Flea Market Zone
http://fleamarketzone.com/2010/04/20/new-market-in-pittsburgh/
Pittsburgh Flea market opens in Strip
Monday, April 19, 2010
The Pitt News
A new flea market opened in the Strip District Sunday, 17 years after Pittsburgh’s only large-scale, flea market closed.
When Janis Surman, a longtime flea market enthusiast, noticed that Pittsburgh lacked a central urban market, she began to feel an itch. Laid off from her corporate job of 17 years with AT&T, Surman spent 12 months unemployed, facing a poor job market with few prospects. And soon, the itch that first only tickled her imagination began to consume her morning, noon and night.
“It was just something that started to grow in my mind, and finally it got to the point where I thought, ‘You know, I think I can pull this off,’” Surman said.
Within months, the Pittsburgh Flea was born.
Sunday, Surman held the first Pittsburgh Flea, an eclectic market featuring a wide range of used and new items, between 21st and Railroad streets in the Strip District. The Pittsburgh Flea will occur weekly, every Sunday between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., through Nov. 14.
Despite the weekend’s gray skies and 38-degree drizzle, shoppers came in swarms to the previously empty lot off Smallman Street.
Early that morning, a woman bundled in a windbreaker hunched over a table. “I know I’m kooky, but I just like it!” she said, giggling as she picked up a ceramic container with a naked woman bejeweled on the lid.
Surman’s project took off last August when she approached Neighbors in the Strip, a community development organization in the Strip District. The organization connected Surman with local businesses and referred potential vendors, hoping to bring new visitors to the area.
“It’s going to bring a totally different dynamic to the Strip District,” said Becky Rodgers, executive director of Neighbors in the Strip. “So hopefully when they’re down here visiting the flea market, they’ll stroll over to the rest of the Strip — have some beer at Roland’s or breakfast at Pamela’s.”
For Surman, the Strip was the obvious venue. It’s city-centric, has the space to accommodate the project and people already go there to mingle and peruse, she said.
As Surman and Rogers advertised the project via word of mouth, the itch quickly began to spread.
For Sunday’s event Surman confirmed 240 vendors, the maximum the area could hold, and had a waiting list of 40 more. Not all confirmed vendors participated Sunday due to poor weather conditions, but the quirky spread of items for sale did not disappoint.
The Pittsburgh Flea isn’t just a bunch of “flea-sters” grabbing up “used and bruised items from somebody’s garage,” Surman said. “I wanted it to be a little edgy.”
The market featured a diverse mix of new and old, bizarre and mundane and included antiques, original art and collectibles. There were organic soaps and lotions, homemade dog biscuits, African textiles, Star Wars comic books, vintage bow ties, mosaic pottery, jewelry made from silverware and soy candles. This list goes on.
The majority of the vendors were local, but some came from as far as New York state and Virginia. Some sellers will rotate weekly, and others will anchor tables summer long.
In a time of economic difficulty, budget-conscious customers can bargain and haggle and find items at discounted prices. “People feel better about that,” Surman said. “I think it gives them a little bit of psychic income as well.”
And for Pittsburgh’s always frugal student population, the flea market could prove worthwhile for its varied mix of inexpensive wares and its low-cost entertainment value.
“It runs until 3 p.m. so you don’t have to get up early. Also, it’s right in the Strip, which is a fun neighborhood to explore,” Anna Kahler, a junior neuroscience major at Pitt, said. She, along with junior Chris Brett, is part of Surman’s small flea market staff.
“This is a great way for students to decorate their rooms or apartments, find interesting and eclectic pieces that you don’t see in every Target, and also it’s a great place to spend a Sunday morning,” Rogers said. “You can be hung over, and you can get some greasy food,” she laughed.
The kind of bug you wanna catch: Pittsburgh Flea launches in Strip District
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Pop City
Pittsburgh’s massive citywide outdoor flea market is opening this weekend.
The Pittsburgh Flea will run 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Sunday from April 18 through Nov. 14, 2010 at 21st and Railroad Streets in the Strip District.
Pittsburgh Flea founder Janis Surman says the response to the weekly market has been overwhelming.
“Everyone just keeps gushing, ‘Thank you, thank you.’ You would think I just fed a starving nation,” Surman says. “It’s flea frenzy. There’s been so much interest. We’ve got more than 230 vendors for opening day! I’m wait-listing vendors.”
Surman says many vendors have committed to being anchors for the season, but weekly tables are still available for $40 each Sunday. There are also special package rates available.
