Flea Market Organizer

Startup Costs: $10,000 – $50,000
Home Based: Can be operated from home.
Part Time: Can be operated part-time.
Online Operation? No

Business Overview

Flea markets are a multibillion-dollarbusiness in the United States, and here is your opportunity to cash inon the boom by becoming a weekend flea market organizer and manager.

Get started by renting commercial space in a highly visible area withlots of passing traffic, one that is large enough to be subdivided intosmaller vendor booths’10-by-10, 10-by-20, and 20-by-20.

If climatepermits or during summer months, and if space allows, extra revenuescan be earned by renting outside vendor stalls as well. Rents varydepending on factors such as booth size, location, equipment (tablesincluded, etc.), and hours of operation, but generally are in the rangeof $3 to $10 per square foot per day.

When booking vendors, try for awide variety of products that will be offered for sale’antiques,electronics, kitchenware, food items, clothing, tools, toys, art andsporting goods. Doing so will ensure broad appeal to a large targetaudience of flea market shoppers.

Additional revenues can be earned bycharging a gate fee, parking fees, having an onsite ATM, rentingequipment and providing shoppers with delivery services for the largeitems they buy.

But be careful not to get too caught up in extra fees,because the bread and butter of the operation is booth rent. Vendoroccupancy is much more important than charging a dollar to park.

Theinvestment to get this business up and running can be significant, oncecosts such as rent, deposits, renovations, equipment, signage andmarketing have been taken into account.

But with that said, the profitpotential is excellent, as are the long-term growth opportunities.