Tampabay: Wal-Mart may put the squeeze on flea market

Oldsmar will soon find out. When the new $8-million Wal-Mart supercenter opens in mid October, it will be a few minutes' drive from the city's reigning mecca for bargain hunters, the Oldsmar Flea Market.

Opinions vary on whether the new Wal-Mart's supermarket, portrait studio, hair and nail salons, and sundry conveniences will threaten the livelihoods of folks in the booths at the flea market. Mayor Jerry Beverland, officials with the Greater Oldsmar Chamber of Commerce and some vendors don't anticipate a problem. Others, including the flea market's manager, are not as certain.

When Alice Rogers heard that the supercenter was moving just to the west of the market, the longtime vendor put up a sign saying, "Everything goes! See Alice now!"

Rogers, 75, said she fears the supercenter will drive her 20-year-old business out of the market.

"The minute they open that store, they're gonna bury us," Rogers said. She said her booth, with its teapots, neckties, T-shirts, toys and bathing suits, is no competition for the supercenter.

But Andy Stoufer, owner of Woks-N-More, a gourmet kitchenware store at the flea market, said he is not worried.

"The only thing (Wal-Mart) will do is draw people to the area," said Stoufer, 60, who has been at the flea market for 18 years. "When you buy a product in my store, you get personal service."

Many say the maze of bargains, collectibles, used merchandise and just plain weird stuff puts the flea market in a league of its own.

"It's a unique character by itself," said Kevin Gartland, chief executive officer and president of the Greater Oldsmar Chamber of Commerce. "A lot of people have come to know Oldsmar because of the flea market. Wal-Mart will be just another attraction."

Maybe, but flea market manager Babe Wright has been leery for years of having a supercenter down the road.

Wright thinks the supercenter will not affect businesses that sell antiques and other niche merchandise but says businesses that sell products such as clothing, toiletries and hardware could suffer.

Wright, a former Oldsmar City Council member, abstained from voting on the supercenter proposal when it was presented in 1999 because her position with the flea market created a conflict of interest. But she said she didn't think Oldsmar needed a supercenter.

"It's more important to have little businesses like your mom and pop stores than one big business," said Wright, who has managed the flea market for 22 years.

Former carnival entrepreneur Richard Ferkich built the flea market on the 22 acres he owned off Tampa Road. It opened on Nov. 13, 1980, with one building, 50 spaces and a few carnival tents. Today, it has 1,200 booths and more than 800 vendors, Wright said. The 208,000-square-foot supercenter will be on 28 acres at 3801 Tampa Road. The supercenter will have the makings of a regular Wal-Mart, along with a hair salon, a McDonald's restaurant, an auto service shop, a vision center, a hearing aid center, a garden center and a one-hour photo lab.

The supercenter will employ up to 500 people, 70 percent of them full-time, said Daphne Davis, community affairs manager for Wal-Mart.

Davis said the competition that Wal-Mart brings will benefit consumers by lowering prices in the area. "I think what's important here is that the consumer is the winner," Davis said.

Local officials simply hope the supercenter brings new business to the area.

"It's going to have a tremendous impact on the economy of the city," said Oldsmar Mayor Beverland. The longtime flea market customer buys his vegetables there every weekend. He thinks the store will bring more business to the market and the city.

"I think everybody's going to benefit from this," he said.

Back to Tampa Bay area news
Back

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright

Special Links

Mary Jo Melone

Howard Troxler

Headlines
From the Times
local news desks