Printers and Punks Join Forces

            Small printers, publishers, punk rockers and crafters gathered underneath the echoing ceiling of the Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum this weekend.

The first floor of the Buffalo Small Press Book fair
from the buildings balcony. According to Fritter, vendors who
 needed more wall space for displays were placed upstairs.

            Selling everything from greeting cards printed in small batches, paper flowers and buttons featuring the likes of Andy Griffith and Vampyra, the fair’s vendors offered much more than just the small batch printed literature most people would expect.

For the first time the annual Buffalo Small Press Book Fair, now it’s in seventh year, has two full days of operations and, due to that, now has more vendors than ever. 

Some vendors can only make it for one of the two days, but making it a two day event gives printers from longer distances from Buffalo more incentive to be a part of the fair, said Christopher Fritton, founder and organizer.

“Spreading it out over two days means more people can come to the show. I always hear ”oh, I work all Sunday or oh, I work all Saturday,” so this gives more people an opportunity to come,” said Fritton.  

Every girl needs a pin with Sheriff Andy Taylor on it.
Buzzcocks and Andy Taylor pin by Rochester Teen Set Outsider.

This year the fair has 140 vendors, mostly from the Great Lakes region, but some as far away as the mid-Atlantic. Cathy G. Johnson, graphic novelist, and her table of comics, patches and various other printed materials, traveled from Providence, Rhode Island to be a part of the fair just for Saturday. 

Though a small part of the fair, zines were a noteworthy item for sale, particularly among the younger crowd, in all their chunky, black-glassed glory.

            The “Rochester Teen Set Outsider”, a zine printing material written by punks, misfits and people who seem to identify as general weirdos had a large crowd of all ages at their table. They also sold illustrations, small cards and many, many eclectic buttons featuring classic pop culture stars and punk rock icons. They certainly stood out in compared to a lot of the other booths and sold me some one-of-a-kind items. 

            The local food truck scene is providing dining options for the fair. The newer Amy’s Truck and the seasoned veteran Lloyd’s Taco truck were parked in front of the museum, at 453 Porter Ave. 

The Buffalo Small Press Book Fair continues tomorrow, Sunday, April 7, from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., with brief readings from authors and poets throughout the day.