Flea Markets

After seeing ads for the Patterson Park flea market posted around the city, I decided to check it out. The flea market had so many people in it! There were older women selling jewelry, older men selling bicycles, and a bunch of people selling old knick-knacks, records, and LEGO sets. It was a cathartic experience for me, seeing a lot of trade and the vibrancy of Baltimore. I got to talk to a lot of people there, both sellers and buyers. One of the ladies selling plants has lived in Baltimore for the past 50 years. She taught me how to pot the plants properly after they outgrow their grower. She reminded me of my grandmother, who also loves to plant. I learnt a lot about the burden of informal markets. There wasn’t an enclosure keeping people out; no doors and no stringent regulations. It was just a temporary market built on trust, habit, and hustle.

The stalls had a certain rhythm that echoed reuse and resilience. I went to another booth and purchased a tennis racket. The older man who ran it taught me how to rewire the racket so I could tighten the strings. A middle-aged Latino man gave me a fermented pineapple drink (for free!) and asked me to try it. He explained that it was a popular beverage in Mexico. It was almost like I was in a living classroom, learning from people of different generations. Sure, there was an element of price tags and exchange between us, but social interactions, stories, and cultural exchange mostly drove the connection.