The following is a transcript of interview between Lynn Cowles and Zhenya Tsalolikhin that was recorded on 08/21/2026.
Lynn: Let’s see, my name is Lynn, uh, with Reflections of Community Outreach, uh, here at KOOP radio, and we’re recording this interview on Sunday, July 12th, yeah?
Zhenya: Yeah.
Lynn: Um, awesome, thank you. And I’m here with, uh, Zhenya. Pronounce your last name?
Zhenya: Tsalolikhin.
Lynn: Tsalolikhin?
Zhenya: Yeah.
Lynn: Tsalolikhin, cool. With Zhenya Tsalolikhin, um, who is a relatively new-ish volunteer at KOOP, but um, just like, connecting the station to– to really cool people around town, and really cool stuff going on. And so, let’s see, uh, Zhenya and I met at a station meeting I think a few months ago.
Zhenya: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Lynn: Cool. Put this project together, um, really it’s Zhenya’s idea so I’d love to just like to hear a bit about it on what’s your connection to the Deaf Artisan– uh, sorry, the Deaf Artisan Market Day, um, and like what– what that– what that organization is all about. So, I’m stoked you’re here, thanks for doing this.
Zhenya: Yeah, thank you for inviting me.
Lynn: And this is such a cool, uh, we’re gonna read an interview that Zhenya has, uh, organized with some people who are running and also vending at the Deaf Artisan Market Day. So, um, because these are Deaf artisans, and– and people who are creative around town, and who are also not hearing, um, Zhenya signed these interviews with them and so I’m going to voice some of the parts of the interview– I’m gonna voice the parts of the interview with the people who are not hearing. Um, and so it’s just– it’s just a really cool, I think, moment here at KOOP where we can share on the radio waves, the perspective and work that’s happening with people who are not hearing in the Central Texas area.
Zhenya: Yeah.
Lynn: And when I say “not hearing” is that appropriate–
Zhenya: Umm…
Lynn: Or do– do people prefer Deaf, like what’s the–
Zhenya: So, I would typically use Deaf–
Lynn: Okay
Zhenya: and Hard of Hearing, or Deaf OR Hard of Hearing.
Lynn: Okay.
Zhenya: Yeah, it’s more, um, more broad, cause if you add Hard of Hearing it adds that sort of spectrum–
Lynn: Gotcha, okay. Cool.
Zhenya: Of experience. Yeah, and then, I would just lean more towards that as opposed to “not hearing” –
Lynn: Okay.
Zhenya: To like, make it less hearing-centric.
Lynn: Gotcha. Okay.
Zhenya: Yeah.
Lynn: Wonderful.
Zhenya: Deaf is like a very proud label for a lot of people.
Lynn: Okay.
Zhenya: Especially if they’re signers, if they’re involved in the community in this way.
Lynn: Awesome.
Zhenya: Yeah.
Lynn: I love that, thank you for sharing.
Zhenya: Yeah, totally. Anytime.
Lynn: Okay, cool. Okay. Okay, so what’s your connection to the Deaf Artisan Market Day?
Zhenya: Yeah!
Lynn: Zhenya here, I’m talking to Zhenya.
Zhenya: Yeah, yes. For sure.
Lynn: Hahaha
Zhenya: So, um, I have been involved in the market through a friend of mine.
Lynn: Okay.
Zhenya: Uh yeah, he is a woodworker. He does vending at the market. He introduced me there when I started learning sign language.
Lynn: Okay.
Zhenya: As like a great place to mingle, get to know, um, Deaf and Hard of Hearing creators, get to support those businesses. And also just a– a great opportunity to practice my sign language.
Lynn: Okay. Cool.
Zhenya: Yeah, I’ve brought friends there who’ve been learning, uh, sign language as well.
Lynn: Nice.
Zhenya: Yeah, it’s really great, um, yeah so I just– I learned about it through him, and um, sort of like, took on a life of its own, you know. I like it to go, if it aligns with my schedule–
Lynn: Yeah.
Zhenya: The vendors are really nice, and so I actually ended up meeting with one of them at a separate ASL social.
Lynn: Okay.
Zhenya: The nice thing about the Deaf community, especially here in Austin, it’s very tight-knit, so you’ll run into the same people a lot, you know?
