Flea, Fly, Flo, Fum!

In continuation of its successful outcome in January this year, the Mega Flea Market has made its comeback at the Singapore Expo.

Shoppers attending the flea market express their delight with the management committee’s decision to bring back the event.

Student Jamie Wong compliments, “I liked the previous flea as the things were cheap and affordable. There was also a large variety of stuff to buy. It’s great that the flea is held again here.”

Flea markets are now on the rise in accordance with Singapore’s youth culture. Youths are frequenting flea markets to snag inexpensive clothes and jewelry. Regular shopper Ng Yining, 18, described the things sold at flea markets “unique” and “less common than what one can find at departmental stores”.

Packed into the expo hall are dozens of different stalls selling an extensive range of items. From accessories to pre-loved clothes to food, the flea market has proven to be a hit with many. Retail outlets like Made In Candy, which sells hand-made rock candy, is one out of the many stall owners at the flea.

Wayne, the founder of Made In Candy, felt that it was a good opportunity to reach out to other customers. At the his outlet in United Square, there is a standard stream of shoppers, mostly parents and children who go for tuition classes or fencing lessons nearby. Here, the shop is exposed to a different type of demographics.

“We have more people from the nearby housing areas getting to know about us,” Wayne said. “We get lots more orders and enquiries as well.”

According to the staff at the stall, the crowd is the strongest during the weekends. On Saturday alone, Made In Candy saw an increase in 300% on just walk-in sales.

Aside from food, clothes stalls are also rampant at the Mega Flea Market. It has become steadily popular among blogshop owners who want to increase exposure by renting stalls at flea markets

Sherry, the owner of blogshop of 'The-Shopping-Paradize', rented a stall over the weekends. She sells ladies’ accessories, handphone decoration materials, trinkets and clothes at an affordable range of $1 to $7. Her shop has seen an improvement in this flea than the others she has been to.

Compared to the Singapore Expo, the other fleas she has been were cramped and stuffy. There are also cases where there is an overcharged of rental fees for booths. The Mega Flea Market charges about $210 for a standard stall on Saturday and Sunday, which Sherry finds reasonable.

The air conditioning in the hall also plays a big part in drawing shoppers. “If I was a customer, I wouldn’t like to sweat and shop at outdoor flea markets for too long as it can get uncomfortable,” said the chirpy owner.
When asked if she would come back to sell her wares at the Expo in future, Sherry exclaimed, “Definitely.”

Amanda.F