Romy Alford – Your Ticket to The Black Market Experience
There’s no “how-I-met” intro to this profile, because I don’t remember a life without her in it. And that’s not just because we’re a little over a year apart in age and, no, it’s not just because she’s family. She’s more than that. Romy Alford forms part of my most vivid childhood memories, pivotal moments of teen transformations and angsts, unforgettable young adult conversations over cigarettes, mince pies and wine in dark, freezing cold garages, and these days, maternal musings. I recently received a reminder of the last picture we took together, just the two of us: sporting muddy, nourishing facemasks, her nursing a glass of wine in one hand, side-eyeing me, laughing at the cucumber slices on my eyes and the joint pursed between my lips. More than five years have passed since then, and nothing has changed about the closeness of our relationship – but the women we were, and the backdrop to the picture that was our life back then, has changed drastically. First of all, we’re mothers now and finding the time to take a freakin’ shower has become a challenge, let alone to sit back and enjoy a facemask and a glass of wine and/or a doobie. Second of all, we have reached a level of contentment – both personally and professionally – we never thought possible. And that’s due to both our biological masterpieces – aka our children – and the creative work we’re doing to feed our hearts and souls, and hopefully, one day, our families.
Romy is one of the most hard-working, brave, creative and ridiculously organized women I know. A go-getter in every sense of the word, who never ceases to amaze me. She was just a little over eighteen years old when she produced the documentary, Beware the Moon: Remembering ‘An American Werewolf in London’, a tribute to John Landis’ cult classic. She then went on to teach – surprise, surprise – Media and Drama, drawing on her own love for pop-culture ranging from Game of Thrones to Labyrinth, Lady Gaga and Quentin Tarantino, to create a curriculum she knew her pupils would want to engage in. And if they didn’t, she had no problem threatening to loudly rap Eminem tracks – a threat powerful enough to make her students cringe themselves into obedience. Next to her position as acting head of different school media departments across London, she also found time to volunteer at Treetops School for children with an autism spectrum disorder and moderate learning disabilities. Her free time was mainly taken up by dreaming up new tattoos and then sitting through hours of fine needle work to get them done, travelling, visiting drag shows across the UK and beyond, and catching all types of productions, exhibitions and shows ranging from Macbeth to Alexander McQueen to Jurassic World: The Exhibit and a whole list of cabaret shows at Brighton’s Fringe last year. Her professional life has taken her from London, to Southport, to the jungles of Sri Lanka, all in different capacities, but throughout, one thing has always remained a constant: her dream of one day opening a burlesque bar and restaurant called The Black Market.
Inspired by how the black markets of WW2 brought communities together, were unique to the local region and enabled locals to obtain items that weren’t available to the mainstream, Romy envisions a platform that is reflective of the same. A celebration and reflection on regional traditions, as well as a focus on regeneration and the pushing of boundaries to blend the creative and new order into a truly unique experience. “I’ve always felt struck by human’s ability to rebuild – not just themselves but as whole countries. Being German, Italian and English I feel an immense pride in my heritage. The humility of each community is something I’ve carried with me. To have experienced such trauma but still be giving of oneself and welcoming to others is a quality I admire, and have – hopefully – emulated in my own life. If I speak really truly on it, The Black Market, in a broad sense is a manifestation of my own cathartic release of trauma. I’ve had to rebuild myself many times throughout my life, and it was actually during a particularly rough period, when I was too exhausted to even make myself a cup of tea, that I finally decided to turn The Black Market into a reality.”
While living in Southport in 2017, Romy had already started putting everything in the works. She had it all lined up: a gorgeous art deco building, the support of the brewery landlord, the community. All she needed was funding. She was in the process of securing the latter when she found out she was pregnant with her eldest, at which point she decided that having a business that demanding wasn’t the right move for her at the time, and went back to full time teaching instead. Fast forward another baby, a divorce, the move to Brighton from Surrey, a court case and commuting up and down the motorway five days a week cumulating into a burnout, she knew it was time to make a change – to finally chase after her dream. “I started with the branding and decided to test the market with the food element, so during the ‘21 Christmas season I got a spot at some local markets, made a load of chutney and cupcakes – all vegan and free from allergens – and hit the streets with my products.” Receiving positive feedback for staples such as her Air Raid Chutney, based on an original 1940s recipe, Romy soon secured herself a regular gig at the Brighton Open Market where she was now installed every month.
