Update: Click here for elephant’s review of first Hill Flea, photos.

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What’s more Eco + Affordable + Stylish + Community than Reused?

Boulder needs a flea market.

The thought crossed my mind, selfishly almost, when I started pining for my own. I had recently relocated from Fort Greene, Brooklyn, where I was lucky enough to live across the street from the borough’s colorful weekly market. I partook of its treasures often. But then, as I settled into Boulder and started meeting its vibrant community of self-starters, clever cats and conscious creatives, the thought evolved from a nostalgic longing to a most practical and rational question:

Why doesn’t Boulder have a flea market?

After inflating my carbon footprint with six months of travel gigs, a plugged-in local angel, Hillary Griffith, presented me with this golden opportunity. A few months, many brainstorming sessions and caffeine-fueled meetings later, we’ve got all the fresh ingredients to cook up our very own Flea: a street permit, a functioning website, Facebook page and a growing roster of talented entrepreneurs, vendors, farmers, and other fine community folk who champion us along.

Why The Hill Flea, you might ask? For one, because the University Hill is an important and historic part of the Boulder community. Because the Hill belongs to all of Boulder’s residents, and should reflect that. Because it’s a great place to head for Sunday brunch. Because CU students would be happy to have some farm-fresh fare at their doorstep.

The Hill Flea is intended to be…

Dynamic: a changing roster of weekly themes will attract visitors from all parts of the community and engage them on many levels. A rotation of eclectic talent will grace our street: one week might present a marching band, while another might reveal surprise dance performances. My hope for The Hill Flea is that it becomes an experimental laboratory for all sorts of human interaction, a place for artisans to display their skills, for entrepreneurs to test their creations, a place for the exchange and inventive recycling of unwanted goods. A place to shop, eat, laugh, learn and just have fun.

The beauty of a great flea market is that it provides measured doses of discovery, with each week delivering varied surprises and delights. Discover the neighbor who has a crafting project on the side, or the one who’s been collecting vintage for years. Discover the pastry chef who sings to your sweet tooth with cupcakes, brownies, petit fours, or the farmer who’s growing the most sublime strawberries just down the road. But beyond admiring all that’s new and beautiful pouring out of Boulder’s brainy minds, let’s also discover what’s old. What possesses a past or reveals a moment in someone’s personal history. Let’s uncover the beauty in what’s been forgotten or discarded, restore its luster and give it a new home.

A home at the Hill Flea, naturally

The Hill Flea launches on Sunday, August 23^rd. Visit The Hill Flea for up- to-date information and announcements.