O’Donnell’s Bellingham Flea Market’s new location has been a huge success in its first month, allowing the burgeoning market to hit its stride and maintain visibility in Bellingham, Washington. After the market’s previous home was repurposed to become an apartment complex, owner Dan O’Donnell has set up shop at a former Toyota dealership at 405 East Champion St.
“The new place is great,” O’Donnell says. “Although we’ve always been in high traffic areas, we have never had this much parking available. Here we have a lot of room for food vendors, and we’re going to start doing auctions this coming Saturday. That would have been really tough for us to pull off in the other location.”
Merchandise Inside and Outside
There is room for 12 vendors indoors and between 60 and 70 outside. At the moment, the market has averaged about 30 vendors selling outside, but O’Donnell expects things to fill up further in the spring once warmer weather arrives. While the building is currently for sale, it has already been on the market for nearly four years, so O’Donnell hopes the flea can have a home for an extended period of time.
The Bellingham Flea Market is open seven days a week, and is currently charging $10 for a booth for vendors. The market is positioning itself as a one-stop location to have a great time. “We’re trying to build the social side of things as well and really make it something that people can do with their friends and families on the weekend—not just ‘I need something, so I’m going to go to the flea market,’” O’Donnell adds. “We have live music every weekend and are trying to make it just a fun place to hang out.”
For more information, visit the market’s website or call Dan O’Donnell at 360-220-7157.