Macau Flea Market debuts outdoors

Eddie, Terence, and Elva (left to right), co-organizers of the event

The Macau Flea Market, now in its fourth year, was held outside for the first time this weekend, in the courtyard of Albergue SCM. The market was open on Saturday and yesterday.
The three organizers of the Flea Market, Eddie, Terence and Elva, told the Times that previous versions of the Flea Market have been held indoors in an industrial warehouse, but the prospect of holding the event outdoors this year has been well-received.
“Did you see the rain yesterday [Saturday]?” Eddie asked. “Today [yesterday] was much better,” he added, in reference to the sunshine.
“The response to hosting the market outdoors has been positive. There is natural light and natural weather. People seem to like it more,” he said. “Next time, weather permitting, we are planning to have it outdoors.”
Around half of this year’s stalls are the same as in previous years, but the organizers say that they strive for diversity in the representation of businesses and give priority to Macau locals. There are also some stalls from Hong Kong and two from Taiwan.
In fact, the inspiration for the event came from a trip the organizers took to Taiwan and Japan. Seeing the atmosphere of flea markets abroad, they decided to host one in Macau.
“Casinos are everywhere in Macau,” expressed Eddie, “we need something original here for the people of Macau.”
There are a lot of handcrafted goods, as well as vintage and antique collections. Among them is a cash register dated back to 1912, highlighted in Eddie’s stall called “Leather Motel,” which features American vintage products.
He assured the Times that the century-old cash register is still in working order.
“There really is a special and unique atmosphere,” said co-­organizer Terence, “people are very friendly here.”
Local musician, Eva Tana, was playing an acoustic set when the Times visited the area yesterday. Each day of the market has seen four local artists perform, the organizers said.
They also said that they received a lot of support from Albergue. “The booths are from Albergue – without them we would have nothing here,” they noted. Staff reporter