by Chaiel Schaffel
On days with fair weather, an odd phenomenon occurs in the pastures and vacant parking lots of the island. The sharp jangle of handmade jewelry and storied antiques creates a kind of music that blends with the soft strumming of the guitar and the voices of shop-owners in the summer heat. This scene is not only a transcribed memory, nor is it a one-time happening that was dutifully recorded.
Across the Vineyard, in open, outdoor markets island-wide , the episode above repeats itself, week after week throughout the summer. Many visitors are drawn to these unique festivals, such as the West Tisbury Farmer’s Market, and the Chilmark Flea market. The craze has grown steadily throughout the past few decades. The existence of these windows into island life begs a question; why open markets? What could possibly be the draw of milling about in the summer heat among piles of unused candlesticks and shot glasses? The answer depends on who you talk to, but all agree on one thing; it is worth it.
For many customers and vendors, the sale is less important than the chatter that permeates the ocean of white pop-up tents. Mingling between the seller and the buyer is a staple at the the outdoor markets on the Vineyard, and a unique one at that. The island visitor would be hard pressed to find out the life story of the person who makes their jewelry or grows their carrots anywhere else. Lucy Cox, of MadKel Designs, said that, “One of my favorite things to do at the flea is meeting people from different places.”
In a world increasingly broken into separate parts and the advent of mass production, some people have only a vague idea of where their possessions come from. Here, the existence of the outdoor market allows visitors to experience more connection to the Vineyard and her people, and understand how their goods are produced. A sticker bearing the word “China,” or the label on a bag of lettuce from ‘Sunny California’ is a weak connector when compared to a smiling Vineyard face. The recent surge in outdoor market popularity demonstrates that the people, locals and visitors alike, desire more of this connection in their lives.
However, connection isn’t the only thing that matters to a visitor who is strapped for cash. Luckily, the price of operating a booth at a flea market is considerably less than renting or buying a storefront. This is better for everyone, as lower operating costs for the vendor means lower prices for the customer at the flea market. If these same vendors opened up shops and boutiques on the Vineyard, their prices would skyrocket.
Great prices on an entire warehouse of the same item still would not hold a tourist’s attention. A realization may hit the island visitors as they make their through the glittering sea of handmade jewelry and ancient glassware: the variety at the flea markets is breathtaking. An amazing spectrum of items, from dresses, to lampshades, to oil paintings, is packed into the relatively tiny space. Customers from all over thrive on the pulsing vitality of the market, so full of variation. The vendors, too, enjoy the openness to variety, using the market to “test” the public reception of certain pieces on a small scale, so they know what to change about their goods.
In the end, all a visitor wants is a spectacle, and something to do. And perhaps, this is the answer to our original question; whether through low prices, a wide variety, a unique ambiance, or the promise of connection, the reason outdoor markets have become so big is that they provide nearly everyone with the oldest need of all; something to do.
The West Tisbury Farmers Market at Grange Hall, West Tisbury is open between 9:00 and 12:00 noon, Wednesday and Saturday.
The Chilmark Flea in Chilmark is open between 9:00 in the morning and 2:00 in the afternoon, Wednesday and Saturday.
The Featherstone Flea Market is open between 9:00 in the morning and 2:00 in the afternoon on Tuesdays.
The Oak Bluffs Open Market is open between 9:00 in the morning and 1:00 in the afternoon on Sundays.
For more information on farmers’ and outdoor markets, go to www.ticketsmv.com.
