INDIAN RIVER COUNTY – Hundreds of people descended on the Humane Society Saturday looking for deals, decorations and items they just had to have.
“No fleas, no junk – we save only the best for this event,” said Annette Barcus of the No Flea Market to benefit the animal shelter. Barcus said people started lining up nearly two hours before the sixth annual ‘No Flea’ Market got underway Saturday morning.
And once the doors opened, it was all the volunteers could do to control the chaos.
“Women were fighting over the handbags!” Barcus said, laughing.
To control the crowds, only 50 people were allowed in at a time, with an additional five coming in every five minutes.
At the halfway point for the day, Barcus estimated more than 500 people had perused the furniture, knickknacks and books.
“There’s a lot of good stuff here,” said shopper Lindsey Pierce, who spent the morning with her friend Amanda Gowen looking for items for themselves.
“It’s really good,” Gowen said of the market.
They walked out of the Humane Society with nearly $15 worth of items, including a small Zen garden, a fountain and hair curlers.
“People seem generally to be happy,” said Patti Blackwell, the manager of the Humane Society Thrift Shop in Sebastian.
Barcus, the Vero Beach thrift shop manager, said they start setting aside items specifically for the No Flea Market at the start of the year and usually have four box-trucks worth of items to bring the Humane Society for the event.
By the end of the day, Barcus expected to have maybe a quarter to a third of the items left over. She said those items will be held over for the Humane Society’s Thanksgiving Weekend Sidewalk Sale.
The proceeds from the No Flea Market will be used to support the general operation and programs at the Humane Society of Vero Beach and Indian River County.
For more information about the Humane Society, visit www.hsvb.org, or call(772) 388-3331.