Townsman, 1991-07, Page 25A feast for the eyes
Outdoor flea markets offer something for
everybody, even if they don't intend to buy
By Sandra Orr
BY SANDRA ORR
Outdoor markets have been popular
since biblical times and in this area in
the summer, flea markets are fre-
quented by tourists and local people
looking for collectibles. Visiting a
market such as the Pinery Antique
Flea Market south of Grand Bend is a
feast for the eyes.
The market has been in operation
for about 25 years. The present own-
ers, Ray and Trudy Swain, have run
the Sunday, one day a week business,
for about five years.
"Previously, we were cash crop
farmers. I rented a store on Main
Street in Grand Bend and Ray would
come to the markets with his goods in
his van, selling jewellery and leather.
Ray loved it up here, so that when the
opportunity came up, he bought the
business," said Trudy. At the Pinery
market, Ray Swain has vendors from
Waterloo, Windsor, and Chatham.
There are many steady vendors who
have been coming for years. For some
it is a hobby and for others it is all
they do for a living, apparently doing
quite well. A few vendors come once
and you never see them again, she
says.
The Pinery Flea Market may attract
as many as 200 vendors coming early
Sunday morning. Trudy and Ray pre-
fer a relaxed way of doing business,
collecting rent once a month, instead
of every Sunday.
According to Trudy, who manages
the indoor market which houses the
antiques, the family business runs
very smoothly. She has the help of her
four daughters and brother-in-law.
Even thought they don't always want
to do it every Sunday, they find it fun.
Her biggest problem is cleaning up
on Monday after Sunday's crowd.
You're apt to find anything at flea
markets like this one in Grand Bend.
"You wouldn't believe the garbage
and cigarettes, but we enjoy the busi-
ness. Ray loves being called a gypsy."
The plus side to the business is the
pleasant people, the dedicated vendors
and the interested public. Right now,
though, both the number of vendors
and the public attendance seems to be
down. Everybody's going across the
border, say the vendors.
Most of the antiques and col-
lectibles are housed in the indoor mar-
ket. There is everything from
glassware to silver to books and musi-
cal instruments.
Ruth and Bill of Garth's Antiques
carry discontinued silverware. "It is
only a hobby for us," says Ruth. "We
had an office cleaning business for 24
Photo by Sandra Orr
years in York and Richmond Hill. We
now live in Hcnsall." Ruth says her
customers are looking for patterns of
the 30s, 40s and 50s, patterns that you
can't find in stores. She adds that
prices for silver pieces have gone sky
high. This is their second year at the
market. In addition to estate silver,
they have comic books, scalers, and
old china.
Marlene Brown, from Stratford,
who was looking after her brother's
booth of depression glass, says the
dressy coloured glass has always been
popular. People collect what they
don't have, she added. Her brother,
Mike Sywyk and his wife, both teach-
ers from Brantford, have been in the
business for eight years.
"We collected glass because my
grandmother had it," says Marlene.
TOWNSMAN/JULY-AUGUST 1991 23