Let your freak flag fly with Haus of Misfit

At fashion design and marketing school, Jess Santos was taught to not be their customer. 

But when the 37 year old, who uses she/they pronouns, began designing their first brick-and-mortar store, they found themselves emulated in the anti-corporate, creepy and nerdy findings. 

Bucking that scholarly advice, Santos has filled their Kamloops (Tk’emlúps) North Shore boutique Haus of Misfit with books, clothing, knicknacks and oddities that they might like themselves, because they have a hard time finding things they like when out shopping. 

The store is located on Tranquille Avenue, two doors down from a pawn shop and neighbouring a cannabis store. It shares a building with a European bistro. 

Big windows allow a lot of light so the space isn’t dark despite the black floor and walls. Santos stocks zines, patches, clothing, jewelry and art. They know all the artists by name. There’s Chained In the Loops, a local line chef who crochets creepy critters, Theysister creates hand-dipped incense and pours candles into thrifted vessels, there’s T-shirt makers and print creators, pin pushers and stickers galore. 

From hosting night markets with dozens of different artists, to creating a permanent base in a retail shop and hosting events, Santos has created space for misfits to feel at home in a small pocket of the North Shore.

What’s a misfit?

Santos sits in a black chair in the zine corner at Haus of Misfit. Wearing their favourite band tee (The Flatliners, a Canadian punk rock group), a white and black cheetah print blazer with a purple ribbon pinned to the left lapel and a pin that says “Amplify Indigenous Voices,” opposite. 

“When you think misfit, what do you think? Honestly, sometimes I think of The Breakfast Club,” they tell The Wren, referring to the iconic coming-of-age comedy released in 1985. “You get all those people that were maybe bullied in school for being weird.”

Santos feels like a misfit themselves. 

“I think I always felt like I was different,” they say. “As a teenager, I really got into punk music, and carried that through my adult life. The thing about punk rock, it’s home to all sorts of misfits and artist types, and people who stand out from the crowd.”

Before the brick-and-mortar space opened in 2023, Santos was organizing periodic markets under Misfit Night Market. They knew that Kamloops supported craft markets, but there wasn’t really a home for the unusual and weird. 

“I just wanted it to be an alternative kind of funky, unique craft market at night to give people something to do in the evenings,” they say. “There aren’t a lot of spaces for more alternative people of various types to mingle in Kamloops. Turned out it was an untapped market.”

The first Misfit Night Market was planned for March 28, 2020. It had to be postponed seven months due to in-person event pandemic restrictions.

That October, Santos held a modified market from her original vision. Each artist had a designated table, but Santos worked the event solo. It was a resounding success, but they didn’t want to host the next in-person event until pandemic restrictions had cooled.

Hats off

Santos grew up in Kitimat, B.C. and moved to Kamloops after graduating high school. The young artist spent their formative years in Toronto calling Little Italy home. Here Santos became a milliner’s assistant working for Karen Ruiz who created hats for the Tragically Hip frontman, the late Gord Downie, during the band’s farewell tour. 

“Honestly, up until this one, it was the coolest job I’ve ever had. It was so fun. People would be like, ‘What do you do for a living?’ and I’d be like, ‘I make hats.’ And then they’d be like, ‘You make cats?’ And then I’d be like, ‘No, chapeaux,” they say with a big laugh. 

Santos spent most of their time in Little Italy and around Trinity Bellwoods. They enjoyed working at the millinery, exploring indie shops and eating at alt-landmark Sneaky Dees. 

“From a small Northern B.C. town to like, looking out my bedroom window and seeing the CN Tower, it was a trip,” they said.

They lived in London, Ont. next and organized a punk rock flea market, which is where the idea for a shop first materialized. They wanted to “support other local weird artists that do weird stuff.”

Punky and queer

The first Misfit Night Market to fit Santos’ full vision happened in 2022. Each market was themed and this one was for Pride. The playlist was punky and queer. More than a dozen hand-picked vendors stood with their wares and the doors opened. 

