Flea market turns unwanted articles from trash to treasures

Founded six years ago, the open-air sale draws people from all walks of life

DUBAI // The saying goes that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, but what changes hands at Dubai Flea Market is not exactly rubbish.

With scores of people having left the city and as others arrive, the open-air market currently held at Safa Park has become a popular destination for sellers and bargain-hunters alike. It is the place to offload unwanted items or pick up something you need at a reduced price.

Such was the case for the approximately 10,000 bargain-hunters who arrived on a recent Saturday at 8am, pitching tents, pulling out barbecues and making a day of the event while looking for, and at, anything and everything. For the 220 vendors it was an even earlier start, descending on the park at 7am to pay Dh230 each for the right to put up a table to display their wares.

"We know a lot of expats that have left or are about to leave," said Freddy Becker, a Venezuelan who stood before a display of electronics and video games. "We sell their things for them and either send them the money or donate it and unwanted items to charity. It's a great place to gather and make friends and find a few bargains.
"I have Sony PlayStation games that someone probably paid in excess of Dh150 to buy new but I have them on sale for Dh30."

The vendors’ offerings found a most receptive audience. Tonya Tozzi, who recently arrived in Dubai with her two children, was out looking for decorative items for her new home.

“I just moved here from New York and came looking for anything to decorate my house with,” she said. “I didn’t find anything that was suitable but my boys picked up a toy sword and a plastic truck. I bought a pair of shoes and a sweater because I got cold.” She was well pleased with her haul, the total cost of which was Dh17.

Aleena Khan, 17, was on the sell side of the market, using her second visit to help her parents downsize. She sat at her table calling out “Anything here for Dh2, just Dh2” to those passing by.

“I am off to college and my family is moving from a six-bedroom house to a three-bedroom apartment,” she said. “We had too much stuff.” Her table included a selection of DVDs, clothes, books and even a suitcase.

The shoppers came in all manner of appearances. Maggie Thorne, a Welsh woman dressed in a smart suit, looked like she belonged in a courtroom rather than at a flea market. While she prefers donating her used items to charity to selling them to someone who will resell them for a profit, she is not an easy mark when it comes to price for the articles on her sale table.

“Some people will come and buy from others then sell them at their own tables for more,” she said. “If I don’t get the price I feel my items are worth, I won’t sell them. I would rather give them away to a church, where I know someone who needs them somewhere in the world will really appreciate them.”

The flea market was the idea of Melanie Beese, who arrived from Germany almost six years ago to find that such places were non-existent in Dubai, which came as a surprise.

“In Germany flea markets are very popular, but here there were none,” she said. “After getting tired of going to the same shops all the time and seeing the same items, I decided to start the Dubai Flea Market. I held the first one in April 2008. It has been a success ever since."

She said there was a method to finding the cream of the day’s crop.

“The secret to finding the best deals is to come early, as soon as the market opens at 8am, because by 11am all the best items are gone,” she said.

Schedules and locations for the flea market can be found at www.dubai-fleamarket.com. A flea market takes place for the first time on March 12 at The Galleries, Downtown Jebel Ali.

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