Several bands performed at the Punker Decker: Punk Flea Market. (Susan Mah) Punk Flea Market held at Powerhouse By Susan Mah Punk is not a fashion statement; it’s a philosophy. Joey Ramone once said that “Punk is about being an individual and going against the grain and standing up and saying ‘This is who I am.’” And so it was this past Sunday at Punker Decker: Punk Flea Market, held at the Powerhouse and sponsored by the Southern Punk Archive, the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council, and the Sarah Isom Center for Women & Gender Studies. Thirty vendors from Mississippi and Tennessee set up tables to sell their wares, including punk band merch, non-traditional jewelry, and other eclectic accessories, housewares, and art. There were about 100 attendees, and three bands performed throughout the evening: Little Baby Tendencies (Memphis), Seize and Desist (Memphis), and Bangzz (North Carolina). According to John Rash, who is the coordinator of the event as well as a professor at Ole Miss, the overarching goal of the flea market is “To create a space for alternative and creative culture in Oxford that seems to not have an outlet otherwise. Each time this occurs, several people tell me it’s their favorite event that happens here.” The Punk Flea Market takes place three times a year; the next one is scheduled for August.

Vendors from across the Mid-South were on hand for Sunday’s event at the Powerhouse.