TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Flea Markets Prove Popular In Downturn

ADVERTISEMENT

By KRISTA KLAUS

kklaus@wfla.com

Published: March 25, 2009

WEBSTER - Joe Balfour of Lutz has spent a lifetime buying collectibles and antiques. Little did he know his love of old-fashioned bread boxes and butter churns would one day help put food on the table.

"It's been devastating," said Balfour, 59, who was laid off three months ago from his marketing job.

To offset the loss of income, Balfour loads up his Toyota Prius every other Monday with everything from turn-of-the-century trinkets to vintage pieces of pottery and makes a pre-dawn trek to the Westside Flea Market in Webster.

On a good day, he makes enough money to cover his expenses, and then some.

"I look for some way to supplement our income, and this is working for us," Balfour said while wrapping up a decorative shelf for a customer.

"I wouldn't be able to get anything near what I'm getting for this stuff at a garage sale."
Balfour isn't alone. According to Tom Cushman, owner of the Webster Westside Flea Market, about 1,000 vendors set up shop on his sprawling outdoor market every Monday. That's about 20 percent more than the same time last year.

"We're seeing larger crowds as well as more vendors," Cushman said. "The bad times are good for us, unfortunately."

Cushman charges vendors between $11 and $29 a day, depending on how much space they need to peddle their wares. He doesn't take a cut of their profit, and he admits it can be lucrative. Although Cushman has no official crowd estimates, he said a highway patrol trooper recently placed the crowd visiting the flea markets along U.S. 301 in Sumter County at 70,000 people in one day.

Westside spans 35 acres, and with booths selling anything from kettle corn to corn dogs, it feels a bit like the State Fair meets a giant garage sale.

Cushman said that's just how he wants it.

"It's a very pleasant place in general. Our customers and vendors are positive people. They look to the future."
Balfour said he hopes his future includes a job. But until then, he'll keep polishing up those antique relics and getting them ready to sell.

"It's making a significant difference because I have no income," he said.

Keyword: Flea Markets, to find out more about the Webster market.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT