Oddly Fascinating / Dark Rain Design FAQ

1) Who are you guys?

We are husband-and-wife artists from Plymouth Meeting, PA. Alex has a long history with prop and model making, electronics, painting, stained glass, and sculpture. Sterling sews, crochets, paints, and does leatherwork. Both of us are extremely nerdy and a bit (okay, a lot) twisted. Apart from expressing ourselves creatively, we love to find neat things and share them with our customers.

 

2) Oddly Fascinating? I though you were Dark Rain Design?

Our registered business name is, and will remain, Dark Rain Design. However, we are now primarily vending as Oddly Fascinating. The rebrand more accurately reflects our focus on weird & unusual items. Anything we make is still branded as Dark Rain Design.

3) How long have you been in business?

We are currently in our 10th year.

4) Is this your full-time occupation?

Both of us have day jobs. Which are boring, but pay the mortgage.

5) Do you have a physical store?

No - at least not yet. We sell at various shows through the year, and from our website www.darkraindesign.com

6) You used to just sell Clockwork Critters, now you sell lots of things. How come?

Between supply cost increases and the difficulties in sourcing the toys we base them on, Clockwork Critters have become vastly more expensive to make. We are also doing far fewer Steampunk events.

The things we sell currently sell fall under one of four categories:

  • Things We Make – Self-explanatory. Currently, this is Clockwork Critters animatronic animals and stained glass. Future items will include coffin pin boards and shadowboxes.
  • People We Know – Works purchased for resale directly from artists. Enamel pins, art prints, plushies, mugs, coasters, and other items. Everything is sold and promoted under the artist’s name.
  • Things We Find – Antiques, collectibles, vintage, and other weird stuff that we hunt for online and in flea markets, estate sales, and auctions all over the country, and from as far away as Japan and Germany. May include uranium glass, quack medical devices, anatomical models, unusual knick-knacks, and disturbing artifacts. .
  • Stuff We Buy – What would be considered regular retail items, purchased specifically for resale. This includes books, some prints, and 3D wood puzzle kits. Always curated directly by us.

7) Do you do custom work?

Very rarely, and it depends on the nature of the request. Because of our show schedule, custom work can take a long time. Your best bet is to either email or speak to one of us at a show and let us know what you have in mind.

8) What's with all the Pride stuff?

In our personal lives we are active in the alternative lifestyle community. We want to show our support for the community at large and for our friends. A portion of the sales of all Pride and lifestyle items is donated to The Attic Youth Center, a Philadelphia organization for LGBTQ youth.

9) Hey, you should sell at <extremely large and/or popular event>!

We appreciate the thought, but in a lot of cases this isn't an option. All of our hand-made products take quite a while to make, so creating enough inventory to justify the expense of a large event isn't feasible. Even with more of a focus on retail items, the fees and overall expenses at big events can be far too high for a small two-person business.

10) I run <a new event or one we haven't vended at before> and would like to have you guys join us. What's the best way to get you involved?

Contact us as far in advance of the event as you can - most of our yearly schedule is set at least six months before. Be aware we do have very specific booth size and placement requirements, both for our benefit and in consideration for other vendors.

Beyond that, we'll ask some basic questions about the event, decide if we think we'd fit, and then if we do we'll go through whatever your normal vendor application process is.