When Amos Kodjo and his wife both lost their jobs, they knew they had to do something dramatic. “We couldn’t just stay home,” says Kodjo. “After unemployment runs out and you can’t find a job, what are you going to do? You have to do something. So we had this idea to open a business, with the help of God.” A month ago Kodjo opened the All Nations Thrift Store in an old drug store at 7328 Maple St., in Omaha, Neb. And now he is offering the store as a place for flea market vendors to set up tables and sell goods on Saturdays and Sundays. The All Nations Flea Market will be open weekends from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
So far the swap meet has not attracted many vendors, but Kodjo is advertising on Craigslist and is optimistic. “We just opened a month ago, and a lot of people don’t know about it yet,” he explains. “It isn’t busy the way we want it to be, but we are patient, and we hope it will be there soon. When the weather gets warmer, we think it will be better. Our products are very cheap, and people like that.” Kodjo says that a Web site for the flea market is under construction.
The store is open Monday through Friday as a thrift store, and on the weekends as the flea market. His current assortment of discount merchandise features a mix of about 20 percent grocery and 80 percent clothing, both used and new. The 13,000-square-foot space is filled with this merchandise, but as vendors come in, the space for Kodjo’s own products will shrink. “The more vendors we get, the fewer thrift items we’ll put out,” he says. Vendors have the option of packing up at the end of the weekend or keeping their goods on-site for the week. “We charge $10 for a spot to start with, for a 10×10 space,” says Kodjo. A musician, Kodjo says he may perform live at the market in the future. For more information, call the All Nations Flea Market at (402) 933-6433.
Photo credits, with thanks: All Nations Flea Market.