The Shop Blog
Made On Honor Market — Providence, RI June 26 2018
Last year we vended at Narragansett's Made On Honor Market, and this summer they're bringing it back. Combining their awesome beer plus awesome vendors—it's a, well, awesome time! Come have some tasty drinks while perusing small and local New England businesses.
Strange Ways will road tripping to Providence, RI to be a part of the 2 Day market event. It goes on all weekend, both Saturday + Sunday. This time the event is at Pilotworks in Providence instead of Gansett's own brewery. The event is still FREE to enter. (Beers on you, of course.)
Made On Honor Market
55 Cromwell St, Providence, RI
RSVP to the Facebook Event
Summer Escape June 21 2018
Summer is here! That means you can finally get out of the house, leave the city—and escape into somewhere that you can be alone! Grab your closest buds and find the best secret swimming hole. You deserve some sunlight on that skin after hiding at home most of the time. Be sure to go out in style with our featured items.
View the Summer Escape lookbook
Two Roads Annual Road Jam Music Fest June 13 2018
Here at Strange Ways we love beer. We also love music and hanging out—especially with beer! So when Two Roads Brewing asked us if we wanted to be a part of their 5th Road Jam Music Fest we said “Ya, man!”
Strange Ways will be a part of the Saturday market that takes place on the 2nd Day. The event is at the Two Roads campus brewery in Stratford, CT. We've been there, and it's a huge great space! Besides vendors, there will be music including their headliner Lotus as well as food trucks to fill your bellies.
We love supporting other CT businesses, and think this will be a great time! If you're interested in getting a buzz on and shopping some Strange Ways gear, ticket info and more is below. Cya there!
Two Roads Road Jam Music Fest
Saturday, June 23rd / 2PM–10PM
Buy Tickets • Facebook RSVP
Ello & Strange Ways Artist Pins Contest May 05 2018
For years artists have been asking us how to get their custom work turned into enamel pins and sold at Strange Ways. For those looking to get started into pins, we've decided to team up with the artist platform Ello to run a limited time contest.
Strange Ways Capsule Collection
Artist Series Pins
• 4 artists will be chosen to have their art turned into enamel pins
• 100 pins of each design will be produced and sold at Strange Ways
• 25 pins of each design will be sold in the Ello store
• An additional 25 pins will be gifted to each artist of their work
Dubbed “The Creators Network” Ello provides a contemporary forum and virtual workplace for artists, brands, agencies, publishers, and their fans. To enter one must sign up and join Ello, but it's free and you may just end up discovering new opportunities for your work. We believe by teaming up with another brand that champions artists and creatives we can spread the opportunity and support.
Enter the Contest
Entries close June 7th
Strange Ways at RuPaul's DragCon LA April 25 2018
We had so much fun at DragCon NYC, that we are making our way across the country to Los Angeles to vend at the next one May 11–13! Strange Ways will have a table for all 3 days at the venue where we'll be selling some of our most popular pins, patches, and other top sellers.
Come shop with us all weekend including our exclusive Drag Queen collabs with Shea Couleé, Laganja Estranja, Laila McQueen, Peaches Christ, and more. We'll also have lots of gay pride and LGBT related flair so you can bling up you jackets, bags, hats, and more. To top off, we'll totally be bringing our Clueless and Mean Girls licensed product—so get your wallets ready!
Drag Queen Merchandise
LGBT Pins + Patches
Clueless + Mean Girls Merch
Visit us at Booth C11 Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Flair Fair April 14th in New Haven, CT April 02 2018
Our vendor market returns again! This will be just the 2nd Spring-time version of Flair Fair and our poster art by Allison Bamcat shows our excitement for warm weather finally!
The 1 day market features over 10 makers selling pins, patches, buttons, and more collectible pieces of art. If you like Strange Ways—you'll definitely enjoy Flair Fair! It takes places just a few steps away from our storefront in New Haven, CT. The event is free to attend, and will feature a food truck and official after party at Barcade downtown! See you all there for another round.
Flair Fair
April 14th — 11AM–4PM
827 Whalley Ave, New Haven, CT
Vendor List + Market Info
RSVP + Invite Friends
Strange Ways Pairs Up With Paramount March 09 2018
We spoke with local New Haven publication The Arts Paper to speak out our new venture with Paramount Pictures licensing film titles Clueless, Mean Girls, Almost Famous, and Anchorman. In it we talk about how the collaboration works, the inspiration behind the merchandise, and why Strange Ways decided to delve into the licensing business.
“There’s a lack of accountability, especially with the internet now. It’s really … it’s hard to tell what’s original and what’s not. We won’t carry something that’s a ripoff. And that’s where I want Strange Ways to be.”
READ MORE: Strange Ways Pairs Up With Paramount
SHOP THE MERCH: Our exclusive Clueless and Mean Girls items
Exclusive Clueless and Mean Girls Merchandise! February 07 2018
Excited to announce that we've teamed up with Paramount Pictures to produce official movie merchandise! So totally proud to introduce both our Clueless and Mean Girls collections—officially licensed and available now only at Strange Ways.
The enamel pins and iron-on patches feature popular slang from some of our favorite lines in the movies. Both Clueless and Mean Girls took girl gangs to a whole new cultural level, and we're proud to be a part of their cult phenomena. It's so fetch!
Shop Clueless and Mean Girls Collections here!
From The Owner: A Reflection For 2018 January 02 2018
Alex here, Owner & Creative Director of Strange Ways. I spent the first workday of 2018 getting back into the more normal flow of things now that the holiday rush is over. It’s been a weird adjustment, because the shop has grown larger than I ever expected it to. There is not much “normal routine” lately because as Strange Ways grows new tasks, challenges, and projects are put onto the table.
What started out as a passion for showcasing what I’d want to buy, create, and share has turned into a buzzing spot for creative entrepreneurs and DIY-minded individuals to connect with. We’ve been picked up by major publications and we regularly ship packages all over the world. We had our largest sales ever just last month!
The craziest thing is—I can live off the shop. To be able to survive off of something I built was always a dream. I started my own business so I could be my own boss, make my own hours, and earn my own money. I thank you all for allowing me to do just that, while putting money into hustling artists as well. By shopping with us your dollars hit everyone dearly.
It’s been over 3 years since Strange Ways began, and this year is not letting down. I can’t wait to show you new product, collaborate with people I look up to, put on more fun events, and travel to other cities. Strange Ways has grown as online destination, a storefront, and as a brand.
Thank you again for all the support, and keep watching. I’ll try to keep surprising, delighting—and maybe mildly offending you—in the year to come. 😜🍾
Alex Dakoulas
Founder & Creative Director
Our First Holiday Market! November 30 2017
We've had a really great time organizing pop-ups at our storefront, and expanding that into our own vendor market we call Flair Fair. But... we still felt there was something missing in the New Haven area and culture scene. The most advantageous time for creative entrepreneurs to get their work out there (and make money from it!) is during the holidays. People are in search of gifts to buy, and they love to support local to find unique items for their loved ones.
Hence, we decided to expand our Flair Fair and host the 1st Flair Fair : Holiday Bazaar. It'll be very similar to our past markets—but with a little bit more room in the vendor assortment beyond pins and patches. This holiday market will also feature other local artists and designers that make unique and interesting items that would make great gifts.