Shoppers can expect antiques and crafts, from original art to reconstructed home furnishings, from vintage tees to all-natural cosmetics and beauty products
And, of course, there will be food and drink. Look for La Peri Dolci biscotti and macaroons, Thai food from Highland Park’s Smiling Banana Leaf, Fudgelicious, Mercurio’s Mulberry Creamery, T Hill’s Smokehouse BBQ & Grill, Franktuary hot dogs, Goodie Truck treats, and more. DJ J. Malls from Title Town Soul & Funk Party & Jerry’s Records will be spinning tunes on Sunday, too.
The Flea’s neighbor in purpose and location, Pittsburgh Public Market, is expected to open this summer in the Produce Terminal on Smallman Street between 18th and 19th Streets. That market will host about 42 vendors of fresh produce, prepared foods and crafts, and will be open Friday through Sunday each week. It will also include space for cooking demonstrations and community events.
Old is new: A Sunday flea market will add to the Strip District
Monday, March 15, 2010
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The bustle that makes Pittsburgh’s Strip District a fun place for shopping, eating or people-watching on Saturdays soon will be extended to Sundays.
The lively addition will be a flea market, aptly named Pittsburgh Flea, which is set to debut on April 18 and run from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sundays through Nov. 14. Of course, a flea market is not a new concept. Many cities have them, and countless suburban parking lots are converted to the short-term sales venues on weekends.
Recycling the notion of a flea market is appropriate, since they’re all about recycling, and the Strip District long has been a place that values the old and the new, with remnants of the produce warehouses that first opened in the 19th century right next to the latest coffee shops and ethnic food restaurants. Sundays are an ideal time in the Strip, when many businesses remain open but the crush of shoppers and traffic is diminished.
More than 100 vendors are expected to set up tables in a lot at the corner of 21st and Railroad streets and sell the usual vast assortment of new and used jewelry, clothing, toys, plants, furniture and that all-encompassing category, collectibles. The basic fee to rent a spot is $40 per Sunday, but package rates are available and more information can be obtained at pittsburghflea.com or by calling 412-361-3565.
Additional action in the Strip is expected this year in the form of a public market that Neighbors in the Strip has planned for the produce terminal on Smallman Street. The community group is renovating 6,500 square feet of space in the building between 18th and 19th streets where local vendors will be able to rent indoor booths and sell fresh and prepared foods, arts and crafts and other products.
The flea market and the public market are healthy signs for the Strip District, Pittsburgh’s intersection of history and commerce.
Flea market coming to the Strip
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
At first blush, the Pittsburgh Flea sounds like something you’d want to avoid. But Janis Surman is hoping a lot of people will get the itch.
Rather than some annoying insect, the Pittsburgh Flea is the name of the new flea market Ms. Surman will be starting in the Strip District on Sunday April 18.
While there may be smaller flea markets in some city neighborhoods, Ms. Surman said the Pittsburgh Flea will be the first targeted to the city as a whole in quite some time.
“Most cities have large flea markets. Even though Pittsburgh neighborhoods have their own niche flea markets, we don’t have a big city centric flea market,” she said.
For the April 18 debut, Ms. Surman expects to have more than 100 vendors set up in a lot at 21st and Railroad streets. There will be vendors selling antiques, collectibles, jewelry, vintage clothes and toys, plants, produce, recycled goods, furniture, and “garage clean out” fare.
There also will be a pawn shop and a gold-for-cash dealer. Food vendors will hawk everything from kielbasa and pierogies to vegan baked goods. The flea market will be open on Sundays, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., from April 18 through Nov. 14, and will be free to the public.
“I think it’s going to be an interesting mix of quirky stuff and flea stuff. I think it’s going to be like a fun mix for people to come to and not just a lot of flea market crud,” Ms. Surman said.
Both she and Becky Rodgers, executive director of Neighbors in the Strip, believe the Sunday flea market will blend in with the eclectic mix of wholesalers, retailers, street vendors, restaurants and nightclubs that already populate the neighborhood.
“I definitely think it fits in with the unique offerings or opportunities in the Strip District,” Ms. Rodgers said. “[The Strip's] a place to gather. We’re getting more and more people living Downtown. It just adds an option to our already unique neighborhood.”
Ms. Surman said she settled on the Strip because it was one of the few places in the city with enough open space available to accommodate a large flea market.
The fact it already is a popular destination for Pittsburghers and out-of-town visitors made it all the more enticing.
“The whole atmosphere just lends itself to filling that void with one more thing and that would be a flea market,” she said.
Ms. Surman of Highland Park got the idea to create a flea market after she was laid off by AT&T at the end of 2008 after 17 years with the company.
When she had no luck finding a new job, she began to think about starting a business herself, with one prerequisite: “Something as far away from corporate life as possible.” She also wanted a venture that was “reasonable to do with a low revenue input from me” and one that filled a void.
From that hatched the Pittsburgh Flea.
“I thought, well, you know, we don’t have a city flea market. I thought maybe I could start a flea market in the city. The more I thought about it, I thought, this is doable,” she said.