“You’ve got a bunch of neurodivergent artists, and then a swarm of people coming into this relatively small space,” they recall. “A lot of us were just overwhelmed, but in a good way.”

With limited space, Santos chooses vendors carefully. There’s an application and vetting process. They look for artists who may not fit in with more traditional craft shows. Santos receives anywhere from 20 to 70 applications for between 12 and 20 spots. Accepted vendors must sign a safe space policy. These are common in spaces that might see a variety of people from different walks of life with guidelines that help maintain a level of comfort, respect and privacy for everyone. 

Finding a home

When Santos began looking for a permanent retail space for Haus of Misfit, they knew they wanted to be on the North Shore.

“The North Shore to me is misfit,” they say. “A lot of people talk crap about it, sometimes I think [it’s] unjustified.” Santos wanted to be there, already familiar with the neighbourhood after hosting a few markets.

Haus of Misfit and Misfit Night Market fit into the desired character of the neighbourhood, explains North Shore Business Improvement Association (NSBIA) executive director Jeremy Heighton. 

“Misfit is right in the centre of this village area,” he says, referring to the Tranquille Road corridor between Palm and Vernon Streets. In the official community plan, it’s referred to as an “innovation hub” and “cultural village” on the North Shore. 

“It really fits well with the Red Beard’s and the smaller, funner, different types of businesses,” he says, referring to the Red Beard Cafe, which has become a gathering place for the North Shore community. 

Owner Mitch Forgie isn’t afraid to try something new, opening a speakeasy-style cocktail bar in the basement of the restaurant. Fogie was also one of the first people to reach out and support Santos’ vision for the Night Markets in their early days. 

Fogie also happens to be a partner at Bright Eye Brewing, which has hosted a few drag events alongside Santos including a watch party for “Canada’s Drag Race,” as well as a trivia night centred on “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” and more recently, a good old-fashioned drag show, honey. 

“I’m especially good at drag race trivia because I can quote drag race and I’m literally talking to people who understand what I’m saying,” Santos says. “The feedback has been really positive. People really enjoy having niche special-interest things to do.”

Beating the odds

While Santos hosted a handful of night markets in 2023, they aren’t sure how this year will look. They’re in the process of finding a different space that could fit more vendors. The shop is also a bigger priority than the market at the moment. 

“The night market helps the shop and provides space for the community,” they explain. “But it’s a lot of work and I’m one person trying to run a brick-and-mortar. I’m trying not to bite off more than I can chew and be too ambitious.”

For now, Santos’ own creative pursuits have largely taken a backseat. They’ll design stickers (“This Barbie is a Misfit,” “No Thrills,” “Shop Local. Steal Corporate”), and still makes hats, but laments that not too many sell. 

“Kamloops is not a fancy hat town,” they say. 

The artist does custom sewing jobs, and freelance designs headpieces for Canada West Theatre.

“When there’s something that I’m really interested in, the motivation and the ambition is there in a big way,” Santos said. “But I can also burn out really fast.”

Santos knows the odds are stacked against them.The cost of goods has dramatically increased, commercial rents are soaring and fewer people are spending money beyond the essentials.

But, the business owner has renewed their lease for another year. 

“I’m gonna keep making a go of it for as long as I can,” they say. “I do have community support. I just need to be patient. Slow growth is not a bad thing.”

Santos has no plans to hire employees until they can pay them a living wage and right now, they’re not getting paid themselves.

“The general mindset of business is money and profit. That’s not what motivates me. So I’m kind of a misfit even within the entrepreneur community,” they say. “My eyes glaze over when people start talking about stakeholders. I’m more community-oriented.”

Santos wants to keep supporting independent artists and people. Haus of Misfit could one day even become a co-op. 

“Or just something equitable. I’m not a capitalist,” Santos says. “The capital is kind of a byproduct of the different relationships and the customers supporting local artists.”

For now, when they come into work, they’re content, confident and self-assured.

“Almost the same feeling that I got when I lived in Toronto and I would look outside my window and I could see the CN Tower,” they say. “It’s just like, ‘I’m here.’”