At the Sears Centre Market’s June 13 grand opening, a sub-optimal atmosphere dampened the parking lot but not the spirits of the crowds that came anyway. “It was a rainy morning, and I had a 5K marathon that shut down one of my streets,” says market organizer Jay Martinez, “but we turned out close to 80 vendors and about 2,000 people at the gate.”
Music helped keep shoppers happy. “We had a radio station and an acoustic guitar player with a singer,” adds Martinez, a flea market seller with 25 years of experience. The musicians will be back for future weekends.
Martinez, a partner in PLP Productions, is working with the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill., on the project. And he hopes to give the flea market, one of the largest outdoor markets in Chicagoland, a certain measure of panache. The market features a “patio garden” and groups vendors into themed areas. There is a direct-sellers section, a farmers market, an arts and crafts section, and an antiques and collectibles section.
“We’re trying to provide a great environment that’s different and a little more upscale than a typical market,” says Martinez, who also owns and operates a flea market in Wisconsin.
Admission is $2 for adults, 50 cents for kids and seniors, with free parking. Vendors pay $25 per space. The market is being held every Sunday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. through October; Martinez expects to resume again in 2011.