Russell Howard is a big fan of flea markets and tries to check one out whenever he travels.
“It’s like an anthropological dig,” said Mr. Howard, vice president of events for the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership. “Wherever I go, I like to go see what people are putting out for sale.”
During a trip to Edinburgh, Scotland, he discovered a different kind of flea market called a boot sale. Instead of tents and tables filling an open field, vendors parked and sold goods of all kinds out of the trunk — or boot — of their automobiles, a practice that’s common in other parts of the world.
This tradition will get a Pittsburgh twist in April when the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership holds its first Car Bazaar event series. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays, more than 75 vendors will fill the upper levels of the Sixth and Penn garage, Downtown, to sell everything from antiques to apparel out of the trunks of their cars. If weather permits, additional vendors will be parked on the garage’s roof.
Beyond shopping, Mr. Howard said he wants the event to have a festival atmosphere.
Byron Nash, Sierra Sellers and Miss Freddye are some of the musical acts slated to perform throughout the month, and local restaurants Tako and Talia will be on site with food and drinks.
There’s a lot to consider when planning an outdoor event during a pandemic. For starters, it had to be held some place where social distancing could be enforced. Because Pittsburgh weather can be unpredictable, some shelter was necessary, too. A parking garage checked both of those boxes, according to Mr. Howard.
The location of the Sixth and Penn garage also made it a good fit.
“It’s located right next to the outdoor dining districts and Market Square,” Mr. Howard said. “It starts to create foot traffic coming into areas we’d like to encourage people to be and spend their money.”
The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership has a history of holding vendor events, including the summer night markets in Market Square. Organizers curate the inventory for these other events, but that won’t be the case at the Car Bazaar. Like a flea market, almost anyone who has something to share can sign up to sell it.
“That’s what I’m excited about — The mix is so eclectic and so exciting,” Mr. Howard said. “We want to make sure there’s a diverse range of dealers.”
He added that the response from vendors has been strong so far, with the first week already booked.
“I know we have north of 50 people on the waitlist,” he said.
Pent-up demand
For many vendors, this will be their first chance to sell their goods at an event since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
“They had to be canceled for COVID. I do sell online and have a website, but I prefer the in-person [events] where you’re there and people come and talk to you,” said Ricardo Solis, the artist behind Costa RicArt (costaricart.net). “I’m really happy they’re doing something like this.”
Mr. Solis — who moved from Costa Rica to Pittsburgh about five years ago — specializes in upcycling materials to create something new, including keychains, magnets, earrings and wallets. He’s partly inspired by nature and Costa Rica’s focus on clean energy, he said. Other creations celebrate his new home.
“I feel like people from Pittsburgh are really proud of being Pittsburghers,” he said. “A lot of my art is Pittsburgh nostalgia.”
For others, the Car Bazaar will be their introduction to a boot sale.
Jordan Montgomery, CEO of Pittsburgh-based independent hip-hop label Driving While Black Records (drivingwhileblackrecords.bandcamp.com), said he once sold CDs and apparel out of the back of a U-Haul at a pull-up pop-up event but never out of a car trunk.
“I’m definitely excited to try it out and see how it is for the first time,” he said.
The Car Bazaar also piqued his interest because the name of his music label includes a driving reference.
“Driving while Black means you could be doing something as a person of color so mundane like just driving to work and still have an experience based on the racial climate of the country,” Mr. Montgomery explained. “We’re bringing awareness to those incidents and that phrase as a way of reclaiming it and giving it power.”
In recent years, he’s designed shirts, hats and tote bags that promote the artists the label represents. While concerts have been on hiatus because of COVID-19, merchandise sales helped support the business. He’ll have some of the apparel for sale at the Car Bazaar, along with CDs, vinyl records and accessories.
Selling safely
Some vendors were attracted to the event because of the safety aspect and the fact that mask wearing will be enforced.
“It just sounds so organized and accessible,” said Michele Wine, who curates and sells vintage jewelry, art and millinery pieces.
For the past 20 years, she’s browsed estate sales, flea markets and the internet for jewelry that catches her eye.
“Usually I go for the sparkle and the color,” she said. “Then I go for the unusual.”
Her selection at the Car Bazaar will include a variety of Cameo brooches, tribal jewelry and other pieces from decades past. Her collection includes accessories from as far back as the 1800s.
“I just truly want to offer something for everyone at a reasonable price because that’s the thing I love — when people get jewelry and they just go crazy over it — because that’s the way I am,” said Ms. Wine.
Vendors will have the chance to register for Saturdays throughout the month two weeks in advance of each date so that more people can have a chance to participate.
“The merchandise is different each week, giving people a reason to come back week to week,” Mr. Howard said.
Vendors can claim a spot for $15 on a first-come, first-served basis at CarBazaarPGH.com. The market is free for shoppers and open to the public, with a limited number of $3 parking spots available with advance reservations online. To access the event, enter the garage at 542 Penn Ave.
Sara Bauknecht: sbauknecht@post-gazette.com or on Twitter and Instagram @SaraB_PG.
First Published: March 29, 2021, 9:01 a.m.
