Feature
Flea Market Finds...From Chaos Comes Order
writen by: Micah Mitrosky
When you think of a flea market, you probably picture rows and rows of tables piled with seconds, surplus, fell-off-the-truck, just plain cheap, and used goods, from pots and pans and sweaters and underwear to old toys and a 10-speed bicycle with one flat tire.
 |
A new adventure every weekend at Traders Village. With two locations in Texas. 2602 Mayfield Road, Grand Prarie, TX ; 7979 N. Eldridge Rd., Houston, TX |
| Shoppers examine produce at The Flea Market, 1590 Berryessa Road, San Jose, CA |  |
Vendors peddle their wares for almost any price they can fetch from haggling shoppers, so they don’t have to pack up their goods at the end of the day and take them home. People paw through the potpourri of offerings looking for the things they can’t go home without.
It’s a picture of chaos, total disorder.
As some scientists say, from chaos comes order. While most of us weren’t
looking, the flea market has become an industry. It has evolved from the
stereotypical melting pot of dusty, second-hand, “one man’s junk is another
man’s treasure” stomping grounds to a multimillion-dollar retail sector,
full of opportunities, including the chance for anyone to start a self-owned
business on literally a $20 budget.
 |
It’s also a sizable and growing real estate niche market which contains opportunities for commercial property owners. Flea markets are the tenant of last resort, often a lifesaver for a retail center with a large vacancy such as a former Caldor or a supermarket. Even office space and parking lots can be used, where zoning allows. Short-term leases at low rents can make the difference between foreclosure and survival for many owners.
|
Colorful glassware for sale at the Street fair, located on the College of the Desert campus, 43-500 Montery Avenue, Palm Desert, CA
Owners and managers of flea markets and swap meets now connect through the National Flea Market Association (NFMA), which has members in 32 states. It’s the only national trade association that focuses on the flea-market industry.
The self-proclaimed purpose of NFMA is “to disseminate information, provide products and services to our members, promote and protect the industry and provide a safe and pleasant shopping environment for the general public.”
Formed three years ago in an effort to “promote professionalism within our industry,” the NFMA aims to bring consistency and order to an industry built on chaos. As a group, they hope to learn to attract a larger customer base, and give their customers the feeling of a family-oriented marketplace with entertainment, food and hard-to-find, even one-of-a-kind merchandise that will ensure customers leave satisfied, and return.
More than 10,000 flea markets, swap meets, antiques and collectibles events, farmers markets, open-air markets and special events are scattered across the U.S. They range in size from an empty lot to 126 acres, and average about 20 acres. More than 150 million shoppers attend these markets annually, buying goods from about 1 million vendors, which vary from the mom-and-pop markets to mega-markets with more than 4,000 vendors.
Some of the key players in the organization include:
The Flea Market Inc. of San Jose, California, the member with the largest single site — 126 acres.
The Traders Village in Grand Prairie (Dallas/Ft. Worth area) and Houston, Texas, has 106 acres at each location, for a total of 212 acres plus expansion acreage. It has a national-rated RV Park, exhibit halls, arena, carnival rides and a game room for kids, and a wide range of weekly special events including barbeque cook-offs, auto shows, an Indian pow-wow, and many festivals.
American Park’n Swap in Buffalo, New York, the largest chain of flea markets in the U.S., has nine locations. It’s a subsidiary of Delaware North Corp.
Red Barn Flea Market, Bradenton, Florida, the largest and most popular on the Suncoast.
Mesa Market Place, Mesa, Arizona, the largest under one roof.
The 450 Mile Flea Market is an annual event in August that runs from Gadsden, Alabama, to Covington, Kentucky.
College of The Desert Flea Market, Palm Desert, California, has raised $80,000 in scholarships per year.
Clearly, there are several approaches to establishing a successful operation, whether it be community involvement, family oriented fun or sheer size.
The key to maintaining the success of these bastions for creative entrepreneurial expression is to ensure that the rights of small business vendors are being defended and protected. One of the primary goals of organization is to champion this cause, and continue to work to preserve the free-enterprise environment enjoyed by the flea market and swap meet industry.
The best tool used by NFMA to accomplish these goals is communication — informing its members of issues affecting the flea market industry. A publication entitled “Flea Market Business” includes articles on legislation and political issues that have an impact on the industry and reports on trends in the industry.
The organization also hosts a national convention and trade show that raises awareness for flea market owners on such issues as complying with city zoning codes, business and health permits, tax collection practices, cleanliness, parking, customer safety, community relations and inexpensive special event ideas.
With this wealth of knowledge, flea-market owners are developing their industry into a substantial, recognized asset to their communities’ local economies, both with the jobs and business they generate and the community benefits some of them provide, such as scholarship funds, volunteer efforts and local youth activities.
These organizations that began under the simple premise of earning a little extra cash or the early stages of a fledgling business venture, under the direction of the NFMA, are growing into viable economic and community hubs.
For more information, contact Jerry Stokes, Executive Director of NFMA. PO Box 18646; Charlotte, NC 28218; 704-536-0237; Fax 704-535-1980; e-mail
jerry@fleamarkets.org.