- May 7, 2024
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J.J.’s Flea Market will host a party 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, to Saturday, Nov. 19. Each table will give away a gift.
Walk through J.J.’s Flea Market and you will find an eclectic set of merchandise: feather boas, a crocheted bra, a couch, a programmable remote control for model airplanes, a freshly baked pie.
That eclecticism is matched only by the vendors themselves: a Russia-by-way-of-New-York jeweler, a former San Francisco runway model, a roofer-turned-candy-bouquet-salesman.
“People from all different walks of life can be flea market vendors,” said Owner J.J. Blankenburg, of Atlantic Realty. “They’re like one big happy family. They love each other. A flea market can really pull people together.”
Residents can see for themselves at the two-year anniversary of the opening of the flea market 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, to Sunday, Nov. 19, on the first floor of City Marketplace, across the parking lot from Palm Coast City Offices.
Blankenburg said many residents come to shop and are surprised to find the flea market. Others have been concerned about the foreclosure of City Marketplace, but she assures them the shops themselves are open for business, as usual.
To show customer appreciation, the flea market’s anniversary party will include free hot dogs and drawings for free gifts, including a 20-pound turkey and a men’s watch. Each table will give something away.
Sammy Cortes is one of the few vendors who sells second-hand items (most of the vendors sell new goods). He said he spends time on Craigslist and at estate sales to find things to re-sell at the flea market. But when he finds crutches or walkers, he saves them for people who really need them and gives them away.
“Word has spread that when they need hospital stuff — electric bed, walker, canes, crutches — they can come here,” Cortes said. “I don’t know how the word gets out, but it does. It feels good to help people.”
Still, it’s tough to make a living at the flea market, he said. Even though it’s just $12 per day per table (he rents three table spaces), it’s a good day when he can sell $100 of merchandise. That means that on a good Thursday-through-Saturday stretch (the market is closed Sunday through Wednesday), he’ll pay $108 in rent and hope to gross $300.
Cortes sells trench art (knick knacks made from shell casings in World War II). He has pantyhose and razors (still in the original packaging), photos of Chubby Checker and Dick Clark, a tape deck, evening gowns, a gun holster, a whole collection of Precious Moments figurines, a car charger for every type of cell phone imaginable, 10 sets of computer-keyboard replacement keys. And an eye patch.
When a customer calls him and asks if he has something, the answer is usually yes.
Scott Schagen (the roofer-turned-candy-man) was at the flea market Nov. 10, to showcase Sweet Treats of Palm Coast, a new business he started with his wife, Suzann.
Pointing to the bouquets of candy, Schagen said, “I’ve got something here for every occasion.”
Cynthia Black (the former runway model) sells fancy sunglasses, dancing outfits, posters of Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe.
“I made my money with fashion and beauty,” Black said. “So, I sell gaudy, eclectic things. You never know when people are looking for these specialty items year-round.”
But it doesn’t stop there for Black. She’s a saleswoman at heart — constantly talking, constantly smiling, making friends with passersby. With the flea market only open three days per week, she also sells Noni juice and homemade pies to supplement her income.
“We do 24-hour service for pies,” she said. “Tell (readers) to get them for the holidays. They can pick them up on Wednesday.” That’s 10 a.m. to noon, the day before Thanksgiving, she said. “Call 386-446-0306, and ask for Lou.”
Black is one of the original two vendors, along with Max Shekhter (the Russian jeweler).
Shekhter walks back and forth behind a floor-to-ceiling glass case filled with his handmade, silver jewelry. He opens and closes a safe the size of a refrigerator.
“I do special orders for making jewelry and repairs,” he said. “Earrings, rings, a matching set.”
And, like others in the flea market, he diversifies. He paints. Above his illuminated “For Sale” sign is a painting of bears in a nature scene and a row of paintings of elegant flowers.
“It’s not too much business,” he admitted. “But I have many new friends.”
