How can you sell kids’ clothes instead of giving them away for free? This was one of the thoughts that led to the idea of having a flea market in Pitt Meadows.
Born in Canada, Stephanie Swanson spent her whole life in Germany, where flea markets are the Sunday norm. But not finding one in and around Ridge Meadows took her by surprise.
Read: Gluten-free cafe opens doors in Pitt Meadows
After attempting to sell her son’s clothes through Facebook Marketplace and having no luck, she decided to take matters into her own hands.
She started making calls to the city and school district to find a suitable spot for a pop-up flea market. In two weeks, she had booked the parking lot of Pitt Meadows Elementary for Sunday, July 23 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
This market’s theme is all things children; think maternity, children’s clothing, toys and more.
While donating clothes to thrift stores and community members is often an option, it isn’t a financially viable option for Swanson and some others.
“Donating your kids’ used items is a generous and compassionate choice, but selling them at a flea market can help with money matters. When I sell the items, I can get some money back and use it for financial needs, buy some things for my child or simply put it towards my kid’s education,” said Swanson.
The three-hour market is set in a convenient format where vendors will pull out a table from their car trunk, set it up and sell things, right from their parking spot.
All vendors paid $20 which covered advertising, rental fee, collective insurance for vendors as well as city and school district costs.
Swanson said her hope is that through this market, both buyers and sellers will walk away feeling they got some good deals and made a positive contribution to the environment as well as their neighbourhood.
“Buying secondhand from neighbours in your community supports the local economy and fosters a sense of connection. You can engage with your neighbours and build relationships while making a purchase,” she added.
So far, 23 out of 46 spots are booked for the market and items will range between ages 0 to 12 years.
Swanson said she’s aware garage sales are popular in this region hence some skepticism whether people would like to move towards the flea market idea.
After the market, she said she hopes to gather feedback from vendors to assess whether there is interest in future flea markets in the area.
