Stop by a flea market on any given weekend, and you are likely to find a colorful snapshot of the local community’s personality and culture. Vendors offer a wide variety of goods ranging from handmade crafts and food to secondhand items and gently used treasures. For people who love finding a good deal, enjoy vintage items, or have a passion for rummaging through stuff, seeking the unique, flea markets can be a great place to shop for one-of-a-kind finds, all while supporting local sellers.
Flea markets originated with 19th century French open-air markets, where vendors would gather in a central location in a city to sell or trade food, animals, and hand-crafted items. The term “flea market” comes from the French phrase, “Marche’ aux puces,” literally translated to “market of fleas,” which initially described a Parisian market where vendors sold second-hand goods. These markets were held outdoors and were dubbed open air markets, and they often involved merchants selling second-hand (often stolen) items from the upper class, which may or may not have included any fleas picked up along the way.
The first recorded flea market was the Marche’ aux Puces de Saint-Ouen, established in 1885 in Paris. Today, the same iconic Parisian market is the world’s largest and most famous antique market, with more than 2,000 stalls and everything from modern designer goods to antiques.
In the United States, flea markets made their official debut in the late 19th century. As the Industrial Revolution spread around the world, cities boomed and manufacturing was at an all-time high, paving the way for more markets. In the United States, it is thought that the first flea market was established in Texas in the late 1800s, but New England claims to have “America’s oldest flea market” in Brimfield, Mass. When the Great Depression hit the United States in the late 1920s, the demand for second-hand goods skyrocketed and flea market popularity soared.
A market, minus the fleas, in Franklin
In Franklin, the local flea market has changed hands a few times, and each new owner brings their own personality. Located at 867 Highlands Road, the Franklin Flea Market has experienced different ownership in the last 40 years. During the 1980s, David and Judith Houston owned the flea market. It was purchased in 1989 by Donald and Jeana Capaforte.
In 2020, Jeff Hand (pictured above) purchased the market, vowing to give it new life.
“I’ve been a builder my whole life, so when I looked at the market, I knew it was worth saving. I also knew it was going to take a lot of work. If you saw it, you know what I mean. You couldn’t even walk a straight line through all of the stuff piled up everywhere. I knew we had to empty out everything first, which took a while.”
After cleaning up and taking many signs down along the road so drivers could see the market, Hand began the process of making sure everything was ready for vendors. “The first step was getting insurance on the place. Also, the bathrooms were closed, so we had to fix the bathrooms up to get them open for the public. We also put up security cameras to make sure everything was safe and secure. There were tons of safety hazards, so that was a big job getting everything fixed and safe.”
Even though Hand is not originally from Franklin, his wife grew up here, and he fell in love with the town and the people. Looking around the flea market, he just knew there was something special about it. He changed the name from Franklin Flea and Craft Market back to Franklin Flea Market. But for Hand, who has never been in the flea market business in his life, the project was about much more than just a flea market.
“My main desire was to restore the history of this place for the people of the town to be able to enjoy it again. I don’t have any agenda; I just wanted to give the gift back to the community. We’ve had all kinds of people come by, and most of them have positive things to say. Not all of them, of course, but you’ll always have critics.”
In the midst of a ministry
As for the question of why on earth anyone would purchase a dying flea market and give it new life? Hand said, “When I turned 50, I really wanted to focus on serving God and going wherever he called me to be. I don’t have a typical bucket list. I try to just trust that God is leading me where I should be at the time. When I first saw this place, I just knew. I definitely questioned, and asked God if he was sure I should do this. He kept saying ‘yes,’ and so I did.”
In fact, Hand views the flea market as a personal mission field. “You get to interact with so many people on a daily basis. People will show up here and say they have no clue why they pulled off here, and I get to say, ‘well what’s on your mind?’ And that opens up a good conversation where I can listen to what they’re dealing with and hopefully get the chance to tell them about what Jesus has done for me – especially older folks, who maybe don’t have any family or anything going on; they can come to the flea market and interact with others or sell stuff and it gives them a sense of community.”
Hand says the flea market now has a solid mix of consistent vendors and shops.
“We have people from all backgrounds, which I love. There’s something here for everyone.”
Anyone can rent a table for the day at the flea market for $10. They have options to rent storage units, tables, and indoor stores, for various prices.
“The location is perfect,” Hand said. “There’s a little creek behind us, there’s tons of storage space, really nice bathrooms, and a huge parking lot with a mountain view. It’s so peaceful.” Several vendors now have indoor shops, including a golf store, a car sales shop, a surveyor, second-hand stores, bargain stores, and even a European-style bakery.
Market Square Patisserie, serving pastries, coffee, tea, and more, has been a huge draw to the flea market. Owner Ingrid George now has four of the store units that she has converted into a coffee/tea room and her bakeshop. She also has an outdoor seating area and hosts live music.
Currently the flea market stays around 40-50% capacity for vendors.
Hand has more plans for the future of the flea market. “We’re definitely not done with the renovations. The next step is to get everything ready logistically to have an actual restaurant here. We’ve got the kitchen and everything for it; we’re just finishing some logistics and finding the right restaurant. I also want to take out some of the storage units and replace them with big glass windows. I actually went to where the old hospital was torn down and got permission to take some of the glass from there. So, I want to reuse the glass here, to keep part of the town’s history alive.”
For Jeff Hand, it is not just about selling things. It is about building something that lasts for the community. At the heart of each vendor and buyer, there is a story to be heard, and Hand is willing to listen and help in any way he can.
Contact Jeff Hand at [email protected] or (828)200-9213.