On the second Saturday of every month, local residents wake up early to gather and begin setting up their tables and tents for the Palo Alto High School (commonly referred to as Paly) Flea Market. The market is held in the high school’s front parking lot on El Camino Real, across from Town and Country Village as well as Stanford University.
Sellers finish laying out their goods by nine o’clock in the morning, as customers start to trickle in at that time, and stay manning their booths until the market ends at three o’clock in the afternoon. Walking into the parking lot to attend, one can hear chattering voices, light music, and cars whizzing by. The market is characterized by diversity, vivid colors, big personalities, and a sprawling variety of goods.
The Paly Flea market hosts a diverse crowd, with customers and sellers of all ages and ethnic backgrounds. Clothes are the most common items being sold, some second-hand, some new, and some hand-made by sellers.
One such person selling hand-made clothing is Saundra Curry, who was displaying her line of denim called The Re Re Collection. The ‘Re’s’ stand for ‘rediscovered’ and ‘redesigned.’ Curry was selling denim jackets, vests, and jeans which she had decorated by washing, distressing, embroidering, bejeweling, and more.
Saundra Curry with her vest, the piece titled: Homage To Patrick Kelly.
A piece she was keen on sharing was a black denim vest with a face painted on the back, surrounded by buttons of all colors sewn on and two patches with letters spelling ‘Homage To Patrick Kelly.’ Patrick Kelly was an American fashion designer who often used buttons to decorate his pieces, and Curry cited him as an inspiration to her. At the Paly Flea Market, simply stopping by a booth earns passersby lengthy conversations with sellers.
Aside from clothing, items such as jewelry (often hand-made), art pieces, accessories, books, trinkets, household items, and plants are sold. One man’s booth was a make-shift, traveling nursery of sorts, with various potted plants organized on a few tables, displayed against the backdrop of his bright blue pick-up truck.
He introduced himself as Dave, and shared he’d been selling at the Paly Flea for around 15 years. On how he found out about the market, he shared, “It’s usually word of mouth, I heard about it from another vendor at another market.”
When asked about the creation of the market and its lifespan, Dave, along with other sellers greeted with the same question, referred to the woman driving the golf cart–who preferred to remain anonymous–as the knowledgeable source of all Paly Flea Market lore.
Dave with his plants and his truck.
I spotted her driving around the parking lot in her white chariot, waving to sellers and helping out with any hiccups. She was very happy to share the story of the market’s creation, being its founder. Smiling, she said, “I started it back in 1989. Back in those days, East Palo Alto did not have very good schools, and all of the children were being bussed from there to Palo Alto. In the music program, they couldn’t afford to go out and rent and buy instruments. So, we started doing fundraisers to raise money to help these kids be able to have instruments.
“We went to several other flea markets three or four months ahead of time, passing out flyers, and we filled up the parking lot! DeAnza flea market was on the first weekend, and Foothill used to have a regular flea market on the third weekend.” So, it was decided the Paly Flea Market would occur on the second Saturday of every month, allowing for a local flea market each weekend.
She continued, “All of the money that we make from the space rentals still goes into the music program.” The Palo Alto High School Instrumental Music Boosters has its very own tent at the flea market.
Securing a spot as a seller at the flea market is not an easy feat, as regulars get first priority. Non-regulars put themselves on a waitlist and are given a space if any cancellations occur. The founder manages this process, as well as the collection of the fee for the space at the end of the market. Each month, the flea market is composed of recurring sellers, familiar faces for regular customers.
The prices of goods sold at the market are distinctly lower than those of goods sold across the street at Town and Country Village, or those down the road at Stanford Mall. Many booths have bins brimming with items that sell for just one dollar. One seller yelled out auction-style, “Beautiful things for beautiful people! The more you buy, the more you save!”
The Paly Flea Market will make its next appearance from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, December 14th. If not for the low prices, one may visit for conversation and character.