Lynn: Nice.
Zhenya: Yeah, so I was talking to my friend, I was like, “Hey I want to get an interview going with this market” and he just pointed me out to a couple people who could be really helpful with that.
Lynn: Awesome.
Zhenya: Yeah!
Lynn: Uh, okay so what about the market itself, how often does it happen, where does it happen, who can go?
Zhenya: Yeah absolutely, so the market is definitely open to everybody.
Lynn: Okay.
Zhenya: Yeah, you can be hearing, Deaf, Hard of Hearing. Um, it doesn’t matter if yu know sign language, if you don’t know sign language.
Lynn: Okay.
Zhenya: I’ve gone with people who, like, basically just know like the alphabet and a couple signs.
Lynn: Yeah.
Zhenya: And then I’ve also gone with my friends who are like, wholly Deaf, they’ve been signing– they’re native signers.
Lynn: Mhm.
Zhenya: Um, so it’s very open to everyone.
Lynn: Cool.
Zhenya: They’re very enthusiastic, especially with people who are learning sign language and people just putting in effort to communicate in any way, which you’ll see later in the interview as well.
Lynn: Cool.
Zhenya: Yeah, um, and basically the idea is to just have a space for these Deaf and Hard of Hearing creatives–
Lynn: Mhm.
Zhenya: To sell, like, whatever it is they make. So we have crocheters, woodworkers. People do painting, jewelry, all sorts of stuff.
Lynn: Awesome. Wow, how cool. Um, and does it happen regularly, or is it like…?
Zhenya: Right, yes! So the market happens on the, um, I think it’s the first Saturday–
Lynn: Okay.
Zhenya: Of every month. Yeah.
Lynn: Gotcha.
Zhenya: And it’s– they’re trying to do it more often, it’s on their Instagram, so that’s gonna be deafartisanmarketday, all lowercase um, they post whenever they’re active, and they are hosting, or they host it at different places around Austin.
Lynn: Oh, cool.
Zhenya: So different small businesses will offer their spaces–
Lynn: Okay.
Zhenya: To do the Deaf Artisans Market Day, and they move around.
Lynn: Gotcha.
Zhenya: Yeah.
Lynn: So, I’m looking at their Instagram right now, this is a post from May 26th, and it says, July 7th and July 14th.
Zhenya: Yeah.
Lynn: So both of those will be, uh, before, so they will have been past by the time this interview airs but that’s okay, cause there’s lots of other opportunities that folks can come find the Deaf Artisans Market in the future.
Zhenya: It happens at least once a month.
Lynn: Okay, cool.
Zhenya: And they’re trying to expand it to happen more.
Lynn: Awesome, very cool.
Zhenya: And they’re succeeding that of course. (Chuckle)
Lynn: Yeah, beautiful. Beautiful, okay. Um, so, uh, the– if anyone is interested in following the DAMD, um like, uh, Zhenya just mentioned it’s deafartisanmarketday on Instagram. Um, just spelled the way, um, spelled the way that I just said it. D-E-A-F-artisan-market-day, um, all lowercase, and same for the email @gmail.com in case anyone wants to reach out. Um, okay. Well, that’s fantastic. So.
Zhenya: Yup.
Lynn: What we’re doing is, I’m gonna voice the parts of a couple of Deaf people who are connected to the Artisan market. One, Lisa, who is a founder.
Zhenya: Yes.
Lynn: Right?
Zhenya: Yeah.
Lynn: And the other person whose name is…
Zhenya: Tonya.
Lynn: Tonya.
Zhenya: And she’s a vendor.
Lynn: Tonya is a vendor, great. And then there’s going to be a couple of times when we’re interviewing, or when we’re– when we’re reading through the– the transcribed interview that Zhenya has transcribed after she did a signed interview with this, uh, founder of the DAMD and then also the vendor of the DAMD. So, Zhenya– so we’re doing kind of, like twice repeated interviews here so Zhenya did the interview in sign and now we’re gonna read it here in studio and then we’re gonna air it on KOOP. So this just– it’s a really– I’m so excited to share this info, and it has just taken a lot of uh, intentional commitment to the project from Zhenya and thank you so much for just making this possible. It’s so cool.
Zhenya: Absolutely. Thank you guys for being open to it, it’s been such a great opportunity, really exciting.
