Put your hands on the good stuff
Four days of gear you can pick up, try on, and ask questions about, from the people who made it.
When
All four days
Cost
Included with a Weekend Pass, VIP Weekend Pass, or Day Pass.
Where
In the hotel, with every class, contest and party
What the market is
No big-box retail and no drop-shipped basics. Every table is run by a maker or a small business who is part of this community, which means the person selling you something can tell you how it was built, what it is for, and what it is not for.
That last part is why the market belongs on a teaching weekend rather than beside one. A vendor who knows their gear will tell you which flogger is wrong for what you want to do with it, and that conversation is worth as much as the purchase.
What you'll find
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Leather and harnesses
Off the rack and made to measure.
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Impact and sensation toys
Floggers, paddles, canes, and the electrical end of the range.
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Wax, oils and skincare
Including things made specifically for what this weekend does to skin.
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Apparel, art and prints
Things to wear that are not gear, and things to hang up
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Books
Fiction and instruction, from publishers who serve this readership.
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Jewelry and accessories
The small pieces, and the ones that do not read as kink outside the room.
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Custom and made-to-order
Several makers take commissions across the weekend
Shopping the Market
Come early. The good stuff goes fast, and one-off pieces do not get restocked on Saturday.
Bring cash and card. Most vendors take cards, but be prepared to get what you want.
Ask before you photograph a table. Vendors' work is their livelihood and their designs get copied. The same goes for anyone browsing beside you: the photography norms that run the rest of the weekend run here too, and First Time at AKW has the full version.
Buying is not the only reason to walk through. Trying on a harness that does not fit and being told why is free, and it is how most people work out what they actually want.
Sell at AKW
If you make gear, art, or anything else this room would want, apply to join the market. Every vendor is approved before they pay, and approved vendors appear on this page as they are confirmed.
Selling is not sponsoring
A table is a place to sell. Sponsorship is putting your name behind the weekend itself, and it takes a different application. Plenty of businesses do both, and applying for one does not put you in the other.