"It’s a really unique venue!" exclaimed Christy Arneson, the "Anja" of Anja’s Arts, who sells handmade jewelry, as well as rocks, minerals, fossils, Himalayan salt lamps and other things, at the Swappers Meet.
"It doesn’t matter what you’re looking for – you’ll find five more things to take home with you." Anja, who closed her shop in Annandale since she is too busy between the Wright County Swappers Meet and her online business, says she loves the Swappers Meet.
"It’s like a combination art fair and flea market." Anja pays extra each month in order to keep her cart in the same location, where her customers can find her.
Anja is one of many vendors who come back year after year to the seasonal open air market which was voted "Minnesota’s Best Flea Market," by WCCO TV viewers in 2014. Some vendors come from as far away as Dawson in west central Minnesota, and others travel from western Wisconsin or even Duluth.
Vendors far and wide
"One of our produce vendors comes all the way from Amery, Wisconsin," said Laurie Miller, who has been running the Swappers Meet with her husband, Kevin, for the last few years.
Many vendors, of course, are from close by, such as Dean "Lonny" Lonnquist, of Lonny’s Woodshop, who brings his unique handmade wooden furniture items to the flea market from Monticello., Jim and Connie Hoffman, who sell homemade jams and preserves, as well as refurbished farm toys, baseball cards and other miscellaneous items, live in the St. Cloud area.
A number of vendors come from the Twin Cities, such as Woody Gray, who rents a shed that he calls The Bike Vault, and sells bikes that he has rebuilt. His sign says "I take pride in my work and guarantee all bikes."
Jim and Juanita Slagerman, who sell their Coffee Queen gourmet coffee mix (and offer free ice latte samples) are originally from Stacy – although with the success of their business they have opted to travel to events around the area in the summer, staying in their camper.
"This is really the best place to sell! People come here ready to buy," said Jim. Jim’s wife Juanita created the specialty coffee mixes at home after realizing how much she was spending on lattes and other coffee drinks at the local coffee shop.
"I just did a little mixing of ingredients in my kitchen," said Juanita, "and finally I found a mix I liked. Now I’ve added other flavors, and people seem to really like my coffee." Of the Swappers Meet, she said, "I love it! These are my kind of people." She also likes the fact that "it seems like every vendor has their own little niche carved out." This is the Slagermans’ first year at the Swappers Meet, and it has worked out well for them so far.
Barbara and Roy DeBoer come from Benson with their wares in a camper so they can stay overnight. They have been selling at the Swappers Meet on and off for 15 years. When a craft store where Barbara was part-owner closed its doors, she decided to sell some of the merchandise that was left over at the Swappers Meet. Barbara also crochets doilies "all the time," and sells these at the Swappers Meet.
"At one time I used to do lots of crafts with grapevines and so on, but they don’t sell well anymore, so I don’t make them anymore," she said. Her husband Roy sells new and used tools; they sell some household items as well. They both enjoy the Swappers Meet, especially the other sellers. "It becomes like a family," she said, referring to the group of vendors selling at the flea market.
Darrell W., who has a stand selling kettle corn and pork chops-on-a-stick, sets up on the west side of the flea market on Saturdays. He usually takes Sundays off, since he also works full time as a loan officer in the area. His drive from Litchfield is only about a half hour or so, but it takes an hour to set up.
"I arrive at 4:30 a.m., and usually sell my first pork chop by 5:30!" says Darrell. Darrell has been grilling and selling pork chops on a stick at the Swappers Meet for about six years, and really enjoys the experience. He finds that there is a sense of camaraderie that doesn’t exist everywhere, and points out that the mix of people changes depending on the weekend.
"When the fruit and vegetable vendors come, there is a whole new crowd," he says. "There are a lot of Hmong sellers them, and I think they are really cool," said Darrell. He has developed a rapport with them over the years so that "they know what I want in vegetables and they bring them to my booth!"
Far and wide buyers
Buyers also come from all over. One woman driving a large crew cab truck and pulling a trailer said she had come prepared to buy. She loaded up the trailer with a dresser, table top, chairs and a few other items purchased from vendors at the Swappers Meet and headed back to Stacy – over an hour and a half away.
Jenny Beehler, who lives in Kimball, goes "Just about every weekend." She likes to look at what people have to offer – "things that aren’t available in stores." She also views attending the Swappers Meet as "a way to socialize, meet new people, and get some exercise." When her husband bought a new motorcycle, they wanted helmets for the kids so they could ride as well.
It was at the Swappers Meet that they found them – slightly used, but in good condition – for much less than they would have spent in a store. To really get the good deals, though, says Jenny, you have to get there early. "All the locals go early," she said, "around 6:30 a.m.."
"Most of my neighbors and many of the summer lake people buy from Grant, the plant guy in the northwest corner," said Eric Groshardt of Annandale, who loves attending the Swappers Meet.
"He is a wealth of knowledge, honest, and very helpful." Eric also says the produce stands are a wonderful place to pick up vegetables, and admires the hardworking families that sell at the Swappers Meet each weekend. Lauding the mostly Asian families selling flowers, Eric has found that they are very reasonably priced and will create personal arrangements while you wait.
Laurie Miller has heard from business owners in the area that they get extra business due to the Swappers Meet. Restaurant owners have told her that people come by for breakfast or lunch after attending the Swappers Meet; gas stations have noticed increased purchases; and other events also see increased attendance. "It’s a community thing," says Laurie.
Founded in 1970
The Wright County Swappers Meet was founded in 1970 by Stanley and Gladys Miller, based on what they had heard about open air markets in California. The idea took off, and Gladys and Stanley ran the Swappers Meet together until his death in 1982. After her husband’s death, Gladys ran the Swappers Meet by herself until 2012, when she handed the reins over to her son, Kevin and his wife, Laurie. Laurie now takes care of much of the paperwork, as well as developing the website, www.wrightcountyswappersmeet.com, and maintaining their Facebook page.
"It is very much a family business," says Laurie, noting that both her daughters help out, either checking in vendors or helping in the Food Building. Kevin, who takes care of most of the maintenance at the Swappers Meet, mentioned that his sister and brother-in-law run the corn dog booth and his niece works at the main Food Building.
Kevin and Laurie have made a few changes in the last few years, including increasing the size of the flea market so more vendors could be accommodated, adding a lanyard system for checking in vendors, and increasing the number of days they are open.
Last year they decided to open most Sundays. (They closed the Sunday of Annandale’s triathlon in mid-July to avoid adding to traffic headaches.) This year they announced they are open three days on holiday weekends in the summer – Friday, Saturday and Sunday on Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day weekends. They have also begun to mark out the spaces so they are easier to locate.
"It’s really taking off," said Laurie, noting that social media seems have helped get the word out.
"And our entire family is so thankful to the community for all the support over the years," she continued, "Thanks to all of you from Kevin, Laurie, and Gladys Miller and families."