The item David Jewell was happiest to sell at Evanston’s first-ever spring flea market wasn’t one of his grandmother-in-law’s century-old lace tablecloths. It wasn’t the silver teapot or his wife’s watercolor of sailboats berthing on the shore of Lake Michigan.
“It was a Life magazine from 1951 with Harry Truman on the cover,” the 67-year-old said.”Sold for two dollars.”
Jewell and more than 60 other vendors paid $35 to set up display tables at the flea market Saturday. The event, which the Evanston Recreation Division sponsored and the Robert Crown Community Center, 1701 Main St., hosted, attracted sellers ranging from artisans peddling handmade crafts to spring cleaners capitalizing on family heirlooms and quirky trinkets.
“It’s just a very pleasant day, ” said veteran vendor Joyce Brockwell from behind a table piled with barely used books and boxes labeled “50 cents” or “5 for a dollar.” “You get to see people and hear stories. Plus, it helps you clean out the basement.”
Alice Allen, office coordinator at Robert Crown, said the event was very successful and will more than likely return again next year. The center has hosted a fall flea market for more than 30 years, but its new spring counterpart attracted different vendors, she said.
The market aimed to build community, Allen said.
“It’s not a making-money type of thing,” she said.
Similarly, many vendors, like Patricia Levine, 62, said they came to the market not to turn a profit, but to have a good time on a springtime Saturday.
“I like looking at other vendors’ products,” Levine said. “It’s eclectic.”
Beside the normal flea market fare of previously owned odds and ends, Levine’s booth baited customers with the fluffy pinks and purples of hand-crocheted shawls displayed on the wall behind her. The Chicago resident has crocheted for more than 50 years. It’s a skill her mother taught all eight of her children to get them to “sit still and be quiet,” she said with a laugh.
Some customers said the market’s variety, from Levine’s hand-crafted shawls to Brockwell’s used books, impressed them.
“So far it’s interesting-the different things from different eras,” said Suzanne Smith, who stopped by the market after picking up her children from karate and skating lessons. “I like a good bargain.”
Vendors said they view chatting with customers like Smith as part of the job.
One customer recognized Jewell’s voice-a baritone that feels too big for his lean frame-from Old Orchard Mall, where Jewell normally works.
“The conversations that we have while doing this are just fun,” Jewell said. “It is a sales opportunity, but it’s more of a social activity.”
Evanston resident Jerry Greenblatt’s table sported everything from a sap bucket to a dollhouse the size of a mini-fridge. The economic recession has given him time to pursue selling antiques, something he loves and has done for 40 years, the 63-year-old said.
A captain’s trunk from a French ship was his favorite sell of the day, he said, adding that flea markets are a lot of fun for him as well as the customers.
“It gives a chance for people to spend a few dollars, get something nice and help the community,” he said.[email protected]