Lynn: So cool.
Lynna and Zhenya: Yeah.
Lynn: Okay, so, uh, let’s see. I will– I will– so, uh, my name is Lynn from Reflections of Community Outreach, from the Community Council here at KOOP radio, and I’m gonna voice the part of Lisa– sorry, it’s not a part, right, cause she’s not a character.
Zhenya: (Laughter)
Lynn: I’m gonna voice, uh, I’m gonna speak the words that Lisa was signing with Zhenya in their interview, which then Zhenya transcribed so that I, who have a different type of literacy, right, can read this out to radios–
Zhenya: Yeah, absolutely!
Lynn: To radios– to the radio audiences, there we go. (Chuckling) To radio audiences around the world!
Lynn and Zhenya: (Laughing)
Zhenya: It’s great! Absolutely, yeah. I’m Zhenya, I’ve been volunteering with KOOP for–
Lynn: Zhenya, got it.
Zhenya: Yeah, no worries. I’ve been volunteering with KOOP for a few months now, and I’m involved with the Deaf community just like, through friendship, um, –
Lynn: Mhm.
Zhenya: And also, like my career. I’m going to be an ASL interpreter soon.
Lynn: Okay, cool!
Zhenya: Yeah!
Lynn: Congratulations!
Zhenya; Thank you so much!
Lynn: Yeah.
Zhenya: I will be voicing my own, um, like, communication in this, um, interview.
Lynn (Overlapping): Okay, awesome.
Lynn: Alright, so, we’ll go ahead, and we’ll get started.
Zhenya: Yeah! Um, hi my name is Zhenya. Here I share my sign name with Lisa.
Lisa: Hi, I’m Lisa, and here I sign my name “Lisa” in sign language, to Zhenya.
Zhenya: Awesome. Um, yeah it’s nice to meet you!
Lisa: You too.
Zhenya: So you’re one of the three women that started this market, right?
Lisa: Yes.
Zhenya: Tell me about that. How did you three get together, and start out?
Lisa: I used to have a business named Moon Dang.
Zhenya: Mhm, yeah!
Lisa: Over the years, I have participated in numerous artisan and community markets across Austin, most of which were hearing-led events.
Zhenya: Okay, I see.
Lisa: So I was doing a lot of hearing markets and interacting with people. I noticed that many of my friends and others around me had businesses, so I told them to join me at the markets. But usually they just said no. They just do not feel comfortable participating due to communication barriers.
Zhenya: Gotcha.
Lisa: It’s hard to communicate.
Zhenya: Right, of course.
Lisa: Communicating isn’t accessible. It feels hard to socialize with hearing people who don’t know how to sign.
Zhenya: Yeah, that makes sense.
Lisa: Also, I’m thinking, it feels like a huge missed (opportunity) for Deaf people with businesses, or who are artists, whatever. I decided maybe I can set up sort of like those markets but with an area accessible for the Deaf.
Zhenya: Yes, I love that!
Lisa: It’s perfect, okay. So I just went for it. I started with that (my) close friend, she is one of the team members, April. And I sign April’s name.
Zhenya: Gotcha.
Lisa: It’s hard to communicate.
Zhenya: Oh, April, yeah!
Lisa: Yeah, so I told her I want the two of us to set it up together, and she said, “Sure, I can!”
Zhenya: Mhm.
Lisa: I was like, it’s only us. I felt we needed to get more people. We heard of this person for setup, her name is Deidra–
Zhenya: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah!
Lisa: She has an amazing reputation, she’s really good. So, we just had other friends who knew her, so we told her to join us and she said yes, she joined!
Zhenya: Nice!
Lisa: We were established in 2019.
Zhenya: Okay.
Lisa: It was going steady and then suddenly in 2020 we had to stop, uh, pause because of COVID.
Zhenya: Oh, that sucks!
Lisa: Yeah. So we put it on pause, waited and waited. In 2021 we were looking around, the community still wasn’t ready.
Zhenya: Okay, I see.
Lisa: We kept waiting, until closer to 2022 when people seemed ready. So we said “Okay, we’ll keep going,” put the market back on. But our fourth member was working full time as a teacher. She couldn’t really continue here.
Zhenya: Was she a student?
