Circle Brand / @circlecirclebrand
Deck your neck out in one of these unisex dagger drip necklaces that give big gothic chandelier vibes.
Spiced Glass / @SpicedGlass
Let a little light shine into your dark heart with these wickedly whimsical stained glass pieces that come in designs like snakes and spider webs for just a touch of morose.
Hell Fired Clay / @hell_fired_clay
From a cutesy bowl with a happy/sad face motif, a jar shaped like a crazy moth-like creature or a mug with bat shaped wings; these handfired clay pieces are all a little bit sinister and a little bit silly.
Cut Teeth Creations / @cutteethcreations
If you have a spooky sense of humor these goods will have you dying with laughter. Put some creep under your step with an adorable two-headed goat rug or keep your goods in a tufted eyeball bag. Have a little fun with your dark side.
Feral Hag / @feralhag
Make it morbid but make it fashion. This is the beast behind it all. Do not miss Heather Loops booth full of jewelry and accessories made from foraged animal teeth, bullet jewelry, long leather fringe necklaces, porcupine quill earrings, and fox tails.
More information on Market of the Beast can be found HERE.
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