News

May 20, 2023

Vendors sell their wares at Salvation Army flea market

By Kevin Carroll [email protected] Sublimation tumblers handmade by Lisa

By Kevin Carroll [email protected]

Sublimation tumblers handmade by Lisa Remetz, from Just 4 U Custom Tumblers, on display and for sale at Saturday's Salvation Army flea market.

Kevin Carroll | Times Leader

WILKES-BARRE — A collection of local vendors got the chance to sell their merchandise as the Salvation Army held its annual flea market on Saturday.

A handful of tables filled with items of all shapes and sizes, from books to model vehicles to homemade tumblers, ringed around the Salvation Army's hall while a few prospective customers browsed the selections.

"We had about a dozen vendors when we opened this morning," said Lieutenant Ismael Ortiz, a Salvation Army officer. "Some of them sold out all their items just in the first few hours."

Much in the vein of most vendor fairs, flea markets and craft shows occurring in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Salvation Army had to scale back on this year's flea market in order to provide proper social distancing and ensure everyone's safety.

"It used to be rows and rows of tables, and the room would be packed," said one vendor.

Even with the market happening on a smaller scale than normal, the general consensus among everyone seemed to be that the event went off successfully.

"It's been slow, but steady," said Marion Kasko, from Edwardsville, who had some vintage items and old DVDs to sell at her table. "I had this table packed full of things, and now it's thinned out."

Right next door to Kasko's setup was a table chaired by her daughter, MaryAnn Lugiano. Lugiano had a wide collection of toys and games for children, and the mother-daughter team shared a rack of old designer clothing.

"We come down and do the market here every few years or so," Lugiano said.

On the other end of the market was Lisa Remetz, a Dallas resident who picked up a new skill during the pandemic, and has turned it into a burgeoning small business: She makes homemade sublimation tumblers.

"I started making these in August," Remetz said. "It doesn't take a whole lot of time, and I love doing it."

Remetz, whose business is called Just 4 U Custom Tumblers, said that she got her start making epoxy tumblers, but found herself alleric to some of the materials involved in that process.

She made the switch, and the finished result was right there on her table: Sublimation tumblers designed in all sorts of different ways: tumblers bearing the logos of brands like Harley Davidson and Scooby-Doo were mixed in with other unique designs.

"They’ve done very well so far," Remetz said. "I’m hoping to get a spot at the Luzerne County Fair."

Ortiz said that the Salvation Army is tentatively looking to schedule another flea market around Mother's Day weekend.

Ortiz said that another flea market is being tentatively scheduled for sometime around Mother's Day.

Before you move on, we invite you to become a Times Leader Advocate. You'll receive some great benefits, including our Diamond Card with local discounts and deals, access to our E-Edition, a faster, reduced ad experience on timesleader.com, and more.