A local flea market has faced major economic challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 20-year-old company, Bart’s Flea Market located South of Laramie has been slowly recovering but has also has some conflict with visitors from out-of-state.
“It cost us to shut down for the month of April,” manager of Bart’s Flea Market, Albert Tremblay said in an email. “It forced all of our employees to seek unemployment. Thus, not only Bart’s but all of its 95 vendors were not selling any items during the month.”
Tremblay says that the community has been very supportive of the business. Business is even up 30 percent from last year since they reopened May 1. He emphasized that the amount of people willing to wear masks is the biggest sign of support.
The only negativity they’ve seen comes from people who are not from Laramie. During the summer, the business experiences an influx of out-of-state visitors coming in to shop while traveling.
“As for tourist and especially out-of-state people there is a dissension as to the need for masks,” Tremblay says.
The business only has a couple major rules they are required to follow. They implemented social distancing rules and a requirement for employees to wear masks.
“We do ask that all of our patrons wear masks but there is no enforcement that we could use to make them,” Tremblay said.
If you have ever wondered what the difference between a thrift store and flea market is, Tremblay says it has to do with ownership of materials and how they are sold.
Thrift stores are owned by a single company, providing all the items to sell and control pricing. Flea markets on the other hand rent spaces to private dealers who set their own prices. The flea market controls “the administration of sales, sales tax collection and payment.”
