Salisbury, MD – Park and Flea Market in Downtown Salisbury will be closing this summer after twenty-one years of offering affordable weekend flea market spaces in Downtown Salisbury. The long-standing market, located along US Route 13 near the Route 50 junction in the City of Salisbury’s Municipal Lot 10, has offered local vendors weekly opportunities to buy, sell and trade in the high visibility location. Park and Flea Market’s final day in operation will be Sunday June 25, 2023.
Park and Flea Market has been operated on a volunteer basis under the auspices of Salisbury Arts and Entertainment District, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that focuses on economic development in Downtown Salisbury through events and the arts. “Park and Flea has had a fantastic run” says Salisbury Arts and Entertainment District Board Member Michael Day, “it’s been a great opportunity for local sellers and the public to enjoy and we will do our best to share new opportunities with our vendors”. The market has operated on a consistent basis, rain or shine, all year long for over two decades – with only a brief hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A wide variety of factors have gone into making the decision to close the market, but the primary considerations are volunteer staff availability and the upcoming redevelopment of Lot 10 to accommodate a new hotel and conference center scheduled to begin construction this fall. Alternative locations were considered within the Downtown Salisbury footprint and in other areas of town, but few locations could offer the same benefits of size, location and access to City property amenities. In the end, market volunteers came to unanimous consensus to suspend the flea market.
Salisbury Arts and Entertainment District itself is also in a restructuring phase with rebranding as Salisbury Arts Alliance. The non-profit will move to a fully volunteer operation, no longer employing a full-time Executive Director starting July 1st. “Change is hard, but forward progress is always exciting.” says current Executive Director Jamie Heater. “We are looking forward to this new chapter as a non-profit with a fresh vision for how we can help Downtown Salisbury.”
