The Beach Flea Market was a vibrant event filled with both vendors and shoppers that showcased creativity and entrepreneurship at Trade Tech and Community Learning Campus (formerly known as PCC) on Sept. 8.
This month’s flea theme was based on “Betty Boop” and consisted of multiple small business owners along with a contest that gave customers a chance to win a $100 voucher.
The Beach Flea offers a variety of vendors who sell vintage clothing, jewelry, furniture and happens once a month all year-round.
“I noticed how small businesses struggled to survive during the pandemic, and in return I created this theme-based market to give back to those vendors,” Roxanne Gonzalez, an organizer of the Beach Flea, said.
Vendors are not limited to selling items that correlate with the theme and have the freedom to expand their products.
One of those vendors was Jasmine Ward, owner of a tea shop named “Two Sisters” in Thai who returned to the market with a new drink, Ube milk tea.
After months of perfecting her recipe, Ward was eager to introduce her new drink to willing customers.
Business owner of “Song Bai Tao,” Jasmine Ward, serves ice cold milk tea to customers during the heatwave. (Alex Toledo)
Ward shared how she was inspired to start her first business at the Beach Flea after she attended it the first year it began.
“When I was a customer, I knew I had to be here in the next two plus years. So I was working on my business, and this was one of the places that I really wanted to apply for,” Ward said.
Gonzalez mentioned how this year has had the least amount of vendors and customers due to the heatwave, however it did benefit certain businesses.
Vendors like Ward used the heat to her advantage as she watched customers get in a long line for an ice-cold milk tea in a variety of flavors.
Vendors Armani and Jordan Johnson run their business together and share how the Beach Flea Market has helped their handmade beads grow in popularity.
Johnson’s products range from ankle bracelets to waist beads, and each piece serves a different purpose.
“The waist beads are actually for managing weight gain and weight loss, I’ll tie the waist bead lower if necessary, and it kind of acts like a motivator,” Johnson said.
Events like the Beach Flea invite people to shop for affordable clothes, which in turn helps small businesses like Johnson’s.
The Beach Flea Market is taking applications for vendors for “Puppy Day” on Sept. 22.