Second Saturdays, more than a street fair

The LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District hosted their SOMA Second Saturday street fair on June 10 with SOMA West CBD and Folsom Street. This monthly event provides local vendors a place to showcase their goods, and gives surrounding communities a safe space to come together. 

12th Street between Folsom and Eagle Plaza was reserved for the street fair which contained a booth for Mpox vaccinations, group activities such as writing classes and chair yoga, and a pup play pad. 

District manager of the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District Cal Callahan said that the organizers of the market came together to find a way to “meet the needs of the community. We wanted to provide something for the artists of our community so we started adding in extras such as erotic storytelling hour.” 

Sumiko Saulson, award winning author and host of the erotic storytelling hour, is a board member of the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District and hosted the first ever in person erotic storytelling hour reading. “Being a part of this community influences my success as an artist. My art has been very positively impacted by being a part of the leather community; I have a lot more art with nudity and sex than I did before I started vending here.”

Saulson already had a portfolio of multicultural and body diverse art, and “decided to take what I was already doing and put nudity and kink into the artwork” after becoming a part of the leather community. On the second Saturday of June, they sold a variety of their creations, from acrylic painted paddles, to zines and poetry books. 

Luke Joseph, owner of It’s Simple SF makes locally sourced flavored syrups right here in the city. The syrups contain “nothing that you can't pronounce and even the bottles are recycled.” Joseph said that events like these give him the opportunity to “meet a lot of new clientele and people have different input. I take their input and incorporate it into my business.”  At previous events such as the SOMA West farmers market, Joseph has collaborated with other vendors such as a coffee brewer and made delicious flavored lattes. 

Second Saturdays bring vendors, artists, and locals together creating a flourishing community and networking opportunities. The next Second Saturday will be open to all on July 8 at 12th Street between Folsom and Eagle Plaza from 12-5pm. 

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