Cape Town - Nostalgia is one of the central themes of the Milnerton Flea Market, which sprawls alongside the Atlantic Ocean. “It reminds people of their childhood,” spokesperson David Givati says. “Something seen on their grandmother’s shelf that brings back memories. We hear these comments all the time.”
The market is a bargain hunter’s paradise with items such as antiques, collectibles, World War II memorabilia and medals mixed in with old taps, tools, cutlery and, yes, even the kitchen sink.
The market, which is on Marine Drive opposite Metro Industrial Park in Paarden Eiland, evolved from a car-boot sale started in the early 1990s at Woodbridge Island before moving to the Milnerton Racecourse site, later developed for the Paddocks Shopping Centre.
It is governed by the Milnerton Informal Trader’s Association which has a six-member executive committee and 12 ground officials.
Brian Kannemeyer, vice-chairman of the association, said there were 200 members and 350 casual traders. Space is also allocated for charities on occasion to trade, free of charge.
Givati said it was the only flea market in South Africa that was a registered non-profit organisation and run by its members.
The market provides a platform for those who are unemployable or who don’t have any other way of making a living. Business owners or those with full-time jobs can’t trade and the plan is to attract more youngsters to develop them into entrepreneurs.
They try to maintain a dominantly “junk” market but do maintain standards –items like porn, guns, offensive or racist literature and animal skins (to prevent poachers) are not allowed.
Traders who sell second hand items are screened by the police who issue them with a licence that is only valid to trade at the flea market.
It is to prevent stolen goods from creeping in, Kannemeyer explained.
Food traders also have to be licensed by City of Cape Town health once an inspection of their preparation areas has been done. Spot checks are also carried out on the kitchens at the market.
Some of the traders have been there since the start and have used their earnings to achieve some remarkable things.
Jochera Carey, 67, from Crawford worked as a supervisor in a clothing factory until she retired. But it was money she made trading at the flea market that put two of her sons through university – one at UCT and the other Stellenbosch.
“I started with crockery and second hand goods but I trade with anything. You name it I’ve sold it.”
Her current stall has sweets, books and incense – not items where you make a big profit – but she says it’s not about how much you earn, rather how you use the money.
“My father was a truck driver but he taught me how to manage money when you do not have much.”
Carey said it was tough at times. “But it made both me and my children stronger.”
Another trader who ploughed his earning into education is Paul Munje from the Cameroon who will be graduating this year with a PhD in Education with money he earned selling cellphone pouches, sunglasses and gloves. Munje was away this week but Givati said he was also the sole breadwinner of his family, supporting a wife and child.
Many people who have written or blogged about the market mention the possibility of unearthing hidden treasures if you search hard enough.
Givati recounts how a customer spent a couple of hundred rand on a painting which he later sold for R250 000.
Another stall where treasures could be found belongs to Bob Hayward from Plumstead who sells antiques and collectibles.
Hayward has been in the antiques market most of his life and says people contact him when they are downsizing or moving overseas.
“I sell anything from fossils and sculptures to tea sets and books.”
Hayward started Greenmarket Square back in the early ’80s and ran it for 15 years.
Another trader with years of experience is 86-year-old Louis Lieching from Salt River who is always first to arrive in the morning and still erects his gazebo and puts his stall together without any help.
Lieching spent 50 years with Southern Sun but says there was no golden handshake in those days so he started working at the market to help make ends meet.
Another old-timer is Reinald Strydom from Parow who has been trading for two decades selling bric-a-brac and tools.
He said he and his wife Frieda use their earnings to supplement their pension.
“If I didn’t get this money every week I wouldn’t survive.”
But he also loves the social aspect of the market.
“I love it. You meet a lot of people, even from abroad.”
There is an array of food on offer. And for any cycling needs, Abie Andrews is the go-to man. Having worked for Raleigh for 18 years there is not much he doesn’t know about bikes. He taught his team of three mechanics everything they know. Apart from selling bikes, he offers same day service and repairs.
The market attracts a diverse crowd with people coming to browse or just enjoy the ambiance.
Cape Argus