What started as a backyard market at a shared house has grown into one of Tucson's most distinctive vendor events, offering a safe space for women, BIPOC, queer and disabled communities to connect, create and celebrate.

The Floozy Flea returns Saturday, March 28 from 6 to 10 p.m. at Hotel Congress and will include 20 art vendors, live portraits, free arts and crafts and drinks. The theme is garden party, and attendees are encouraged to channel their inner fairies, gnomes, bugs and forest friends, with the winner of the best costume contest taking home a special prize.

May Luna hosted the first Floozy Flea in 2022 in the backyard of a house she shared with three roommates. As attendance grew, the venue outgrew the friends' yard and moved to Hotel Congress' patio.

"The idea stayed the same: creating a space for artists to be uplifted and creating a safe space for communities who are often targeted and discriminated against," Luna said. "I'm always looking for feedback on how to improve this market and trying to grow the lovely community of floozies."

That creative spirit, Luna said, has roots that go back long before Floozy Flea. While taking a two-year fashion design program in high school, she found that she enjoyed using upcycled, weird or discarded materials, giving the items a new life.

"This fascination with the 3D element of design is what led me to attend University of Arizona for my bachelors in fine arts in sculpture," Luna said. "During my time in college, I loved working in the wood shop and began creating household items that replaced mundanity with memories of being a child."

Since graduating in 2024, Luna, who works as general manager at Sigfus Designs, has made sculptures for her house and flea markets.

"I'm always looking for opportunities to keep my skills sharp," Luna said.

In her role at Sigfus, Luna teaches customers how to make jewelry, creates content for social media and plans events and workshops. She also offers personal shopper services on her website.

But her instinct for building community goes back even further.

"During my last two years of high school, I began hosting small markets at my grandpa's barbershop in Mesa, Luna's Hair," she said. "My main focus was to build community with local artists and musicians and I think selfishly I wanted to feel a little less lonely."

After moving to Tucson to attend the University of Arizona, Luna felt the art program was lacking a sense of community.

"Many of my classes were quiet and awkward," she said. "Instead of sinking into this feeling I racked my brain for an idea on how to fix it and Floozy Flea was born."

The name "Floozy Flea" drew inspiration from a photo of Luna's friend wearing a shirt that read "little floozy homewrecker."

She thought Floozy Flea had a nice ring to it.

"I love when women reclaim words that are meant to demean them," Luna said. "I figured since the whole world is centered around straight white men, I might as well make Floozy Flea the exact opposite of that. I myself am a queer woman, and I think it's important to have spaces for people to truly unwind, be themselves, and meet people in their community that are similar to them."

Tickets to the Floozy Flea cost $10 in advance or $12 at the door. Find details on its Instagram page.

Ruby Maldonado is a Pima Community College student and Tucson Spotlight intern. Contact her at rhmaldonado99@gmail.com.

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