Lisa: She was a teacher.
Zhenya: Oh! Okay okay, I gotcha.
Lisa: She couldn’t continue, she needed to step out from the Deaf Artisan Market Day, or DAMD.
Zhenya: I gotcha, that makes sense.
Lisa: After that, it was just the three of us pressing on. And it was an awesome team.
Zhenya: Yeah!
Lisa: I’m happy with that.
Zhenya: That’s amazing.
Lisa: Yeah!
Zhenya: That’s really cool. It’s so amazing to hear the story about people who want to see something exist in the world and then just decide they’re going to make it happen.
Lisa: Right!
Zhenya: Definitely!
Lisa: Right. Naturally, we’ve been through a lot. Like ups and downs, you know?
Zhenya: Yeah, for sure!
Lisa: We went through a lot of challenges, setbacks, unexpected obstacles, but we continued to push forward. I think the key was having a strong team that collaborated well and worked together effectively.
Zhenya: A good team is important, yeah.
Lisa: I think that’s what makes us great.
Zhenya: Yeah. I’ve noticed a lot of people’s favorite thing or something they really enjoy about this market is the feeling of community–
Lisa: Yes.
Zhenya: The feeling of community it brings. It’s really nice that you helped with that.
Lisa: Yeah.
Zhenya: So, do you want to tell me more about the community that’s present at these markets and the things that the market are able to give to the Deaf community?
Lisa: With that, I feel like the community gives us the opportunity to socialize. Us Deaf people love socializing. I feel like I can give a space to mingle and simultaneously support all our businesses.
Zhenya: Yes, I definitely see that when I come here.
Lisa: You see discussions, chatting and some business things.
Zhenya: For sure!
Lisa: Like our social market setup here at the Deaf club. We collaborated to make this event happen.
Zhenya: Totally.
Lisa: Plus, the areas that we use, we use a lot of venues, and we always try to support Austin, their local businesses. Like, I like the coffee shop–
Zhenya: Yeah, definitely!
Lisa: Restaurants, the brewery. We’re more focused on being family friendly, so people can bring their kids.
Zhenya: Family friendly events are so important!
Lisa: Yes, we host daytime events too, not just evening events. It gives everyone a chance to get together and connect. We often collaborate with local businesses. They provide the space, and we bring the people to their venue. Our attendees support the business by buying food, drinks, and other items, so it benefits everyone.
Zhenya: Yeah, absolutely.
Lisa: “Hey, we have an event here!” Maybe some people didn’t know about the restaurant before–
Zhenya: Mm, right! Okay.
Lisa: Maybe, or it’s old, I don’t know. Never heard of it, so people come, check it out, they look at both at the same time, their business and our market.
Zhenya: That’s a great setup, yeah!
Lisa: I think it’s coming together, supporting and interacting a lot with the community and the public.
Zhenya: Yeah, that’s amazing. So, the business set up, with the local markets, do you host them with Deaf owned businesses or just locally owned– (phone chime) anything in the Austin area?
Lisa: Do you mean the businesses that we own?
Zhenya: Like the brewery, the places where you set up the markets or host them.
Lisa: Oh, often it’s hearing owned, yeah.
Zhenya: Oh, ok ok. But theyre also locally owned in Austin, right?
Lisa: In the Austin area, yeah.
Zhenya: Gotcha, gotcha. So there’s a lot of supporting each other, mingling.
Lisa: Yes, yes.
Zhenya: Cool, cool!
Lisa: We try to not make these limited to just the Deaf community only. We don’t want to keep anyone out, we don’t mind, no, no. We want to be more supportive, interactive and keep the community open.
Zhenya: Totally!
Lisa: Supportive, social, encouraging for people to join us. If there’s a Deaf business owner, they should join us. That’s really enjoyable, that’s awesome.
Zhenya: For sure!
Lisa: We’re not only for the Deaf community, everyone is welcome. (phone chime) We want it to be open, supportive, and interactive for all. When different communities come together, it’s more enjoyable. We haven’t had issues with venues turning us away because we’re Deaf. Most businesses in Austin are very Deaf-friendly and supportive.
Zhenya: Yes!
Lisa: I appreciate that.
Zhenya: I noticed that too.
Lynn: It’s really nice to see.
