News from around the country
Fire broke out at Traders Village flea market in Houston
HOUSTON - Two people were hospitalized after a fire broke out at Traders Village Houston on North Eldrige Parkway in Cypress on Sunday.
Cy-Fair Fire Department responded to reports of a fire around 12:20 p.m. at Traders Village flea market as it was packed with people and vendors enjoying a Sunday afternoon.
Kristopher Rios was one of dozens of vendors set up at Traders Village to sell his products.
"All of a sudden we’re like do you smell that? I smell smoke. And my buddies over here we’re looking around and he’s like there’s a huge fire! I took a video of it it’s crazy, it was just like a bunch of explosions of fireworks. I had my kids with me so we got my kids evacuated very fast," Rios said.
Captain James Singleton with the Harris County Fire Marshall says units were able to quickly get a handle on the fire.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lake Wales flea market vendors left with damages after severe storms
LAKE WALES, Fla. - Winter Haven and Lake Wales were battered by high winds, heavy rain and hail Wednesday evening – causing scattered storm damage.
Many vendors at the Sunshine Flea Market off of US 27 in Lake Wales were left with damages after the storms, including John Arliss.
Arliss went to check on his business "Historic Model Ships" Thursday morning and was horrified.
While the model ships and nautical items he made by hand were safe inside his trailer, everything outside was trashed the night before.
Even after losing thousands of dollars in handcrafted items, he is determined to bounce back.
"I am 82 years old, and I want to enjoy the rest of my life doing stuff like this. I will manage. I will manage," Arliss said while getting choked up. "God is good. He will stick with me."
The storm brought heavy rain, high winds and even hail to the flea market and the surrounding area. It shredded some vendors' tents while others were ripped from the ground, lifted high in the air, and dropped, leaving them a twisted mess.
Many of the vendors are going to struggle to rebuild, because they are on fixed incomes and need the money that they make at the Sunshine Flea Market on weekends to survive.
What makes things more complicated is that few carry insurance on the items they sell or the equipment they use.
This is not the first time Mother Nature kicked the flea market to its knees.
Back in 2004, Hurricane Charley battered Lake Wales, including the market, and it took six weeks for them to recover.
The owner said this time, it is going to be closed this weekend and possibly re-open the following one.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Cape Breton flea markets make big comeback
On a bluebird Sunday afternoon in early spring, it was a blast to the past inside the County Arena in Coxheath, N.S.
"Last week we had 1,500 [people]. This week, we're probably going to be close to it,” said Chris Lee, who recently purchased the rights to the County Arena flea market from longtime owner George Peters.
After being gone for years, the flea market that had been run for more than 40 years by Peters has returned.
It may seem like an improbable comeback in this day and age of online shopping, but if recent crowds are any indication, there's still an appetite for browsing “old school.”
While many vendors sold traditional flea market items like trading cards, old games and DVDs, at one booth, you could say past met present.
Chase the Ace tickets were being sold - something that didn't exist in the flea markets of yesteryear.
"It’s nice to see the crowds back,” said Chase the Ace ticket vendor Marilyn Singer. “They're out shopping. They're friendly and they're nice. It's good."
A second Cape Breton flea market has enjoyed a renaissance at Knox Hall in Glace Bay, where buy-and-sells that began in late March have also enjoyed good crowds.
"It's what we did as a kid,” Lee said. “I mean, growing up in the ‘80s and ‘90s, we came to the flea market. We saw all of our friends. Now, we're reliving the ‘80s and ‘90s. What was old is now new."
Some wondered if, like many comebacks, the return of the flea market might be short-lived.
"People want to get out,” Lee said. “People want to smell things. People want to touch stuff. People want to get out and socialize, and this is one of the best social events on a Sunday."
For now, the market at the County Arena will be closed on Mother's Day.
However, organizers say it will take place each Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., until the arena is filled with ice this fall.