The vendors who sell merchandise at Trade Days are just like you and me. Many have regular jobs and spend weekends making extra money. Some are retired and sell merchandise on the weekend to get out of the house. But regardless of the reasons, all the successful vendors have one thing in common--they all love people. You can see it in their eyes and the way they talk with the shoppers.
Eighty percent of the vendors at Third Monday Trade Days are permanent vendors, with some having been on the same spaces for over 30 years. Each month shoppers see the same familiar and friendly faces. And while the shoppers may not know the vendors' names, they know them by what they sell. He's the "hat guy" and she's the "tack lady" and he's the "rug man." And I, who am I? No one knows my name either-I'm the "flea market guy."
It's not too bad to be known by what you do as long as your job is worthwhile and you try to do it well. Maybe our society would be healthier if more of us were judged by what we did and how well we did it. Imagine the "government man" taking pride in his work and doing a good job serving the people who pay his salary.
That might be part of the fascination of Trade Day markets-the innocence and our nostalgia for a simpler world where people don't hide from their responsibility. I know it's not the "real world"-we're not in Kansas any more-but it's a world we can still visit at Third Monday Trade Days in McKinney.