In the midst of downtown patios and hair salons, a new store is breaking from the typical business model to offer residents a place to spend their time rather than their money.
The Common Flea on Wilson St. is a second-hand store that is open on Fridays and Saturdays. It operates similar hours to The Common, which is from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. the store also has an accessible entry way through The Common, which owns the space.
From the free library to a variety of donated items, the first thing one might notice while checking out The Common Flea is that there are not many price tags.
“I think a big part of the flea too, and the common I think as well, is when a business focuses primarily on capital gains, or margins, or merchandise, I think it actually creates a barrier for folks to access the space if they aren’t necessarily coming with a bunch of money and the sole purpose of spending money.” said the store operator, Either Or. "So I think both spaces really encourage this sense of accessibility regardless of financial situation."
"It's not somewhere where you need to buy anything, and if you did really like something, I don't have any prices for that reason."
With no expectation for folks to spend money, Or said patrons can hangout at the store and ask questions. However, while Or is open to negotiating with many items in the store, there are some exceptions.
“Folks who have donated, or brought things by, who are looking for a certain price, I will always respect those prices."
The Common Flea also features the work of airbrush artist Meredith Blackmore and Indigenous artist Xicotencatl Maher, who makes traditional medicine bags and sinew jewellery. Ray Mitchell, the owner of the former Dis-a-Ray Antiques and Collectibles, also donates to The Common Flea.
Or reached out to Mitchell after opening The Common Flea. In a way, they said the store is a homage to Dis-a-Ray Antiques and Collectibles.
“Ray Mitchell has had a legacy of spaces in the downtown core which provided a lot of curiosity and creativity and thrift second-hand options, and he always had such an amazing personality and character to his spaces," said Or, who points out a stuffed turkey in the storefront window that came from Mitchell.
“It’s actually become for some of the downtown community, an opportunity for residents to engage with Ray, and all of the amazing oddities that Ray collects as well."
Started through an attempt to hold a yard sale, Or explains The Common owner, Kia Iverson, allowed them to use the space when they were worried about bad weather on the day of the sale, and it turned into a store.
Or also has a full-time job, and points out it is a "very privileged opportunity" to be able to run The Common Flea the way it is, as The Common is a self-sustaining business they can work alongside.
"I wouldn't hold anybody to that expectation or standard, it is a very unique opportunity," they said.
In the future, Or adds they would like to offer the store space for setting up limited capacity events, like panel discussions or workshops. Through these discussions, Or said they would aim to disrupt ideas and push boundaries which explore what can or can't be done with money, much like this store aims to do.
To learn more about The Common Flea, you can find them on Instagram.
