Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenna Caring
Hi Jenna, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Grandma Party Bazaar is one of Orlando’s most beloved events for 20 years running. I like to call it the Grandmother of the Orlando market scene. It started out small with a handful of stoners from Stardust Video & Coffee selling some art in the ditch off the parking lot and then grew into a parking lot affair. Before I took over as Gma, I was an artist who had participated in the event in previous years. In 2015 I became the organizer, making me the longest reigning Grandma since the party began. Jt Almon was the one who started it all. He then passed the reins to Casey Szot, who then passed it on to Christina Kamm and Ashley Belanger who then passed it over to me. It was a steadily growing market and eventually the other shops in the neighborhood started doing their own pop-ups on the same day, making it an Audubon Park takeover. The event really blew up from there. It is a true labor of love and my favorite day of the year. Gma has such a loyal following. It’s a day where people get to see old friends and hang out all day to drink, shop and dance. It’s an anything goes type of party all while offering a space to support local artists and snag some unique holiday gifts for all the nice & naughty ones on your list.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Smoothish I’d say. Most of the pressure and stress is self-imposed. I want to make the party fresh each year and always have new ideas for props, entertainment or special guest stars. Or I decide that I need to make a wearable Grandma Puppet or collaborate with Redlight Redlight on a canned beer (turned extra hard seltzer) and call it Granny Panties. All my planning starts in July with the call for artists. I do this to give myself plenty of planning & prep time and also to give the artist a solid lead time for production. Grandma Party is a big deal and an all day thing, so they need to have a hearty stock of goods. As far as general struggles: There is always something that goes wrong or someone leaves their car overnight in the parking lot and COMPLETELY screws up load-in. Load-in is always chaotic no matter how organized we think we are. Without fail, someone comes in super stressed or panicked and that energy is crazy contagious. Some years it was really hard depending on what my primary job was at the time. When I was teaching, I was constantly drowning, but I am lucky to have great friends who help me throw this badass party. I have learned that I don’t have to do everything myself and to have faith that it will all come together in the end…and if it doesn’t, that’s okay. This year, I decided we HAD to have a Very Grandma Drag Show, where guests could dress themselves up in the crazy Grandma wigs and clothes we had and strut their stuff to win a prize. I asked Brendan O’Connor from The Bungalower to host as Brenda From Bithlo and he generously donated his time and was absolutely hilarious. Everyone loved it. But, all day, we couldn’t get models to sign up. No lie, 10 minutes before showtime, panicked yet faithful, every friend with the misfortune of being in eyesight were “voluntold” to be in this ridiculous fashion show and they were such great sports and brought their inner sassy grandmas to life. This is one of the reasons our tagline is “Grandma Party is you and me and all of us making it happen.” Everyone is so game to make it a fun time. (It’s on Instagram if you want to see it)
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Grandma Party was the first art market I ever sold my work at. I’m a metalsmith and mixed media artist, who like most artists suffer from major imposter syndrome. It wasn’t that long ago when I stopped cringing when referring to myself as an artist. Presenting your art to a large crowd in this format can make a person feel quite vulnerable. Is anyone going to like my work? Will I sell anything? All of this inner dialogue gets tangled up in your self worth. I always had great success at Grandma Party and it really helped build my confidence and grow as an artist. It’s very validating for artists when strangers love what you’ve created and purchase your work…and it’s not just your Mom telling you how talented you are. I love being a part of this beautiful event for many reasons, but what I’ve found to be the biggest source of joy for me as “Grandma” is providing a nurturing and supportive platform for artists to share their work and build their brand. It is with this spirit in mind, that I opened Veer Collective, a local artist centered boutique with my friend and business partner, Molly White. We want to provide a space that supports artists, where people can shop unique handmade goods year round. It’s kinda like a mini Grandma Party, just without the crazy party element. A portion of each sale is donated to ARTreach Orlando at the end of the year, to help foster the future generation of potential Grandma Party artists 🙂 Our brick and mortar space shares the same building as Alchemy Hair Salon at 600 N Bumby Ave 32803, but we also have a website where people can shop our great collection of artists. www.veer-collective.com
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Something surprising to most is the origin story of the event name. People always ask, “Why is it called Grandma Party Bazaar?” And depending on who is asking, I can tell the real story. When I was asked on WESH news in a promo segment for the event, I had to tell a different story, but remember how I said it started out with a group of stoners selling art in the Stardust ditch? Well, Grandma was the code word for weed…because whatever pot they were smoking had little purple pistils on the flower. This must’ve inspired the imagery of old ladies with their dyed purple or blue hairs. “Are you bringing Grandma to the party?” That kind of thing, haha. The persona of “Grandma” as a mythological mascot grew from there and was adopted by the organizers and I’ve continued using that voice and imagery in the branding and advertising for the bazaar. I don’t put myself in the picture as the organizer of Grandma Party (if I can help it). At this point, a lot people know it’s me, but I try to make it more like a Wizard of Oz situation. There is a “Grandma” and for the time being I am the one behind the curtains.
Pricing:
- The event is FREE!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @grandma_party
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grandmaparty
Image Credits
Photo credits go to Tipso Photo and the rest are from Grandma’s phone
