The Arlington Civitan Open Air Market advertises itself as “a lovely open-air flea market with the best finds.” But it’s also a place that brings people together in the community while also serving the community.
I spoke with Patricia Koepsel, a long-time coordinator of the Arlington Civitan market, about how the event came to be. This is personal to me because I’ve been one of the thousands of Arlington residents who make an annual trek to the Civitan’s flea market to find a new life for old things from my home, earning a little money and making new friends along the way.
The market was founded in 1986 as a collaboration between Arlington County and the Civitans as a way to reduce congestion on narrow streets caused by neighborhood yard sales. Originally, the market charged buyers a quarter to enter the market, and it quickly became a popular gathering spot on the first Saturday of the month from April to November.
The recent pandemic hit the flea market hard, shutting down to the public for two years. It didn’t help that VDOT work in the garage and inclement weekend weather has complicated logistics this year, but Koepsel said each month they continue to grow their foot traffic.
More than 200 vendors — Koepsel said it’s a 50-50 mix of professional sellers and local folks clearing out their homes of unneeded items — arrive overnight Friday or during Saturday’s pre-dawn hours to set up in the multi-level garage adjacent to Washington-Liberty High School and the Arlington Planetarium. Sellers pay $20 for each parking spot they use as their “sales booth” (about 9’ x 18’) and the sale officially runs from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., although it’s not unusual to see bargain hunters out with flashlights as sellers are unpacking and setting up, like little Arlingtonian Jawas on a scavenger mission.
“Anything you want, somebody will have,” assured Koepsel, and that’s precisely what keeps shoppers flocking back month after month. For example, just last month a vendor showed up with loads of farm equipment, something Koepsel said she hadn’t seen before.
My very first visit to the Civitan sale in 1999 ensured I would be back for more in the decades to come. It was a beautiful spring Saturday and my friend and I were selling things we’d cleaned out of our closets. We were late to set-up so decided that rather than unloading into the space, we’d just park her husband’s very vintage and beat-up truck and sell from there. We were a real-life Sanford & Sons! One shopper took a liking to one particular item and asked, “Do you have this in anything smaller?” My friend cocked her head, smiled and said, “Honey, this ain’t Macy’s. We’re selling things out of the back of a truck!” At that moment, we all burst into laughter, and it remains one of my favorite memories of the market.
Every dollar made at the Arlington Flea Market — from the rental spaces to refreshment sales — goes to support the causes espoused by the Arlington Civitans. Koepsel said the organization serves many different 501C(3) and non-profit organizations, including several that support people with intellectual and developmental challenges. Some of those local groups benefiting from the Civitan’s work include SPARC (Specially Adapted Resource Clubs), Community Residences Inc., and the Virginia Special Olympics.
Koepsel shared a story about one vendor who made sure the Civitans and their network were the beneficiaries of his hard work. This vendor had been selling at the flea market almost since its inception, and when he passed away in 2021, his family returned to the market and took up the 3-4 spaces that he’d normally use. The family sold his items or gave them away to other vendors, and donated the money raised to the ENDependence Center of Northern Virginia (ECNV), one of the organizations supported by the Civitan market’s proceeds. ECNV was able to buy new printer equipment with the $500 raised and the group proudly hangs a plaque honoring his donation.
“It was a really good deal of money for us, especially coming from an individual,” said Tim Fuchs, Deputy Executive Director of ECNV. “We also really appreciate the gesture from his family because it enables us to provide additional services to the people of Northern Virginia.”
Since its establishment in 1917 in Alabama, Civitan clubs can now be found around the world as a way to “seek out and fulfill community needs.” To learn more about getting involved with the group or to participate in the monthly market, visit Arlington-FleaMarket.com… and bring a shopping cart or two when you visit!
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