David Sepulveda Photo
The newest addition to Westville’s expanding economy and its emergence as a destination is Trader’s Market, a year-round flea market that beckons customers to “shop, swap and save.”
During its grand opening last weekend, a giant tethered balloon drew a visual line in the sky to the market’s location at 86 Fitch St., at the corner of Onyx Street, just a block away from bustling Whalley Avenue.
The Wintergreen of Westville apartment complex serves as a backdrop to the enterprise, separated by a meandering Wintergreen Brook.
Business owners Alyssa DiSpazio and Vicky Jacobs (pictured) said that property owner Paul DiSpazio (husband of Jacobs and father of Alyssa DiSpazio) chose Westville among two properties under consideration for the flea market because of its central location — adjacent to a main city artery and bus route, as well as Southern Connecticut State University. They also thought Westville could benefit from more business activity on the weekends, as well as some of the new jobs that will be associated with the market.
Westville Village is primarily home to eateries, art galleries, shops and salons. City Seed’s farmers market, which operates in Edgewood Park on Sundays, is just a stone’s throw away from the upstart flea market.
Jacobs, who has previous experience working for major corporations in marketing and as a chemist, said that Trader’s Market has 11 uniformed staff members plus a number of paid undercover security staff. She said the business hopes to draw “local artisans, artists and people who have things to sell,” adding, “the property is safe and very secure and we want people to have a good time when they come here.”
DiSpazio, who is also a full-time nursing student in at SCSU, said her weekends are devoted to managing operations and making sure that that the market is professionally run.
The new owners said that their market will be open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. It sells wholesale and retail items, including clothing, electronics, boating items, fishing gear, flowers, jewelry, kitchen gadgets, sporting goods, tools, toys, and antiques and collectibles. They said they looked to some of the clean, well-managed flea markets in parts of New York as templates.
Pirates beware: Jacobs warned that the business will be vigilant in blocking pirated and illegal items as it brings real value to those seeking bargains in the current cash-strapped economy. “Our market will be clean and safe with no parking fees — a cheaper version of the mall without having to spend money for gas getting there,” she said.
The market, which has ample parking on its premises as well as adjacent street-level parking, is divided into long rows of neat yellow tents and a hangar-sized year-round structure that will house many of the antiques and collectibles vendors. A concession stand offers light fare, and Jacobs said they there are talks with local businesses and restaurants to be among the growing list of food vendors.
Among the charter vendors last weekend were Cindi Mihaylo and her mother, Dale Mihaylo, familiar to some as the proprietors of the former Funkenjunk antiques and collectibles business, recently renamed Vintage New Haven. The business, located close to the Woodbridge town line on Whalley Avenue, is still an undiscovered quantity, according to Dale Mihaylo: “While we have been in business for five years, many still do not know we are there.”
She said she hopes to do a lot of cross-promoting of her full-time business by having a year-round presence at Trader’s Market, especially on Sundays when Vintage New Haven is closed.
Another vendor, Troy Gosbin of Fairfield (pictured), specializes in knives, swords and various personal self-defense items like mace and the popular Maxam stun gun and flashlight.
Gosbin said the hand-held unit packs a whopping 400,000 volts, or 2.5 amps of electricity, and can easily disable any attacker in seconds.
He said he normally sells 30 or 40 units of the legal devices per day at other venues, and expects business to pick up in the coming months. A circumspect Gosbin said he’d been hoping for a kind of symbiosis, where “vendors are drawn to crowds and crowds to vendors,” but that hadn’t fully materialized in the first couple of days of business.
Vicky Jacobs said that she is offering special deals to vendors as they endure the smaller crowds expected of any new business and that Trader’s Market will work with vendor-clients to ensure favorable terms now, and into the future. New Haven entrepreneur Marvin Smith, who displayed conventional flea market fare with shoes, T‑shirts and stylish colorful dresses, was optimistic despite the sparse crowds.
“Business will increase and other vendors will flock to the business as soon as they find out about the market and its potential. I know of at least four,” he said.
Greg and Judy Antignani and their daughter Emma (pictured), recent transplants from Westville to Bethany, were among the customers. Judy Antignani said that attending the market will be part of their Westville Sunday routine after breakfast at Lena’s and church service at St. Brendan’s Parish. Greg Antignani said he was ready for some good old-fashioned horse trading after spying a neat wrought-iron plant hanger in one of the booths.
“I think I’m going to be able to swap for some antique feathered hats I have,” he said excitedly.
Future plans for Trader’s Market will include possible car and antique shows, auctions and even music concerts as the business grows. Chris Heitmann, executive director of the Westville Village Renaissance Alliance, said the business community welcomes the market, and that by drawing more people to the village, all will benefit.
Information on vendor rates and market hours can be found at the Trader’s Market website or on the market’s Facebook page.