David Hopp, 45, is co-founder of Oddmall: Emporium of the Weird, a free event that’s happening in Everett this weekend.
Oddmall is part art fair, craft show, gaming fest, cosplay, toy show, geeksplosion, music fest, magic show and various undefinable othernesses. It is family friendly, with attractions such as Fairy Princess Lolly’s Fairy Hollow.
Hopp and his fiancé have five children, two cats, two rats and, until recently, 21 snakes. He works in Woodinville at an assisted living community.
How did it start?
Oddmall: Emporium of the Weird was started in Ohio in 2009 by my brother Andy, an author, illustrator and game designer for the fantasy genre (think Dungeons &Dragons). He was setting up at a local craft show and felt really out of place. He thought there must be more cool artists like himself who also needed a place to sell their unique works. It is designed for those of us that just don’t quite fit in to your typical arts and crafts show. In 2013, I started the first Pacific Northwest Oddmall.
Why Everett?
I grew up in the suburbs, and all of my life if I wanted to go to a show or event, I would have to drive downtown, find a place to park and usually have to walk quite a way to where I was going. I chose Everett as a way to give back to the people of the suburbs. I plan to continue running shows in Everett as well as Lynnwood in February and Tacoma in May. We will return to EvCC in June for our summer show.
What can people expect to find?
With over 200 artists, crafters, authors, performers and entertainers, Oddmall is more than just an ordinary craft show.
It’s a celebration of uniqueness, creativity, imagination and wonder where artists, crafters and like-minded sorts gather to offer their unusual creations for public consumption. It’s a forum for creative expression, a classroom for esoteric wisdom, a soapbox for wild ideas, a miraculous marketplace of the unconventional, a metaphorical Serengetian watering hole where the zebras and wildebeests of inspiration and artistry congregate amidst the snapping crocodiles and scorching sunbeams of originality and ingenuity.
Anyway, it’ll be fun. Trust me.
If you could have a drink with anyone alive or in history, who would it be?
I would like to sit down with my grandparents and learn more about where I came from. I was young when they passed and don’t know a lot about my family history.
Fill in the blank: People would be shocked to know…
I have been a professional wrestling fan my entire life and spent 14 years as a referee.
What are you wearing?
Usually tie dye or Oddmall shirts.
What are three things in your fridge?
Apple juice. French onion soup. Grapes.
What is your pet peeve?
People who don’t say good-bye when they hang up the phone.
Andrea Brown at 425-339-3443; abrown@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @reporterbrown.
If you go
Oddmall: Emporium of the Weird, Nov. 19 and 20, Everett Community College gym. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free. More at www.oddmall.com.
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