They first brought the famed Paris flea markets to suburbia Denver in the form of A Paris Street Market. Now, sisters Kim Dahlquist and Stacey Johnson are bringing another popular European pastime to the states to the delight of their fans – the British Car Boot Sale!
A cross between a flea market, estate sale, collector’s fair, and a garage sale, a car boot sale takes its name from “boot” which is the common British term for an automobile trunk! Sellers arrive with goods for sale in the boot of their car, thus the name. For years car boot sales have been a popular market form (and part of pop culture) across Great Britain and have spread as far away as Australia. Thousands flock each weekend to these popular sales held in fairgrounds, parking lots, and fields on the outskirts of London to find bargains, treasures, and comb through other people’s discarded possessions.
Now, thanks to these savvy, salvage sisters, there is no need to head across the pond for this unique experience. Their company, 2 Market, 2 Market, will host multiple car boot sales across the Front Range this summer in a variety of locations. In addition to those interested in selling antiques, collectibles, salvage, and gently used house wares, the promoters are encouraging entrepreneurs, artists, collectors, crafters, hobbyists, fund raising groups and others with unique products to participate in one or more of markets.
In addition to the time savings involved with shopping one large parking lot instead of trolling neighborhoods for garage sales, Johnson calls Denver’s first car boot sale “a Greener Way to Garage Sale!” “Gas is simply too expensive to approach garage sale-ing on a hit and miss basis” says Johnson. “We expect to attract multiple sellers in one parking lot. With consumers striving to reuse, repurpose, recycle− a car boot sale is relevant, and adds Johnson, “deeply cool!” “Where else might you find someone selling vintage LP’s, another vendor selling old books, another liquidating a lot of last year’s designer flip flops from an ebay venture gone bad!
The first official Car Boot Sale state side takes place Saturday, May 21st at Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Golden, Colorado. Each participating vehicle will pay $20.00 per day to set up for the event and sell from their space throughout the Market.
Shopper admission will be $3.00 per person, with $1.00 of each admission going to the Foothills Animal Shelter located on the fairgrounds. The sale will run 8 am until 2:00 pm, rain or shine. Contact 720.280.9531 for more information or visit http://www.carbootsale.us .
Stacey Johnson, 2 market 2 market, can be reached at 720.280.9531 or email her at [email protected].
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