Everyone has that impossible to buy for person on their shopping list every Christmas. If that person-in-question happens to be of the Nerd variety, then gift shopping can be even more frustrating. And if you’re a member of the ever-growing Buy Local Crowd, well you may be tempted to just throw your arms up in surrender and call it a Holiday.
But for those looking to check off all those boxes this Christmas shopping season and who may also be looking for something free of corporate restraints and traditional consumerism, then Saturday’s Very Merry Magical Market is perfect for you.
The Very Merry Magical Market is the third event organized and hosted by Aurora Morrison and Charlotte Stark. Several years ago the two noticed there was a distinct absence of representation in the convention scene, specifically for local artists, female voices and the LFGTQ community.
“As the convention scene changed over the last decade, it felt like conventions became more corporate and less community-focused,” said Aurora. “My first convention was AC3 in 2006 and it was amazing. Myself and my friends were just a bunch of nerds in simple costumes making friends, hosting and attending panels, playing games, and having a good time together. As a teen, this was a great environment for bringing together like-minded people in a safe space.”
“I felt that power was taken away from the community and the space felt less safe as it became more mainstream. We saw less representation for LGBT+ people, less softness as conventions embraced corporate identities, and less community involvement. Losing these took away a lot of the things that made me fall in love with the community in the first place. I partnered with Charlotte to revive that fun, safe space for the community to rediscover connections through local art and workshops hosted by peers.”
With the goal of addressing those shortcomings in mind, the two organized their first Magical Girl Market in July of 2017. And their concerns that the event may not find an audience were quickly laid to rest (Aurora would later reveal that the Christmas themed Market was actually requested by fans).
“The response has been very positive!” Aurora responds when asked how the Merry Magical Market has been received. “At first, I was worried that people wouldn’t want to engage with the event. It very well could have been ‘too niche’ and people might not have an interest in community driven events in a genre like that. To our delight though, the response was wonderful and encouraged us to keep growing. We are still learning and growing, while constantly listening to our community to make sure we represent what they want as well as what we personally believe in.”
With the success of the event, the two have been able to isolate the Market’s identity as well as chart a course for the future all while embracing the characters that inspired it. “We wanted a safe, feminist space, and who better to be our patron than the magical girls of the 90s? Inspired by anime like Sailor Moon and Cardcaptor Sakura, we wanted to use the values of these inspiring heroines and stories about people who cared about their friends, family, and community to guide us on our journey!”
“The Magical Girl Market is made by magical people for all magical people! We strive to bring together the Ottawa community through celebrating Magical Girls, women, and people of all shapes and sizes. We invite local artists, businesses, and talent of all kinds to join us in this feminist celebration of shameless self-love.”
“We promote an inclusive, positive space for everyone in our community and at our events. We support body positivity, cultural diversity, and LGBTQ rights within the community. We promote a safe space for everyone regardless of ethnicity, age, ability, skill, gender, or orientation- no exceptions!”
Diversity and representation was always the goal, and with the Market being so eagerly embraced by fans and artists alike, inclusion actually presented a bit of an obstacle moving forward.
“As the market has grown, we have committed to being a safe space and this has drawn in a lot of LGBT+ people- which is great. As two queer women, that’s what we wanted! However, not everyone was as familiar with the “Magical Girl” anime genre, and feel the term is exclusionary. We are currently looking into rebranding to dissolve those concerns, hence the name “A Very Merry Magical Market”, but it’s a process! Once we see how the market goes this weekend, we’ll have a better idea what direction to take the market in the future!”
Aurora reveals that after this weekend’s Merry Magical Market the event and it’s organizers will take a short breather to plan the future for an event that has enjoyed considerable success despite being so relatively new.
“This is our third market and we have now had a market in spring, summer, and winter,” she reveals. We are going to take some time to reflect on these markets, get community feedback, and take our time with rebranding to become more accessible before hosting our next market. We want to continue to stay community driven, and the people of Ottawa asked us for this Holiday market, so here it is! Now, we just need to work hard to make it a success!
And the Market has plenty of social conscience outside of its mandate of representation and diversity. The last Market raised money for the Pay It Forward program at Venus Envy and this time it will be supporting a new initiative called Comprehensive Sex Ed Ottawa (CSEO for short).
“This Market always tries to support local incentives and our community,” says Aurora. “We’ve seen a lot of change in Ontario in the last few months, and some of those changes have left a negative impact on many of our communities. CSEO is a new initiative that seeks to empower students and teachers that wish to improve sex education in their schools. Students and teachers who have project ideas to improve awareness around sex education in their school or community can apply for a grant, managed by CSEO, to help bring these ideas to life and bring comprehensive education back to our community.”
Fans and patrons can help the Market support their community initiatives by buying a raffle ticket for some sweet holiday swag. “We will be holding a raffle featuring amazing goods from our vendors and local businesses to support CSEO. Please consider purchasing a raffle ticket! 100% of all raffle ticket purchases will go to support CSEO. Raffle tickets can be purchased at the Raffle Table on the STAGE in the Market Hall at A Very Merry Magical Market with cash or credit!”
The Merry Magical Market begins at 11 AM on Saturday, December 8th at The Bronson Centre ( 211 Bronson Ave.). Admission is free though visitors can contribute to the growth of the Market through a “pay what you can” donation program. Outside of showcasing talented local artists the Market will also host various workshops and offer activities (lists and schedules can be found on their Facebook page).
So if your looking for something local, unique and dynamic for that tough-to—buy for someone on your Christmas list, you know where to go this Saturday. And you can support a great local cause while you’re at it.
