Bad Girls Market is not a mall or a farmers market, but it is a secret third thing: a monthly pop-up market inside Fresno’s Manchester Mall, featuring mainly women vendors.

Sofia Sanchez, Bad Girls Market founder and owner of small business Thrift222Hard, dreamt of the idea years ago, as a safe space for woman-owned businesses after realizing events in town were male-dominated.

“I feel like a lot of vendors can relate to going to an event and seeing mostly men there and it kind of sucks as a girl,” Sanchez said. “For a long time, I was doing Arthop, where I was literally like one out of two girls there.”

It wasn’t until she shared the idea with Perla Lizueth Hernandez, now Bad Girls Market co-owner and owner of Diisocuriis, that the market became a reality in 2023. Along with help from owners of the Bad Kids Club, a vintage store in downtown Fresno, who made the market’s first flyers as they deeply believed the concept would be a great success.

Having previously worked at the Manchester Mall, Sanchez was able to secure the mainly empty mall as the Bad Girls Market’s current home.

This, as opposed to previous locations like outside the Mammoth Mall or the former CVS parking lot in downtown, was perfect due to air conditioning, restrooms, security and abundance of space.

Now the Bad Girls Market hosts over 80 vendors per pop-up, features interactive activities like on-site Polaroid photo shoots from the Central Valley Camera Club, yoga sessions and more, complemented by a different theme every month.

From clowns, angels, fairies and more, attendees are highly encouraged to be creative and dress up for the occasion.

With all that to offer, Sanchez and Hernandez believe the market has become an event of itself.

“It makes the girls feel like they have something to look forward to because unless you like to go out to bars, clubs or to raves, you probably aren’t dressing up crazy in Fresno,” Hernandez said. “Now this is a reason to look cute with your friends and go somewhere.”

Sanchez added that the themes help make the market a little more fun, as vendor markets can get old, especially if they offer the same things and bring out the same people.

As for vendors, attendees can expect to see a large variety of items being sold at the Bad Girls Market from crochet plushies, handmade jewelry, plants, thrifted clothing, pastries and even beauty services like tattoos and tooth gems.

Angelica Quintero, a Fresno State alumna and now the recruitment and program support specialist for College Corps on campus, is a vendor at the Bad Girls Market.

Quintero began her business Jelly Falls, selling stickers, keychains and more during the pandemic, but is now something she does for fun.

Wanting to participate in Arthop but never having time to and then it being canceled, is what led her to the Bad Girls Market’s one-year anniversary pop-up in November 2024.

That was the second market she had ever done. Quintero said it was really fun, as the Bad Girls Market carries a certain vibe.

“It just has a unique vibe that is not welcome in Fresno all the time, because it’s so conservative here,” Quintero said. “You’re able to be yourself at Bad Girls Market with no judgment, not that you can’t do that in other places. It’s just there’s so many people there, at once in one space, which is why I like it.”

As for the location, Quintero thinks it’s ideal because it helps keep the Manchester Mall and its surrounding businesses alive, mentioning that one could grab The Habit Burger or go to the movies after the market.

She plans to return to the Bad Girls Market in May and every other month afterwards, as she wants to continue being a part of what makes Fresno unique.

Despite it being a lot of work to make the pop-ups happen, from creating Instagram flyers, marking vendor spots and decorating the night before, the owners believe the turnout is always worth it.

“It’s just nice to see that we can provide this space for people, mostly after all that stuff with Arthop happened last year,” Sanchez said. “It’s just like a little relief of being like, okay community is still here. We just need to build on it. I think our main goal would always be community.”

The next Bad Girls Market pop-up is on Saturday, April 26, from 12 – 5 p.m. inside the Manchester Mall. Sanchez said over 30 new vendors will be at the pop-up with the theme being BRATZ.