I have been part of the Flea Market Sabadell Association for nine years, a non-profit association that organizes a second-hand and small-format craft market that takes place quarterly in my city, Sabadell.
In 2014, I started collaborating altruistically with a non-profit organization called Espacio Ágora Sabadell. This entity programmed amateur theatre, cultural and social debates, book presentations, etc. During that time, I attended many second-hand markets in Barcelona and loved to find books and treasures.
Then I came up with the idea of holding a second-hand market on the organization’s premises and inviting everyone. And, said and done.
What was the result? An absolute success.
Many people attended and asked when the next one would be. This second-hand market could not remain inside the organization’s local, so we had to take it out into the street and make it part of the city’s regular program. It seemed a nice way to bring the values of recycling and raise awareness of the importance of giving a second life to decorative objects, clothes, music, furniture, books, etc.
So, I took the reins of the project and turned this initiative -which began in a small location- into a non-profit association called: Flea Market Sabadell Association. Our association status would allow us to communicate directly with the City Council and expand the project.
By 2017 we were installing our market in squares in the city center, but we desired to be able to be on the main street of Sabadell, La Rambla. Thus, it would be seen as another commercial activity by the population. We invited children’s theatre groups, musicians, and food trucks to make the days more special.
The project continued to grow and today I am the president of the association. Having worked on this project for several years, I am pleased that it has integrated so well into the city’s programming, which offers different activities and promotes a circular economy and recycling. We collaborate with the City Council and other organizations in the city to schedule activities that generate synergies during that day. As well as we always give space to entities that want to collect funds for a specific cause: Association against Cancer, the Protectora, etc.
I firmly believe in the importance of collaborating with social entities whose mission is to make society a more sustainable and friendly place. If one day you are near Sabadell, you can check if it is the market day through Instagram: @fleamarketsabadell.
You are more than invited! 😊
Irene Coll
RSC & DEI Manager
