Thousands of bargain hunters headed to Sussex for annual flea market

Thousands to flock to Sussex flea market Bargain hunters will be heading to the annual Sussex Flea Market this weekend – about 20,000 of them to be exact.

Bargain hunters are heading to Sussex, New Brunswick this weekend for the annual Sussex Flea Market.

About 20,000 people are expected to attend the event. For a town that’s seen many people leave in the past year, due to economic factors, it’s a welcome sight to see thousands come – even for the weekend.

The theme for the weekend is “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”

“We’ve got eight to 900 vendors that are here and over the course of three days, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday,” says event chair Steve Clements.

For 35 years now, the town of Sussex has opened its doors to Atlantic Canada’s largest flea market.

“Oh just curiosity, I like to see what they have,” says resident Hazel Clark. “Maybe we can pick up something, most always do.”

Some say there’s a lot of what they would call junk, however, it’s junk that seems to draw a crowd.

“So far, so good, it’s been a great day,” says vendor Gary Randles. “Lots of people around and I’m selling junk, everything is great.”

Randles says it’s not just the vendors that benefit from this weekend.

“I don’t know how you could put a price on how much money this would bring in to the town of Sussex in fuel and food accommodations,” says Randles. “Everywhere you go it’s just full of people.”

Sussex has seen many people leave this year. Back in January, the nearby potash mine announced it was shutting down, causing hundreds to be out of work. Since then, the community has been coping with the loss.

“Unfortunately that did happen with the Potash Corporation and Sussex did take a bit of a hit,” says Clements. “However, this does bring a great economic benefit to the town of Sussex.”

The town will be a buzz over the next few days, vendors say if you can’t find what you’re looking for at the market, then it probably doesn’t exist.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Ashley Blackford