Embrace your inner weirdo at the Bazaar of the Bizarre

Gabrielle Lang, The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
·5 min read

Oct. 19—WILKES-BARRE — The Bazaar of the Bizarre, a spooky season gathering of the most interesting vendors and creatives on the market, takes over the F.M. Kirby Center on Sunday, October 22. Tap into your dark side and see what surprises they have in store.

Co-founders Amy Frenchko and Josh Balz envision the Bazaar of the Bizarre as NEPA's own creepy version of Epcot. They launched the annual event in 2021 and have continued branching out to make the day at the theater a full experience.

This year features more vendor variety than ever before. Explore freaky goodies like dead bugs, macabre trinkets, spell ingredients, horror art, vintage clothing, handcrafted jewelry, and literally anything you can imagine.

Beyond shopping, guests can also get their tarot cards read on-site, meet their next Reiki master, or even restore with a massage.

"We like to be as eclectic as possible," said event Co-founder Josh Balz.

Amy and Josh hand-select every artisan to ensure a variety of interesting wares and experiences are on hand at the Bazaar of the Bizarre. It's a mystifying display of curiosities from a bunch of talented weirdos. Tis' the season.

The event will expand further on tattoo culture this year by featuring tattoo artists and even a piercer so that you can even go home with some new body art if your heart desires. South Main Street Tattoo, owned by Amy Frenchko's husband Nick Frenchko, will host a Flash Event at the Bazaar of the Bizarre where he, Lochknits, and Filip Kotarlic will give cash-only flash tattoos on the spot.

Bazaar-goers can also enjoy an assortment of food, drinks, sweets, and baked goods from Suraci's Italian Cafe, Eden Vegan, Sugar Plum Chocolates, The Domestic Goddess, Cyanide Suzy Creations LLC, Parlor Beverage, Sunny Graze, and other options to satisfy every craving. The bar at the F.M. Kirby Center will also be open.

"You can get yourself a charcuterie box and also take home a human skull. You know — a little bit of everything," said Josh Balz.

In the theater, you can watch classic horror films picked from a variety pack of those old vintage boxsets. They promise it won't be anything mainstream. Well, you definitely don't have to worry about that here anyway!

"I wanted to do an annual event — something that was unique, something fun, something that would be different from all the other events that go on in the area," said Amy Frenchko.

Amy Frenchko is a sommelier who's co-founder of The Northeast Wine Company, a boutique wine company born and raised right here in Northeast Pennsylvania while the wine is made in Spain. Her unique, tasty wines can be found on shelves throughout NEPA and beyond.

Amy Frenchko teamed up with friend and colleague, Josh Balz, to do something special to celebrate spooky season culture in NEPA. Josh Balz is the owner of The Strange and Unusual in Kingston, owner of Noir Dark Spirits, one of the co-owners of Parlor Beverage, and basically our resident expert on the weird.

These two local business leaders who live for alternative culture decided to combine their skills and unite all the coolest weirdos they know.

This is the third year for the Bazaar of the Bizarre and now, without having to worry about COVID looming, they're finally ready to go all out in 2023, the way they've always wanted.

Amy Frenchko and Josh Balz aim to shine the spotlight on a beautiful historic venue and bring that big city vibe to Northeastern Pennsylvania. They prove to locals that you don't need to travel to a major city to visit an oddities store or a creative restaurant...you can escape reality right here in your own backyard.

"—People say 'I want to leave, I want to go to New York or Los Angeles,' but my goal is to make people want to come back or stay. That's the vibe we try to create," said Josh Balz.

Josh Balz said when he opened The Strange and Unusual ten-plus years ago, people thought he was freakin' nuts and didn't believe it would succeed. But now, that alternative flair has again become a huge piece of NEPA culture.

"The objective was to make being weird acceptable amongst people that are strait-laced or "normal", and bring life back into Wilkes-Barre that was kind of lost for a minute," said Josh Balz.

Now, he's noticing all different oddities markets popping up all over the area — and it makes his cold, dead heart so happy. It's a sure sign that the scene really is back and badder than ever.

The Bazaar of the Bizarre leverages local talent and regional vendors and brings them all together to demonstrate how awesome hanging out in Wilkes-Barre really can be. Spend the day embracing your inner weirdo.

Amy Frenchko and Josh Balz both opened standalone businesses in NEPA and continue giving back to their home community. They love what they do and they love that they do it here in Wilkes-Barre.

And, they never sacrifice their self-expression to be successful — in fact, they lean into it.

See the world through Josh Balz and Amy Frenchko's eyes this Sunday, October 22. All ages are welcome to explore the Bazaar of the Bizarre, the admission price is $15 and the marketplace runs from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

If you yourself are also strange and unusual, come celebrate your edgy side with the people who will understand you best!