Zhenya: Absolutely! Yeah! It’s cool. It’s a cool thing. I’ve noticed a lot of places also have… uh, typically, sometimes they don’t, but they tend to have at least one person that knows sign language. Just a little, but–
Lisa: Yeah!
Zhenya: Sometimes not a lot, but a little can help. I think that’s really cool.
Lisa: Right, right.
Zhenya: Yeah!
Lisa: And often if you go and tell them, “Hey, I’m Deaf” people understand and they know what to do. They pick up the phone, talk into it and show me the dictation.
Zhenya: Yeah, yeah!
Lisa: Or they write stuff down. It’s not like, “I don’t know what to do with you” haha. I– I– You know what to do!
Zhenya: Yeah!
Lisa: It’s clear you have previous experience. You’ve met a Deaf person before.
Zhenya: Yes, I have!
Lisa: It depends on your work, I don’t know, but it’s really cool to see that. I enjoy that.
Zhenya: Yes\ah, it’s nice to see, you don’t have to constantly explain with others how to interact with you every time you want to go out, I’m sure.
Lisa: That’s right, that’s right.
Zhenya: Yeah, that’s awesome. I wanted to say, part of the reason I wanted to do this interview is so hearing people know about the market, so they know that there’s many options for them, they can use a phone, text, or thy can write a, um, message or gesture as well. Um, gesturing is easy and the market is just so fun.
Lisa: Right, yeah.
Zhenya: Yes.
Lisa:We need more vendors to show their stuff, and more people to realize what a unique experience it is interacting with a Deaf person. It’s awesome, then feeling when you interact with the Deaf people is really cool. If a hearing person doesn’t know sign, that’s okay!
Zhenya: Yeah, for sure!
Lisa: It’s a great– It’s great to write down to communicate. There’s lots of ways that you can communicate.
Zhenya: Definitely!
Lisa: Like you said, using a phone, writing, gesturing, whatever. I agree.
Zhenya: Yes! I noticed that a lot of people point at different things, too.
Lisa: Yes! Yeah, they do.
Zhenya: And that’s totally fine!
Lisa: Right!
Zhenya: It’s easy, so…
Lisa: It’s not hard to point, right. It’s fine! (Laughing)
Zhenya: (Laughing) Yes, yeah!
Lisa: We don’t mind. We’re happy you guys stopped by. That shows courage.
Zhenya: Absolutely!
Lisa: When you come up to our table, gesture with a Deaf person, we’re pleased, we’re always pleased and open to people.
Zhenya: Yeah, that’s awesome. I love that so much.
Lisa: Yeah.
Zhenya: I think that’s all the questions I have, but if there’s something you want to add or tell me about, your own booth and your business, let me know, let me know.
Lisa: Yeah, yeah my business, Moon Dang—
Zhenya: Mhm.
Lisa: I mentioned that before recently.
Zhenya: Yes, I’ve bought from you before!
Lisa: Really? Oh,that’s awesome.
Zhenya: I really like it, I got a ring.
Lisa: Oh, thank you for the support.
Zhenya: Yes, yes!
Lisa: Thank you.
Zhenya: Of course.
Lisa: Making jewelry, we make so much. We also sell tea. We grow it in our garden.
Zhenya: What was that?
Lisa: Tea.
Zhenya: Oh, I see, I see.
Lisa: Herbals, those things.
Zhenya: Gotcha.
Lisa: We sell that too. Every time we always have something a little different. Every time I follow the seasons, because I have a little farmstead.
Zhenya: Oh! You own it, right?
Lisa: Right, I own a little farm.
Zhenya: Yes, I remember, I remember.
Lisa: Yeah, so we sell what we grow.
Zhenya: Gotcha!
Lisa: We keep working on it, keep our table interesting, but it’s the same everyday with our jewelry.
Zhenya: Mm, okay.
Lisa: You get it. But at home, we grow. We always make– We’re always making a little progress, encouraging it.
Zhenya: That makes sense.
Lisa: It keeps our business interesting. So my business, it’s been up for a long time.
Zhenya: Okay.
Lisa: But it’s fancy. (Chuckle) I named it back in 2014, set it up with my business name, I did it with my husband.
Zhenya: Did it have a different name before?
Lisa: Yeah, it was a little bit different.
