When the beloved Cloverdale Flea Market, located at a local fairgrounds in Surrey, British Columbia, looked to be in danger of closing, the local community sprang into action. A Facebook page was launched to save the market, and vendors collected over 3,000 signatures on a petition to save the market.
Well, turns out it was all just a big misunderstanding, and the market is back on as usual — only better. The current plan, as set out by the Cloverdale Rodeo and Exhibition Association, is to upgrade the Canadian swap meet, adding a farmers market component and making it more upscale. It will not actually ditch existing market management or vendors after all. Instead, the original market operator will be retained to organize the market. After a 33 year run, that operator is set to continue running the market after an upgrade that will not displace any vendors.
According to the news report at The Surrey Now Web site, “new and existing vendors will be encouraged to participate in the new format,” and the Cloverdale Flea Market will be updated with “artisans, new food vendors, and even the occasional entertainment attraction like midway rides.”
Photo credit, with thanks: Naomi Liu, via Flickr.