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“I won't name the market, but I had very bad experiences with predators,” Simpson says. “Lots of resellers in the community had issues. In Houston, women in our line of work didn't have a place for us to come together. Our work wasn't being recognized even though I knew that behind the scenes, we were really running the show.”
Simpson says that finding a venue for a market is usually the hardest part, but in Dallas, it came naturally. A vendor she knew in Houston, who had been previously based in Dallas, connected her with a friend who had a studio. Simpson called Hannah, owner of Funky Fun Studios, who said, “Yeah, let's do it!”“People just see my vision and trust me,” Simpson says. “Once you find a few good people that trust you and your vision, word starts to get around.
“I want this to be like another one of those places for the girls and gays just to hang out, have fun, and not feel judged,” Simpson says. “Not just for customers, but for vendors too. My number-one goal will forever be to make this a safe space for everybody involved. I know what I went through with other markets and how that made me feel. I never, ever want another person to feel like that. Ever. I want people to have a good time and make their bag while doing it.