Saturdays in Pine Plains are about to get a little livelier, with a twice-monthly flea market getting underway Aug. 12.
The market, to be held at the North Main Street lot across from the Pine Plains Pharmacy, will bring together local artisans, farmers, and people simply looking to sell used goods.
Lisa Zayas, who together with her husband Nelson runs the Willow Roots community support group, spearheaded the idea after hearing acquaintances wistfully suggest that the community really needed a fun place to gather.
“I grew up going to flea markets, and I always loved the fact that it was a safe place where people could get together and bring their kids and get an ice cream or a pretzel,” said Zayas, who was raised in Brooklyn and moved to Pine Plains in 2012.
“We all need a place where people can meet their neighbors and just talk and have a nice time together,” she added. “That’s something that we’re missing, because of technology and other things. Pine Plains doesn’t have a bowling alley or a movie theater. A flea market is a great opportunity to just get together.”
Credit: Courtesy of Willow Roots
Realizing the Main Street lot – which is currently earmarked as the future site of a new Town Hall building – was standing empty, the Zayases worked with their networking manager and “flea market guru” Lisa Agnelli to persuade town and county officials to grant them temporary use of the space.
Both Pine Plains Supervisor Brian Walsh and Dutchess County legislator Gregg Pulver lent their support to the idea, Zayas said. The flea market is currently slated to run twice a month on Saturdays through the end of October. (One exception will be September 10, when the market will be held on a Sunday to make room for Community Day celebrations the day before.)
The Main Street space is large enough to eventually accommodate up to 48 vendors, who are each allotted a 10×10-foot space and must provide their own tables and canopies.
Some 15-20 vendors are currently expected to participate in the inaugural market, with antique tools, wood crafts, quilts and pocketbooks, stuffed animals, tie-dyed clothing and charm bracelets all up for sale.
One family will be selling off some of their possessions, yard-sale style, ahead of a move out of state. And two 4-year-old twins with an early entrepreneurial streak will be offering eggs from their chickens.
While most of the vendors are from Pine Plains, Zayas said at least one is traveling from as far away as Virginia. Food trucks selling baked goods and other snacks will also be on hand.
Shoppers are encouraged to bring cash, although some vendors may accept card or cash-app transactions, Zayas said.
Bathroom facilities will be provided by Superior Sanitation, and Saturday-morning parking is expected to be ample along both Main and Church streets, as well as the lot behind The Stissing Center.
Vendors each pay $10 a spot if they sign up in advance, or $15 on the day, with proceeds covering expenses and the remainder divided between Willow Roots and the town. Each vendor signs a contract accepting responsibility for setting up their tables and clearing away trash at the end of the day.
If successful, Zayas hopes the market will become a permanent town fixture, with an all-year indoor location and opportunities for seasonal appearances from Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny.
Zayas says she hopes the flea market will inspire the same sense of community as Willow Roots, which currently has upwards of 50 volunteers supporting a food pantry, clothing giveaways, and other charity work.
“When Nelson and I first started, we were doing everything by ourselves. Then two friends said they wanted to help us,” Zayas said. “That taught us a lesson – there are a lot of people out there who want to help, and they can do it better than you can by yourself.”
The Willow Roots Flea Market will be held every other Saturday beginning Aug. 12 and running through Oct. 28. (On Sept. 10, the market will be held on Sunday, not Saturday.) 8 North Main St. from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Interested vendors can contact WillowRootsVendors@gmail.com.