Zhenya: Oh, okay.
Lisa: It used to have an specific wording in the old business, which I removed. To make this broader, now it is called Moon Dang. We try to keep our business more neutral name.
Zhenya: Oh, okay, gotcha!
Lisa: Not only focused on jewelry, so we scrapped the old name.
Zhenya: Oh, that makes sense.
Lisa: We want to keep it broad.
Zhenya: Yeah, I had the same struggle.
Lisa: You too? I don’t want that, so we just took it out for a broader, more neutral title.
Zhenya: Totally.
Lisa: People will say “Oh what’s that? Moon Dang, what does that mean?” And they’ll come up and look around.
Zhenya: That makes sense.
Lisa: “Moon” is there because I love the moon.
Zhenya: Sure!
Lisa: I love everything to do with the moon.
Zhenya: So do I!
Zhenya and Lynn: (Laughing agreeably)
Lisa: So that’s why I have “moon” in there. And “Dang” is my family’s last name. I wanted to honor that.
Zhenya: That’s really cool.
Lisa: Yeah. Dang.
Zhenya: Wow.
Lisa: My dad’s from Vietnam, so his last name is Dang. My maiden name is Dang.
Zhenya: Oh, okay I see!
Lisa: So my last name is Dang, so it was perfect to continue with Dang. It’s more neutral, Dang.
Zhenya: That’s awesome!
Lisa: Yeah!
Zhenya: I think it’s such a cute name.
Lisa: Thank you, thank you.
Zhenya: Absolutely, absolutely.
Lisa: So, I’ve been doing these socials and have had my business since 2014.
Zhenya: Wow, that’s awesome.
Lisa: Sure.
Zhenya: Yes, okay… so I learned about the DAMD from one of my friends, Jacob. He has a booth here doing woodworking.
Lisa: Yes, yes!
Zhenya: Yeah, it’s amazing, I love his art, it’s awesome. He’s a funny guy.
Lisa: Fun stuff, yeah.
Zhenya: For sure. Awesome. It’s cool, I went to go see his art and I loved all the other vendors as well. It’s great to notice and see how there’s more food here too.
Lisa: Yes.
Zhenya: You can buy that, you can buy snacks, it’s nice.
Lisa: Right.
Zhenya: It’s a nice change, I like that.
Lisa: I do too. Hopefully we can offer more food vendors, that depends on where we set up.
Zhenya: Mmm, okay.
Lisa: Sometimes the venue says no, we can’t have food because it would compete with their business. I understand that. Sometimes we’re not but sometimes—
Zhenya: I get that, yeah, like if you’re right next to a restaurant.
Lisa: There you go, right. Sometimes it’s fine, sometimes not so much. We understand, we respect that.
Zhenya: That makes sense. That’s awesome. There’s so many amazing things that you’ve set up.
Lisa: Thank you, thank you.
Zhenya: Yes, of course, of course. It was an amazing opportunity to chat with you and learn more about the history of the market.
Lisa: That’s’ great. I’m happy you’re learning more about that.
Zhenya: Yes, thank you so much for your time. Before we finish, do you have anything planned for the market’s future?
Lisa: Yes, I have a few things finished set up for moving forward. So definitely follow us on our social media if you’re interested.
Zhenya: Yes, social media, yes!
Lisa: It has announcements about our market, our vendors. We’re also not limited to Austin vendors. We are shared all over with Deaf businesses.
Zhenya: Ah, okay! Yeah!
Lisa: States across America, we share through our messages on IG, we share everyone’s stuff.
Zhenya: Different states, too, right?
Lisa: Right!
Zhenya: Okay, got it, got it.
Lisa: Also we share other organizations, whatever we take up events. That’s our goal, to spread the word about Deaf events.
Zhenya: Ah, okay!
Lisa: We want to bring people, and we’re not limited to Austin.
Zhenya: No.
Lisa: We want to share all over.
Zhenya: More and More and more, that’s amazing.
Lisa: We share everything.
Zhenya: Yeah!
Lisa: If people are interested, if they want to know more about us here, how they can support us, they can contact me through social media. @deafartisianmarketday, all lowercase and same for the email, deafartisanmarketday@gmail.com
Zhenya: Social media, ok.
