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Six years ago we wrote about the Berkeley flea market in the Planet and its history and unique place in the community are worth telling again. Unlike a corporation operating for profit, the Berkeley flea market is run by Community Services United (CSU), a consortium of non profit Berkeley organizations which receive quarterly payments out of the income generated by the flea market. These organizations each send a representative to the Board of Directors which meet monthly to oversee and set policy for the market. The funds given to these organizations make it possible for them to carry out their programs in the community. 

Happening every Saturday and Sunday at the Ashby BART station parking lot, it has it all -- exotic clothing, jewelry, local and imported arts and crafts, books, cd’s, electronic equipment, foods, plants, home crafted soaps and scents and much much more. There are vendors selling household goods and a section for the traditional kind of flea market goods, the pots and pans and things no longer in use. You can go there to look for a gift for a lover, a friends, a child or a parent – find it all and have so much fun at the same time. 

You can take a break and sit at one of the outdoor tables and have a snack – or a meal. Enjoy African, Mexican, Caribbean food or a plain old hot dog, a cup of coffee or a smoothie. And if you’re stressed out there is usually a booth offering massage. More than a place to shop, the Berkeley Flea market is a “scene”, a place to hang out, stroll up and down the aisles and check in with friends. A long time resident in the neighborhood says, “I think it’s part of the community, people look forward to it, I think a lot of older people walk through the market, I don’t say they always spend money but it gives them something to do on the weekend.” 

It all started back in 1975 when some thirty community service organizations got together and formed CSU to pool some of their resources and provide support each other. At the time they were operating with government war on poverty money. Then, in 1978, with the passage of Proposition 13 and then governor Reagan’s drastic cuts in money for social programs, CSU member organizations found themselves desperate for funds to carry on their work. The usual sorts of fund raising activities, benefit concerts and such, often ended up costing more than they brought in. The flea market was a brilliant idea in many ways. A few of the early activists who are still around recall the vision and its fulfillment in those early days. 

Making it work was “challenging”, according to Alameda County supervisor Keith Carson, an early member who acted as manager for the first few years. The mechanics of the operation were complex, Carson described what it was like: “We didn’t have any road map. We had to deal with the BART administration, to deal with the surrounding neighbors and the impact in the community ... (with) police and their concern around crime. (We) had to figure out how to keep the facility clean ...” And they had to attract vendors. People’s memories differ but all agree that it took some time before the market was able to turn a profit. 

Marty Lynch, now Executive Director of LifeLong Medical Care, was a representative to CSU in the early days. When we spoke several years ago he commented that, “Very early on we realized that part of the benefit was really to support the underground economy of south Berkeley. A community that then was even poorer than it is now. A lot of people were living on the edge and this provided another venue to make a few bucks.” That's true now more than ever. 

There were some bumpy periods. At one point in the eighties BART tried to kick them out. Apparently it was not so much a matter of objecting to the flea market but BART officials were afraid that it established a precedent whereby other groups might want to take over BART facilities for possibly less desirable purposes. There was a long drawn out legal battle which finally granted the flea market the legal right to an ongoing lease. 

In 2005 there was another threat in when the specter of redevelopment reared its head. Some City Hall pols approached the flea market board and neighborhood groups with the idea of building condos on the site of the BART parking lot. They had a developer who was interested and had even looked into the feasibility of moving the flea market up on Adeline Street. This clearly was a terrible idea and was met with howls of protest. For months there was much maneuvering by politicians, various agencies and the South Berkeley Neighborhood Development Corps. Neighborhood groups held meetings mostly expressing opposition to the proposal and the flea market vendors were very worried. Eventually the whole idea seemed to fade away. 

The vendors are a very diverse group. An increasing number of them, maybe half, are immigrants or refugees from other countries. Selling their wares at the flea market provides them a much needed source of income. Other vendors have a long history in the neighborhood. In better times all the 250 stalls were fully rented to the vendors. In the present depressed economy the market is usually only about 75% full. The types of goods that are offered also reflect the economy. Market manager Errol Davis has worked for the market more than 16 years. He says that these days there are fewer up scale antiques and collectibles and more “useful stuff for ordinary people”. Stall fees at $30 a day – and $20 on 1st and 3rd Sundays – are a bargain compared to other flea markets. 

The market runs every Saturday and Sunday when it doesn't rain. The income from the stall fees pays all the expenses – the BART lease, toilet rental, dumping fees, insurance, security, staff salaries and all the miscellaneous expenses in addition to the regular contributions to the member organizations. It is easy to get to by BART and it is one of the few markets that does not charge admission.