Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Michelle Cozzaglio. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Michelle, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
I like to say the Oddities & Curiosities Expo is for lovers of the strange, unusual and bizarre. We strive to provide a safe place for anyone to come and discover new artists, meet new friends and be surrounded by an amazing community of like-minded people. We pride ourselves in being a completely “DIY” ran show from start to finish. We find so much joy in being able to provide a place where you can feel at home surrounded by others that share the same interests.
Our show does not discriminate on the bases of race, sexual orientation, gender preference (or lack thereof), age, religious beliefs, political beliefs, etc. We do not tolerate racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, or any other sign of hate in our show. The O&C Expo is a safe place for people of all races, colors and preferences. If you don’t hold these same values, we are not the show for you.
We are the first and original traveling event exclusively showcasing oddities vendors and dark artists in the country. We are a one of a kind event and the first to do what we specialize in – often imitated but never duplicated. Our goal is to continue to provide a place for “weirdos” to feel at home.
Michelle, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My name is Michelle and I am one of the creators of the Oddities & Curiosities Expo. My husband Tony and I started the expo back in 2017 in our hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma. As collectors of the weird ourselves, we wanted to curate an event that focused on supporting unusual businesses and artists. We could have never dreamed it would turn into what it has today! We are very proud of what we have created and are constantly thriving to do better and improve our event each and every year.
Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?
The co-creator of the Oddities & Curiosities Expo is my husband, Tony Cozzaglio. Before us, Tony spent his late teen and early adult years touring the world with his band. We met at his stop in Tulsa back in 2010. We kept in contact and the stars aligned in 2011 when we started dating. He lived in Michigan and the long distance relationship continued until July of 2012 when he finally moved to Tulsa.
I can say with absolute certainty that Tony is my soulmate. Once we got together my entire world changed. Our minds worked together in a way that I had never experienced before. Previous to the Oddities & Curiosities Expo, we had began organizing other smaller “offbeat” style events in Tulsa and an annual punk festival with bands from all over the world. Tony has always supported all of my crazy ideas of wanting to work for myself and do something with my life that has meaning. When we came up with the Oddities & Curiosities Expo we would spent hours and hours coming with ideas and goals together. We are a perfect match both in our personal lives and business and I couldn’t be happier to be on this adventure together.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
For vendors, we think it’s incredibly important to just simply be there for them. Without them, we are nothing. We want to do all we can to provide a comfortable, organized and high attended show for them. I think within the oddities vending community we have shown that we put them first with low vending rates, organization and bringing people in to buy.
For our attendees, we strive to provide a show with the best of the best vendors within our genre. We try to have a little something weird for everyone AND have a variety of price points. We want people to be able and come and spend $30 or $3,000 and leave feeling happy with their purchases. We are constantly growing and changing to be able and provide the best show possible for the people who attend.
Contact Info:
- Website: odditiesandcuriositiesexpo.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/odditiesandcuriositiesexpo
- Facebook: facebook.com/odditiesandcuriositiesexpo
- Other: tiktok.com/@odditiescuriositiesexpo
Image Credits
Photographer: Jarrett Barnes Instagram: @jrat_barnes