Ms. Rodgers said there hasn’t been a flea market in the Strip in 17 years. She sees the proposed venture meshing nicely with plans by Neighbors in the Strip to open a public market in the produce terminal on Smallman Street this spring.
Vendors who don’t quite fit in with what the group is planning for the public market could be referred to the Pittsburgh Flea, she said.
While the Pittsburgh Flea may be a new concept, flea markets are by no means new territory for Ms. Surman, who has enjoyed spending time at them in the past.
“I think flea markets are interesting. I think there’s a lot of junk there but I think there are some interesting, quirky things that surface at flea markets,” she said. “There are good flea markets and bad flea markets and I’m determined to create a good flea market.”
She also sees flea markets as their own “little revenue engines.”
“For some people it’s their livelihood. For others, it’s a second job or extra cash. It really provides revenues for different people in different ways. For shoppers, it’s free entertainment and an enjoyable way to kill a Sunday,” she said.
Pittsburgh Flea to bring food, crafts, finds to Strip District starting in April
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Pop City
Pittsburgh is getting a massive outdoor urban flea market this spring.
Pittsburgh Flea will start April 18 in the Strip District, at 21st and Railroad Streets. The event will run every Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. through Nov. 14, 2010–rain or shine.
The market will host about 120 individual vendors selling antiques, collectibles, handcrafted jewelry, vintage clothing, art and fresh produce and artisanal foods.
Pittsburgh Flea founder Janis Surman says the market will appeal to Pittsburghers’ desire for things that are good for the environment and their personal finances. The market will present shoppers with fun, frugal opportunities to reuse and repurpose goods, from mid-century furniture to toys from their grandfather’s youth, and to explore some of the region’s food and craft finds.
Lots of vendors have already committed to the seasonal event, says Surman, including Franktuary, Zum Zum Pierogies, Mercurio’s Mulberry Creamery gelato, Pretzel Crazy confectionery-covered carbs, My Goodies vegan bakery and The Goodie Truck. And to tempt your wallet: Third-Day Luxury Soaps & Healing Gardens, Joyful Noise Studio art, vintage recycled birdbaths by Foxglove Woodland Studio, Catherine’s Creations jewelry and many more.
Surman was recently laid off from a high-ranking corporate position after 17 years with AT&T, and found herself looking for that “what’s next” thing. She decided to offer a service that could provide a livelihood for herself as well as other small business owners, entrepreneurs and artisans.
“In this economy I see a flea market in the Strip as a win/win for everyone,” says Surman. “Flea markets are a little economic engine all their own. I’ve always loved the quirky stuff you can find at flea markets, not to mention the prices. And I was shocked when it hit me that Pittsburgh didn’t really have a centrally located, downtown flea market. The time has really come.”
Surman decided to hold the Pittsburgh Flea in the Strip District because it is so centrally located, and is already a weekend destination for locals and visitors alike. The flea is also going to be held quite close to the Produce Terminal (on Smallman Street between 18th and 19th Streets), where the Pittsburgh Public Market will open this spring. That market will host about 42 vendors of fresh produce, prepared foods and crafts, and will be open Friday through Sunday each week. It will also include space for cooking demonstrations and community events.
Surman has worked closely with Neighbors in the Strip to ensure that the Pittsburgh Flea and the Pittsburgh Public Market do not replicate services, but instead, work together to create an economic and entertainment hub in the Strip District.
The Strip Has Two Gifts for Pittsburgh in 2010!
The Strip will be giving the City of Pittsburgh two very special gifts next spring!
Pittsburgh Public Market.
Pittsburgh Public Market, in the “Terminal Building,” will bring the best of the region to the Strip District—the freshest food and most exciting regional entrepreneurs will enhance the Strip shopping experience to the degree.
Public markets have made a comeback throughout the country from Seattle to Baltimore, providing a unique shopping and gathering place for residents and a destination attraction for visitors—it’s about time that Pittsburgh has one of its very own!
Pittsburgh Public Market will be Pittsburgh’s only year-round public market and what better place for it than in the heart of the Strip! Now Pittsburgh will have a year-round facility where shoppers can interact with regional food and farm producers, artisans and other unique local businesses that celebrate the creativity, diversity and vitality of the Pittsburgh region!
The Pittsburgh Flea.
The Pittsburgh Flea at 21st and Railroad Street will be the city’s premier flea market, offering more choices, more vendors, and an eclectic mix of items right in the heart of the Strip. Launching April 18, 2010, the Pittsburgh Flea will offer a dynamic mix of vendors and goods. Like other urban fleas across the nation, the Pittsburgh Flea will not only be a place to shop, but a new and invigorating cultural trend.
www.neighborsinthestrip.com – Watch for more information on these new phenomena.