Lisa: Or they can email us, both work.
Zhenya: Yes, yes, amazing.
Lynn: Okay.
Zhenya: Yeah!
Lynn: So that was the interview with Lisa, and then we’ll switch over to the interview with… Tonia.
Zhenya (overlapping): Tonia.
Zhenya: Yeah, yes absolutely. Hi I’m Zhenya. Sharing my sign name here again.
Tonia: Nice to meet you.
Zhenya: You too!
Tonia: I’m Tonia and I share my sign name.
Zhenya: Gotcha! Nice to meet you. So, your booth, how long have you set that up?
Tonia: I started my booth all the way back in 2014, maybe 2015. It’s been going since then, so I’ve had it for 11 years now.
Zhenya: Wow!
Tonia: Yes.
Zhenya: Congratulations!
Tonia: I started with wood signs and other woodwork, and then in 2018 or 2019 I started making earrings.
Zhenya: Oh okay!
Tonia: They sold fast!
Zhenya: That’s good! They’re really cute.
Tonia: I started making more and more earrings, and doing less and less woodwork. Nowadays it’s more balanced, though.
Zhenya: Right, right, right. You’d need to set up and make your decisions based on what’s more popular. So, earrings–
Tonia: Yeah. A lot of women love to buy earrings. I try to have varieties of sizes– large ones, medium length and small ones, too. I tend to make most of my earrings pretty big, because it’s what I like.
Zhenya: Yeah, it’s cute!
Tonia: Some people like the small ones, but I feel like it’s been going well the way I do it.
Zhenya: Yeah for sure! And the variety is good, it’s nice to have. What was your favorite thing about setting up here at the DAMD?
Tonia: Hmm, I don’t really like the setup, it’s a lot of work. Um, I have everything in my garage. So every time I want to sell at the market, (chuckle) I have to pack up my SUV and drive here. And then I have to unpack and set up my tent, and make sure everything is all good, and when the market is over I have to pack up my SUV again and then back into the garage.
Zhenya: Oh, wow. (Surprised chuckle)
Tonia: (Chuckling) It’s a good workout.
Zhenya: (Laughing) Yeah, that’s right.
Tonia: So, on those days I don’t have to exercise (chuckle) or go to the gym.
Zhenya: No, I’m sure! That’s funny! Yeah, I’m sure.
Tonia: I’m lifting things, I’m carrying them around.
Zhenya: That would be heavy!
Tonia: Yeah. It’s a lot of work, but I enjoy socializing. Seeing people–
Zhenya: Yes!
Tonia: It’s my, uh, it’s my “Deaf fix.”
Zhenya: Ah, okay, okay!
Tonia: I work at a hearing school.
Zhenya: Gotcha!
Tonia: Sometimes it can get a bit dull, so it’s nice to come here. I can get my “Deaf fix” all settled.
Zhenya: I see, I see! That’s really cool. It’s a nice opportunity to have here.
Tonia: Absolutely.
Zhenya: The culture– or, sorry, the community aspect of this market, would you say it’s important?
Tonia: Oh yeah, I would say that’s my favorite part, yeah. The money is nice, too, but you can get cash. Sometimes it’s a great profit, sometimes less so.
Zhenya: Okay, gotcha.
Tonia: It has its ups and downs. It’s always a challenge. My booth is never the same.
Zhenya: Right, right.
Tonia: You know, the layout, one day I’ll have an L-shaped table to the right, the next time it’ll be to the left. Sometimes I have a board on top of the table, sometimes I don’t. So, it depends on where I am. I’ll figure it out. Like today, I had my area with no tent because of the lights in the way.
Zhenya: Gotcha.
Tonia: So there’s no tent, but with the sun it’s really hot! But I’m leaving at four, so it’s fine, because it’s easier to pack up my SUV.
Zhenya: That makes sense.
Tonia: So it’s perfect.
Zhenya: Right.
Tonia: Yeah, it works out.
Zhenya: That’s good. And then, DAMD always moves; it’s a different place every time, right?
Tonia: Yeah, that’s right. That’s right.
Zhenya: Okay. I recognized, um, that your setup changed a lot.
Tonia: Yeah, we try to keep earring booths separate. You don’t want to be right next to a booth setting up the same thing as you.
Zhenya: That makes sense.
Tonia: You don’t want the competition. So, if I’m on one side of the market, then the other jeweler tends to be on the other side.
Zhenya: Mm, okay.
Tonia: Keeps it separate.
Zhenya: That makes sense.
Tonia: So, we try to mix it up a little bit. Uh, also, it used to be every oth– sorry also it used to be every month but now it seems to be every two months in different areas. Sometimes it’s here as the Austin Deaf Club. Other times, it’s at the Meanwhile brewery.
Zhenya: Oh, sorry what was that?
Tonia: Brewery.
Zhenya: Oh okay! I’ve been there. It’s nice.
Tonia: So, it depends where we go. The setup will be different.
Zhenya: Right, right. I’m not sure if you remember, it was a while back, but I was at Deaftopia at the Texas School of the Deaf. You had your board, like, your booth with a board and table as well. That was cool.
Tonia: Deaftopia, that was a long time ago, wow!
Zhenya: (Laughing) Yes!
Tonia: I think that was in 2021 maybe?
Zhenya: Yeah, I think so.
Tonia: You were there?
Zhenya: Yes! (laughing)
Tonia: Wow!
Zhenya: I brought my whole ASL class from high school.
Tonia: Really?
Zhenya: We were walking around in a little group.
Tonia: That’s cute.
Zhenya: Yeah.
Tonia: Now look at you!
Zhenya: Yes!
Tonia: You’re in an interpreting program.
Zhenya: Thank you, thank you.
Tonia: Good for you.
Zhenya: I appreciate it. Yeah, it’s crazy to realize how long ago I started learning sign but it’s amazing I love the community here.
Tonia: Yes, we have a large Deaf community here in Austin.
Zhenya: Definitely. It’s amazing that I just happened to choose to learn ASL and ended up living in an area so close to the Deaf community. There’s so many Deaf people, so many Deaf events.
Tonia: Tell me again where you went to high school?
Zhenya: I went to a private high school; it was really small. Mostly like family friends and all that.
Tonia: Oh okay.
Zhenya: Yeah.
Tonia: Someone from 2021, that’s a long time ago, must be five years ago, wow.
Zhenya: (Laughing) Yes, it’s crazy. Don’t remind me. Wild.
Tonia: (Laughing) Yeah. DAMD it’s all, I don’t know. DAMD means Deaf Artisan Market Day.
Zhenya: Mhm.
Tonia: It tends to be every month, but now it’s started to be every two months.
Zhenya: Oh, okay.
Tonia: I’ll let Lisa let you know– I’ll let Lisa tell you more about DAMD
Zhenya: Definitely!
Tonia: They have, all over America, three team members.
Zhenya: Oh, interesting!
Tonia: They travel. One is in Washington, DC, one in Colorado, and then, the third member soon– i think this month, next week actually– they’re going to Louisiana.
Zhenya: Louisiana? Wow, that’s far.
Tonia: DAMD is, yeah. There’s a softball tournament for the Deaf over there.
Zhenya: And DAMD is going to set up there?
Tonia: Yes, DAMD will be there too.
Zhenya: That’s cool, it’s really cool. Are so are you travelling too, or is it a different group with the same name? Like, it’s all part of DAMD but with different people across the state or…?
Tonia: DAMD has the same three women. Lisa, uh, and then Tonia signs Lisa’s name.
Zhenya: Yeah, okay, and then who else was that?
Tonia: April, and Tonia signs April’s name. You just met her over there, she’s watching my table now.
Zhenya: Oh, I understand now. With the mushroom shirt.
Tonia: Yeah. Then there’s, uh and uh April signs another name– she tends to– she lives in Washington, DC right now.
Zhenya: Gotcha! Can you give me her name again?
Tonia: I hope I’m fingerspelling it right, Deidre. And Tonia signs the name Deidre.
(Clap sound)
Zhenya: Oh okay, I got it. And then I’m just testing out the sign name myself here.
Tonia: Yeah. She used to live here, but she moved to DC.
Zhenya: Gotcha.
Tonia: Now she takes care of DAMD over there.
Zhenya: Okay cool.
Tonia: Yeah, they’re trying to expand, uh, have different locations across the US, it’s nice.
Zhenya: That’s cool! In the future, you mean.