Flea market chairperson Nancy Verespy Forbes is holding a bouquet of flowers and, among her many helpers, Suzana Balbuena is holding a purse, Pat Baran is holiding a pillow and Paul Baran is holding a DVD. Those are just a few of the many items you’ll find at the flea market that will be held in conjunction with the annual bazaar July 17, 18 and 19 at the Parish of St. Nicholas - St. Mary in downtown Wilkes-Barre.
Mary Therese Biebel | Times Leader
Events often coincide with parish bazaars
There’s room for storage inside these tchotchkes that look like monkeys with coconut shells for lids.
Mary Therese Biebel | Times Leader
You’ll find decorations for Halloween, St. Patrick’s Day and many other holidays at the St. Nicholas - St. Mary flea market, held in conjunction with the annual bazaar.
Mary Therese Biebel | Times Leader
Dolls and stuffed animals are among the many toys you’ll find at the flea market, along with books and jigsaw puzzles.
Mary Therese Biebel | Times Leader
Larger flea market items such as furniture and bicycles will be found in the gymnasium of St. Nicholas - St. Mary School on South Washington Street in Wilkes-Barre during the July 17-19 bazaar. Smaller items are downstairs in the cafeteria.
Mary Therese Biebel | Times Leader
Plenty of jewelry will be available at the flea market, including this display of necklaces.
Mary Therese Biebel | Times Leader
The Sisters of Christian Charity usually staff the table with statues of saints and angels, rosaries and other religious items.
Mary Therese Biebel | Times Leader
A dollhouse awaits a buyer at the St. Nicholas - St. Mary flea market.
Mary Therese Biebel | Times Leader
Could you use a new-to-you purse? A bicycle? Toys? Tools? Holiday decorations?
If you looking for any of these items — or thousands more — you’ll likely find them at bargain prices at the flea markets that are popping up around the area in connection with annual bazaars.
The Times Leader recently visited the cafeteria and gymnasium of St. Nicholas – St. Mary School on South Washington Street in Wilkes-Barre, where dozens of volunteers have been diligently sorting donations for weeks, getting ready for a flea market that will coincide with the St. Nicholas – St. Mary parish bazaar, set for July 17, 18 and 19.
And it’s not just a matter of “let’s put the lamps over here” and “let’s put quilts on this table.”
Lamps and other electrical items are all tested to make sure they work, flea market chairperson Nancy Verespy Forbes said. And, volunteers have measured quilts and other bed linens so they can mark them as “king size” or “double” or whatever size bed they’ll match.
Here you’ll find items big and small, practical or purely decorative, still-in-the-package new or decades-old vintage.
“We have a cookie press that makes old-fashioned cookies,” Forbes said. “We have a ton of jewelry … crystal dishes … jigsaw puzzles … glassware, coffee mugs, backpacks, rugs, pillows …”
“Pat Baran is in charge of all the Christmas stuff,” Forbes said with a smile for a dedicated volunteer who admitted she enjoys organizing things.
While Pat Baran was working with colorful ornaments and statues of Santa Claus, her husband, Paul, was tending to a section of flea market space that was filled with keyboards and other electronic equipment.
“Anything with a cord and a plug, and he’s happy,” his wife said.
Paul Baran’s expertise about electronic equipment was especially useful when he suspected that the right buyer might be willing to pay more than typical flea market prices for an instrument amplifier that appeared to be from the 1950s or ’60s. He contacted a shopkeeper he knew and sold the amplifier before the flea market even started. “He was happy to get the amplifier,” Paul Baran said of the buyer, “and we were happy to get $150.”
“Everything we take in is profit,” Forbes said, noting that the items have all been donated.
The “giant flea market” at St. Nicholas – St. Mary bazaar will begin earlier than the bazaar itself on Thursday, July 17. Held in the lower level cafeteria and upper level gym of St. Nicholas – St. Mary School, next door to St. Nicholas Church, it will open at 1 p.m. that day and continue to 10 p.m. On Friday, July 18, and Saturday, July 19, flea market hours are 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.
And on Sunday, July 20, after the 8 a.m., 10 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. Masses, customers will be able to revisit the flea market and, for $5, fill a box with items that still remain, Forbes said. You may bring your own box to fill, or use one from the flea market.
The rest of the bazaar activities will be held outdoors on the parish grounds of St. Nicholas Church, from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 5 p.m. (after the 4 p.m. Mass) to 10:30 p.m. Saturday. Attractions will include games, Bountiful Baskets, a 50-50 raffle drawing with a grand cash prize and 49 additional prizes, and live music. Refreshments include bratwurst, haluski, potato pancakes, Vietnamese egg rolls, piggies, Mexican and Caribbean treats, fried dough and more.
And if you’re looking for additional flea markets, check out the following:
Nativity of Our Lord Parish Picnic, where the bazaar hours are 5 to 10 p.m. July 11 and 5 to 11 p.m. July 12. The flea market is in the Holy Rosary School Auditorium, 127 Stephenson St., Duryea. Parking is available at Duryea VFW Post 1227, also on Stephenson Street, with a shuttle bus to the picnic entrance.
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Summer Fest, 5 to 10 p.m. July 25 and July 26 at Lake Silkworth, State Route 29, Hunlock Creek. Everything is under cover, including the extensive flea market.
St. Al’s Bazaar, set for July 31, Aug. 1 and Aug. 2, on the grounds of St. Aloysius Church, Barney Street, Wilkes-Barre.
