ShopSmart, a new indoor flea market that opened July 12 in Sacramento, Calif., has completed phase one of its development plan and is set to embark on phase two. Phase one included the transformation of a vacant former Sam’s Club into “ a cross between a mini-mall and an indoor marketplace,” as managing partner Matt Mertens describes it. A kids zone with jumpers and electric bumper cars, opening this week, completes the phase one development. Phase two will include the addition of space for another 50-odd booths, depending on booth size, culminating in a formal grand opening celebration.
Mertens is enthusiastic about the scope of the project: “The facility is 108,000 square feet and is the largest indoor marketplace in the Sacramento area.”
“To date, we have nearly 150 vendors and counting,” he says. “This occupies approximately 92 percent of our first phase of the marketplace, with phase two opening in the next four to six weeks.”
Merten and co-owner John Worden are both “longtime advertising and marketing professionals,” says Merten, who seek to use that expertise to bring in a wide array of consumers. “We provide a place where entrepreneurs can start or expand their business in a low risk low overhead environment,” he says. “As a result, consumers capitalize on the great values our store owners offer.”
That wide range of retail establishments includes a produce market, a 6,000-square-foot furniture store, a car audio and accessory center with three installation garage bays, a food court, massage therapy, barbers, and, says Merten, “the traditional retail sales and services found in an outdoor flea market. Only new goods are permitted, not garage sale items.”
According to Dale Kasler of the Sacramento Bee, the new flea market is a sign of hope in an otherwise dismal economy.
ShopSmart is open every day but Tuesday, 11 am to 8 pm, 7 pm on Sundays. Booth leases start at $550 for a 10×12-ft booth per month, which works out to $23 per day. For more information, call (916) 599-7181 or e-mail info@shopsmartcalifornia.com.