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Flea markets are not going to the dogs

Loading up at Fun Lan Swap Shop in Tampa, Joan Jonatis doesn't understand friends who spurn the flea market treasure hunt.

By Mark Albright, Times Staff Writer
Published February 24, 2008

Loading up at Fun Lan Swap Shop in Tampa, Joan Jonatis doesn't understand friends who spurn the flea market treasure hunt.

"They compliment me on the knicknacks, paintings and produce I buy here but don't want to be seen here," said the Tampa interior decorator modeling her $5 Teva sandals and $2 cargo pants. "You never know what you'll find."

Once dominated by used goods, antiques and collectibles, flea market goods are in a state of flux again. Farm-fresh produce has become a staple. Asian restaurants even flock to the Mustang Flea Market in Pinellas Park to score bitter root, bok choy and Thai or Chinese eggplant.

Yet a huge buildup of cheap foreign imports that in recent years consumed up to 80 percent of vendor space has given most flea markets a split personality that some think has cost the markets some of their popularity.

"We lost an awful lot of markets because vendors got lazy," said Dorothy Clark, Pensacola publisher of Clark's Flea Market USA directory. "It's a hard business. So instead of finding good used stuff to sell inexpensively, they just order the same cheap stuff from Taiwan. It's no wonder markets started looking the same."

However, a tour of local flea market shows savvy vendors - who control anywhere from a lone 10x10 booth to 60 of them - churn all the time. Soaring prices recently chased off many gold jewelers. There's been a surge in dealers selling 250-thread count linens. Other recent newcomers: people selling reconditioned computers, power tools and rebuilt major appliances such as $50 for a dishwasher.

Some markets allow dealers to sell guns, serious hunting knives and a even trade in adult films. But now they are joined by fortune tellers, genealogists, caregiver services, barber shops and even home improvement marketers who once peddled granite countertops in stores.

Indeed, the split personality of many markets explains some local quirks. The small 49er Flea Market, of instance, has a waiting line for booths even though business is slow. That's because the 49er is mostly collectibles. So most vendors only show up on Sundays when shoppers are there. That leaves the place sparsely populated Fridays and Saturdays because dealers refuse to give up their spots even if they don't use them.

Patricia Watson, for instance, started seven years ago with silk-screen T-shirts for women. Then she switched to rhinestone-covered ones. She tried women's one-size-fits-all cotton popcorn tops. Then she glued spangles to boldly colored cowboy hats before recently stumbling on to Red Hat Society hats that fetch $20 to $40 apiece.

Goofy T-shirts are perennial. But sayings change. Among the latest crop: "Rehab is for quitters," "The Beer Never Falls far from the Trailer," and "Multitasking Means Screwing Up Several Things at Once."

Mark Albright can be reached at albright@sptimes.com or 727-893-8252.

[Last modified February 22, 2008, 21:51:56]