Flea market culture in Bavaria: How odds and ends build community and sustainable consumption

What motivated you to found this initiative? Was there a crucial factor?
 
As a solo entrepreneur, I have been involved in the city’s neighbourhoods, local shops, culture and gastronomy for over 20 years. The different neighbourhoods have always been close to my heart. They represent a lively, colourful and individual coexistence in the big city. To me, the combination of community, sustainability and the love of one’s neighbourhood are the perfect mix for multi-faceted participatory projects like yard sales, or Hofflohmärkte in German.
 
Thanks to numerous discussions with shop owners, creative people and local activists, many ideas and projects have already been implemented together. The idea for a yard sale or several yard sales came up at an evening meeting. Some people had already heard of an individual yard sale in their neighbourhood or even the original idea from America. This is where community flea markets have sprung up in people’s front yards or garages - known as garage and yard sales. There have been individual yard sales for decades. What was new was the combination of several yard sales in the neighbourhood and the merger of different neighbourhoods on different dates as the familiar series.
 
The website www.hofflohmaerkte.de and the associated local city websites, such as www.hofflohmaerkte-muenchen.de or www.hofflohmaerkte-wuerzburg.de provide a major information platform for neighbours and visitors.
 
The idea for community yard sales started over 15 years ago in a few neighbourhoods. Year by year, the idea has grown robustly into other neighbourhoods. In 2015, I then moved on to other cities, such as Cologne, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Mannheim and almost 40 other towns and cities. As of today, yard sales via www.hofflohmaerkte.de are held in 300 different neighbourhoods and districts all over Germany.
 
How have the visitors and/or exhibitors changed in recent years? Have you also noticed a trend among the younger generation towards a sustainable lifestyle?
 
What was still an insider tip in the early years and required a lot of explanation and communication is now already a traditional event for many people and an indispensable part of city life. The popular idea has been learned. The motivations are different. Of course, some of the neighbours want to sell their old favourites and visitors want to “hunt” for bargains. Other residents attend once a year mainly for the community and the great conversations. In many places, a yard sale is held on a particular day for all of the residents in a particular building, with a party in the courtyard or garden. And some visitors take advantage of the day to discover new corners of the neighbourhood or the city. Normally, you always walk your usual routes to work or to family and friends. Yard sales allow you to explore new areas, streets, yards and gardens with positive cause.
 
We weren't able to only detect a clear trend among younger generations - rather a motivation spanning the whole of society. The yard sales were and are always colourful and intergenerational. Anyone is welcome.
 
We have certainly been able to raise many people's awareness of selling or giving away their old favourite items rather than throwing them away. We do not see sustainability as a lifestyle, but as a kind of contribution to more environmental protection for us and future generations.

How do you think yard sales will develop in the next few years? Are they more likely to increase or decrease?
 
Many yard sale dates and neighbourhoods have already been established and very popular. In Munich we have a “healthy” rotation of yards. New yards are added all the time, while others may take a one-year break. We are having lots of success in some neighbourhoods with over 200 yards, even in some smaller neighbourhoods –  our Friday evening dates are also in high demand with up to 100 yards.
 
And yes - of course there are also neighbourhoods where yard sales still have a lot of new potential. This is something we work on every day with the involvement of the neighbourhoods - e.g. with the neighbourhood management, citizens' associations, initiatives or people who want to contribute something positive for their neighbourhood.
 
In Munich, scheduling has meanwhile become very difficult. With over 50 quarters, unfortunately there are not enough open dates to accommodate everyone. The desire for more neighbourhoods in Munich, the surrounding area, as well as in Bavaria as a whole, is continuously high.
 
We still regularly launch in new cities and have a long wish list of neighbourhoods without yard sales. In neighbourhoods where involvement is waning, we take a break for a while to get going again sooner or later with new momentum.
 
You already went to flea markets when you were a little boy. What do you enjoy most about yard sales? Or at least from the perspective of a visitor

My parents took me to flea markets for many reasons. We had to live frugally and were therefore grateful for the occasional bargain at the city’s flea markets. For me as a child, it was always a special experience because there were so many beautiful things and because I always found the hustle and bustle at the markets exciting and entertaining.
 
Even after so many years, I love yard sales and flea markets of all kinds. You always discover something new - special one-offs or fascinating precious objects. Some old favourites remind you of your own childhood and make for an exciting “real-life” journey back in time.
 
It is also wonderful to see new yards or gardens that have never been involved before and are now opening their gates especially for the yard sales. There is a unique charm to the various courtyards and private gardens. There is usually a very warm, happy and familiar atmosphere. Specific architectural features, interesting facts about local history or a beautiful green oasis with lots of trees, plants and flower beds make it seem a bit like a holiday in a little oasis.
 
Yard sales are therefore a big and colourful grab bag for a communal and sustainable sense of togetherness.Many different and decentralised yard sales create a colourful, diverse flea market experience throughout the neighbourhood. Not only can you pick up a bargain or two, but you can also discover the city and its neighbourhood from a side that would otherwise remain closed to you. Each quarter delights with its own character and the charm of the people who live there. It allows you to get to know the city off the beaten path, away from well-known sites and tourist attractions.