A friend of mine just returned from NY this past weekend and exclaimed, "We went to the Chelsea Flee on Saturday". I thought about all of the times that I went to this incredible flea market in the past, and then thought about the St. Lawrence Market in Toronto. The thought that the city of Buffalo did not have something like this irked me. Early last evening I ran into a friend of mine by the name of Patrick who told me that he was looking to bring his trade of woodworking to the public, but how could he do it while making some money at the same time. We discussed the lack of some sort of Chelsea Flee in Buffalo... and just what it would take to make it happen.
After discussing the topic for a while we came to the conclusion that the idea is not farfetched... and with such a tight-knit community? It would take artists, and people familiar with apparel, and a coffee vendor, and musicians, and booksellers, and a couple of art and furniture dealers, and anything else that would make for an exciting market. Throw in a couple pottery wheels and live artistic demonstrations and there is your market.
The effort will take a lot of time and dedication, but look at the other concepts we have seen unfold recently. A micro-park by the Peace Bridge, an artist community on Main Street, the Elmwood Avenue Festival of the Arts, Buffalo Old Home Week... these were mere ideas not long ago that have come (or are coming) to fruition. A Buffalo Flea Market could (and should) work. Do you want to bring people downtown during the weekends? This would be a major draw for anyone looking for things to do. Imagine an outdoor cafe. Picture vendors lined up displaying vintage items and memorabilia. Not crap - cool stuff that you would actually consider purchasing.
There is a market for this in Buffalo, and we have a person that is considering heading it up. We will be researching possible spaces - ideally something like the lot outside the Market Arcade and Washington Market. Someplace where we could utilize nearby resources like coffee (WM), flowers (hmmm), the Light Rail, ... while having a built in clientele made up of loft-livers. Imagine artistic demonstrations on a weekend basis (warm weather months). Look what a single skating rink has done to draw crowds to downtown. Imagine what an open-air market would do during spring, summer and fall.
If you think that your business can contribute to making this downtown dream a reality, please email queenseyes@buffalorising.com. In the meantime we will keep you up to speed on progress updates, including location decisions.