Flea markets in boom as residents declutter

By David O’Leary
Published on 29/01/2013 12:18

FLEA markets are enjoying a huge jump in popularity fuelled by thrifty sellers looking to declutter their lives.

Booming attendance figures and unprecedented demand has seen bring-and-buy sales hugely oversubscribed in recent weeks. Their soaring popularity is being fuelled by a new generation of declutterers who want to streamline their lives while recycling for cash.

The “new thrift”, as it has been dubbed, has been especially marked at Dalmeny Street’s Out of the Blue flea market. Organisers of this long-running event saw a mini-stampede from people keen to bag pitches for its latest event.

More than 50 pitches were snapped up in minutes for a sale which took place on Saturday – to the amazement of organiser Stephanie Haig – who says the capital has been bitten by the bargain bug.

“There was a queue out the door and we also took a number of calls,” she said. “More people are shunning the high street in search of a bargain. We have definitely witnessed an increase in the number of visitors and sellers and expect a crowd of 700 or more to turn up on market days now.

“The market is a middle ground between a car boot sale and antiques fair, with a variety of great stuff on offer.”

Market stallholder, Beth Wales, 31, from Leith, revealed she can raise an £100 a month by flogging her old clothes.

She said: “I’ve way too many dresses and pairs of shoes so this is a great way to declutter and make some money at the same time. People are short of cash, so to buy at a flea market is a better option for many.”

Other markets have seen similar spikes in popularity.

People have recently been queuing from midnight before a sale for spots at the Greenside Car Boot Sale, which takes place at the NCP Omni car park.

St Mary’s Market – which takes place at the top of Broughton Street outside St Mary’s Metropolitan Cathedral every Saturday from 11am has proven popular, with organiser Edinburgh Markets hoping to run a new market “on Dalkeith Road near Pollock Halls and the Commonwealth Pool”.

One council source said the upsurge in popularity could be partially explained by the popularity of television shows like Bargain Hunt, Cash in the Attic and the Antiques Road Show.

Used goods website MusicMagpie claims over 20,000 Edinburgh sellers used its site to declutter on one day alone earlier this month.

Making money on blue monday

CAPITAL residents were the fourth busiest in the UK on the online site Music.Magpie.co.uk on Blue Monday.

To stave off the bleak outlook on the most depressing day of the year – Monday, January 21 – residents took to the internet to sell anything from jeans, dresses and CDs to electrical equipment including iPads.

More than 5300 dresses, 31,049 DVDs and 2267 games consoles were sold to the website by residents as people strived to make some extra cash.