An opportunity exists in Vandalia for those looking to sell their wares a few times a month, with the hope of more joining in the future.

Patti Kraft helps spearhead the Vandalia Vendors Flea Market at the fairgrounds, 1501 South Main Street in Vandalia, and works to collect vendor fees to give back to the location, which is hoping to improve the facility.

“I talked to the fair board members (about having the market there) and they said have at it,” Kraft said. “We just had our third one this year and we will run through October. Next year we hope to go May through October.”

Currently, the market is the third Friday and Saturday of the month and the shopping hours are 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The vendors can check in as early as 6 a.m. to set up.

The next date for activity will be Sept. 16-17.

“It’s a combination of people and we haven’t had many locals to this point,” Kraft said. “We had one from Middletown and we are supposedly getting one next month from St. Louis. 

“They do anything from t-shirts to cups and we sell firearms and just a lot of different stuff.”

One lady was cleaning out her barn and came in with a trailer full of saddles and blankets and left with every sold and plenty of currency to take home.
Kraft charges $25 for a day and $40 for a weekend. In September, a vendor can get a half-price fee if they bring a new vendor to the fairgrounds.

The amount of vendors is not massive at this point and Kraft said that when she brings it up to people, many say “I never knew.”

“On Fridays we have 5-7 vendors and Saturdays maybe 9-12,” Kraft said. “We have had a lot of shoppers and are learning we are here. If we had more vendors, we would be thrilled to death.”

The fairgrounds have enough room to support plenty of new vendors on site.

“It’s just a matter of trying to get vendors in to see what we have out there,” Kraft said. “You go to the fairgrounds, turn to the right and there is a fence with a lot of trees, and we filled those right away. Across the street, we have some trees and we had four vendors there. We have a whole middle row which has electricity. It’s quite a good-sized fairgrounds that can accommodate a lot of vendors.

“With it being new, they can take up as much space as they want for right now. I don’t charge them right now for a bigger space.”

Kraft doesn’t technically have an official role but has taken the mantle of getting the flea market off the ground and organized at the fairgrounds.

“It’s just about trying to bring more business into the town,” Kraft said. “We have little businesses popping up here and there.”

She added that she thinks the trend is that Vandalia is continuing to grow and be more progressive with more commerce coming to the city.

“It’s just in the last year-and-a-half (where she sees the growth),” Kraft said. “The community is working together, and the chamber of commerce is working with the city to bring more businesses to town. I think the team over at the city now has done a lot. It has rolled over into the meetings to get new ideas.”