Vendors, shoppers alike call event successful

Published 5:00 am Monday, October 17, 2005

Visitors and vendors alike claimed the Wesson Flea Market wasthe best in years and shared credit with the weather.

A light breeze brushed aside the day’s low heat to make theoutdoor event a pleasant experience.

“It was a good flea market and a cool day – a nice day for it,”said Ann Goleman of Brookhaven as she sat in the shade.

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Sally Hedgepeth, who was sitting with Goleman, agreed.

“It’s good to be out. It was a wonderful flea market,” shesaid.

The streets were full of shoppers all day, said Willie Hamilton,a carpentry vendor from Chauvin, La. Hamilton said he is a regularto the Wesson Flea Market and felt Saturday’s was one of the bestin years.

“It’s been a good one,” he said. “This is not a real, real bigshow, but it’s an excellent one for the price of the booth.”

Ann Simonson and Gary Jackson, both of whom were selling food toraise money for the J.M. Wesson Masonic Lodge, said they wererunning out of food by 2 p.m. Several menu items had already beencrossed off their signs while other items needed to be.

“It was super good at our site,” Simonson said.

Jackson said “there was a steady flow of traffic, goodbusiness.”

While Hedgepeth and Goleman snacked they called to wanderingchildren, taken in by the new toys and the sights of the fleamarket.

Goleman admitted she was returning home empty-handed, but saidit wasn’t because the vendors didn’t have a good selection.

“I found a lot of things I wanted, but I didn’t buy anything,”she said.

Hedgepeth, however, sat beside several full bags.

“I bought some jewelry,” she said. “I think the vendor wareswere better this year. The food was wonderful, as always.”