Bargain-hunting Islanders may hit the jackpot in March, when Vashon will be home to a flea market each weekend, rain or shine, indoors and out.
Flea market season will open with at the Open Space for Arts and Community — or “O” — on Saturday, March 7.
With 25 to 30 vendors signed up last week and room for several more, there will be treasures aplenty, ranging from antique furniture and collectors items’ to a cherry wood eight-harness floor loom to a booth staffed by two eight-year-olds selling their wares, according to Karen Biondo, one of the event’s organizers.
Lisa Cyra and Jennifer Brenner of Sweet Eva’s will be there selling French flea market fare — coffee, espresso, morning buns filled with vanilla cream, Cannele de Bordeaux (rather like a hand-held crème brulee), scones, biscotti, hot soup and more.
Camille Coldeen will add to the ambiance by busking in the market; a fortune teller will be on hand for those desiring a look into a crystal ball, and organizers are hoping for a face painter as well, Biondo said.
The market is a fundraiser for the further development of O’s performance and event space as well as the Vashon Maury Community Food Bank. The entry fee for browsers and shoppers is $3 or a donation of food.
“I would love it if 300 people came,” Biondo said.
The following weekend the Vashon Flea Market will run both days on the north end of town in the lot just north of Pandora’s Box. It is the brainchild of Sheila McGuffin, the manager of AJ’s Espresso, who said she is hoping the market will provide treasures for bargain hunters, extra cash for those selling items and more business for shops and restaurants at the north end of town.
McGuffin also hopes the flea market will become an Island institution and plans to keep it open eight months of the year, from March through October.(CHECK THIS)
“This is my first time running a flea market, but I am doing a lot of research,” McGuffin said.
The market has 40 spaces available, eight indoors in the Common Ground building;10 of the spaces outdoors have electricity available, McGuffin said.
Vendors are welcome at this market, but McGuffin does not take reservations. Spots are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Vendors are asked to arrive at 7 a.m. to be assigned a spot, and gates will open at 9 a.m. This being the maritime Northwest, the market will be open rain or shine, McGuffin said; she will provide canopies for the 5 by 10 foot spaces.
She is open to vendors who sell “anything or everything” that’s legal” she said: collectibles, household goods, antiques, arts and crafts, fruits and vegetables and baked goods.
Each week will include a raffle for vendors and visitors, with a $25 gift certificate going to the winner. The flea market’s “mascot,” Maury the Flea will appear in The Beachcomber and The Loop each week, and the first person to call McGuffin with his location also gets a $25 gift certificate.
This market is also a fundraiser, with 5 percent of the proceeds going to the Vashon Youth Council.
Flea Markets
The flea market at “O” will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 7 at O, 18870 S.W. 103rd St.
Individuals, clubs and other groups are still welcome as vendors for $30 and up per space. For more information, call O at 408-7241.
The Vashon Flea Market will open at 9 a.m. Satudays and Sundays with closing time varying throughout the year. Booths are available starting at $10 for one day. For more information, call Sheila McGuffin at 719-2621 or e-mail vashonfleamarket@gmail.com.