“I started adapting my products based on customer feedback, hence they’re now low in sugar and salt but still excellent in flavour. I began sharing my idea about the burlesque shows and the overall concept of The Black Market with customers and started connecting with dancers. Finally, Bite Sussex – my first business network – said they’d support my first show by advertising it as part of their festival week in Sept ’22, so I started approaching venues and voila – The Old Market theatre took me on.” Hosted by drag queen and absolute show-stealer Alexander Joseph as L’Scabies, Romy’s first show paid testament to Brighton’s incredible sense of community and inclusivity. “Brighton wants to do the right thing by its people and be a model for other communities in the country. This is at the heart of my philosophy as a person and The Black Market. I’m not really interested in comparing myself to other burlesque companies – I’m just going to carry on doing my thing and the right people will join me on the journey. I think that’s very much in the spirit of Brighton. London is so concerned with image – you can feel it in the community, structure, architecture, it’s just in the walls. I used to really care about that, and was very tightly held into a sense of expectation in every aspect of my life. Brighton is beautiful because its value led. Be kind, be generous, don’t be an asshole because we will call you out on it. I’m very clear with my performers that I have a zero-ego policy and where performers have come to me with ego, they’ve been quickly turned around because I don’t want toxicity in my community.”
Romy is proud and grateful to call Brighton The Black Market’s first home. “The performers I’ve met have taught me so much about the cabaret world already and it’s been an honour working with them. I’ve also met amazing and supportive trade partners through my various business networks, so representing them at my shows through the drinks and produce has been a pleasure.” The next show is set for December and will be an immersive 1940s experience – an era she is fascinated by, in part due to her own family history. “Centering the theme of the show and The Black Market in general on the 1940s is my way of paying respect to the people who lived through those times and pays homage to the lessons learned that can be applied to today. For me that’s about having a community, a safe space for self-expression – something my Oma’s generation didn’t really have. Especially when it comes to sexuality, discussions around mental health and healthy outlets for frustration and exploration.” Thinking a lot about the women of her grandmother’s generation, has also helped to shape Romy’s idea of feminism, and how this ties in with the artform that is burlesque and cabaret.
“I’ve moved away from a focus on the atrocities committed on my own sex and being an angry woman. This is an identity that is representative of its time. Feminism for me isn’t all about smashing the patriarchy, which was pretty much my mantra as a teenager. Being a single mum to two sons, finally having a loving boyfriend and a very close relationship with my dad, I’ve learned a lot about interdependent relationships with men and this informs my approach to the artforms I promote in The Black Market. I love the men in my life and I’m very grateful for them, I don’t think that’s anti-feminist to say. I think there are a lot of voices that need representing on this platform and through the arts. We live in a world now where gender is a sidebar of an identity, communities have moved away from the constraints of traditional gender norms and I am aware of the world my two children are growing up in. I don’t want to imprint them with the views – and certainly the anger – that I felt as a young woman because it doesn’t serve them. I’d rather teach them about empowering people and equip them with the skills to be able to support themselves and their peers despite any outdated ideas held by others. Yes, I will always champion the empowerment and equality of women, but I have the privilege and means to benefit a wider community and that, to me, is a feminist thing to do!”
Her Oma can best be described as ein herzensguter Mensch – warm, kind and just genuinely good, to the core. “She fled Poland with my Uroma as a child, after having survived scarlet fever which made her quite deaf. They rebuilt their lives after a catalogue of human horrors. She was the most beautiful, giving and wonderful woman. We had a very close bond and I really wish she was alive today to see The Black Market. She was strong in lots of ways that weren’t obvious and she faced so many challenges, but that didn’t stop her generosity of spirit and that’s at the heart of what I do every day. My boys have been through a lot already, but they are still loving, generous and joyful – they remind me of her, and although they never met her, they’re still the embodiment of her spirit. Oma never got to live freely or be valued for who she was every day, I don’t want the same for my children. I don’t think you can rely on the hegemony to create the world you want to live in. You have to take responsibility for yourself. I can’t always control everything in my outside world – or that of my children’s – but what I can do is create a world at home that is safe, one where my children are valued for who they are. I am purposely curating the community that I engage with because I do think of the people I want my children to be around – we have shared values, purposes, ideologies, sense of humour and baggage all wrapped up in a big beautiful burlesque rainbow bow!”
This rainbow is going to shine above Brighton again on December 2nd, when The Black Market is set to take over The Old Market again to ring in the festive season with a twisted Christmas spectacle, and plenty of gin! Hosted by the fabulous Glenda Swing & Rita Heringbone, the award-winning co-creators of Cinebra, this show should be on everyone’s wish list. Performers include international showgirl, Aurora Starr, the roller-skating hula-hooper, Kiki LaHula, cabaret artist, performer, designer and writer, Beatrix Carlotta and, last but not least, President of the University of Sussex Drag Society, the Gogo dancing Spectre. Guests will receive welcome cocktails and will be served gin from locals Georgie and Henners, and Vodka from South Saxon Spirits. If you want to fill someone’s stocking with a little something extra this year, how about a VIP ticket to this black market, burlesque affair? “VIP guests get a room filled with canapes handmade by me using a range of The Black Market products that are currently available on Not On the High Street. Tickets are on sale now – secure your seat and allow yourself to be transported back into a bygone era of glitz and glam. Dress code is – obviously – vintage glamour, so get your shoes shined and those boas fluffed – it’s time to party, darlings!”