Evicted flea market vendors get temporary uptown site, Charlotte city councilman says
Charlotte Councilman Tariq Bokhari said Wednesday he has helped secure a temporary replacement for an open-air market shuttered by the city in February.
Vendors from the market formerly off of Central Avenue, many of whom are Latino, say the city has failed to keep promises to help them find a new location. Before a City Council meeting Monday, they described severe economic hardships as a result of the eviction.
Charlotte bought the market’s former location, the vacant 80-acre Eastland property site, in 2012. In 2020, City Council approved a rezoning petition to develop the area into a mixed-use site with housing units, shops and a park.
Wednesday, during a rainy outdoor news conference, Bokhari said he had worked with private-sector partners and a nonprofit to secure a location in uptown for the market on Saturday. He was joined by a slate of Republican candidates running for mayor and City Council.
Details of the Charlotte flea market
The market will be held in a series of parking lots between 6th and 9th streets and between Brevard and Caldwell streets. That’s near the Spectrum Center and First Ward Park. It will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Bokhari said he believes the space is large enough to accommodate all 150 or so vendors who previously worked at the Central Avenue location. Spaces for vendors will be open on a first-come, first-served basis starting at 7 a.m. People can also sign up at summeriscomingclt.com/pugla. The temporary location will be free for vendors, and Bokhari says no money will be exchanged, other than people buying items from vendors.
Bokhari said he believes the city is just a few weeks away from securing a permanent location. The temporary site is secured for just this Saturday, but Bokhari said he and his partners will seek to find locations every weekend until the permanent site is ready.
Why a new site is needed
Vendors were evicted in February after a lease expired between the market manager and the city. While the city said it alerted the manager of the closing beforehand and posted signs for vendors, some of the business owners said they were caught completely unaware.
One vendor, Jorge Castaneda, said he lost thousands of dollars in produce because of the sudden closure. Others said they went into debt and struggled with medical expenses.
In previous meetings, vendors asked the city to allow them to use the Central Avenue site until construction begins on the development. They also asked for help in finding a new site, and said they would pay for rent, insurance and comply with all other regulations required by law.
Bokhari said Republican at-large candidate Charlie Mulligan, who addressed the news media in Spanish, also played a leading role in securing the temporary location. Other candidates who attended included Kyle Luebke, Carrie Olinksi and David Merrill, who are all Republicans running for City Council at-large, and Mary Lineberger Barnett, a Republican running for City Council District 2.
Bokhari said you can “call it a campaign event if you want,” but said he hoped the action proved stronger than words.
This story was originally published July 13, 2022 at 8:18 PM.
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