RICHWOOD, Ky. — As politicians start taking interest in them, Kentucky flea markets are entering the realm of politics.

        Concerned with legislation that has been proposed by Congress and passed in other states, a small group of flea market owners in Kentucky has formed a statewide association and hired a lobbyist to monitor bills in the Kentucky General Assembly.

        Ohio does not have a statewide association, but the owners of two Southern Ohio flea markets — Turtle Creek in Monroe and Caesar Creek in Wilmington — want to start such a group.

Mike Stallings, co-owner of the Richwood Flea Market, has been elected president of the Kentucky Flea Market Association, a new organization. (Patrick Reddy photo) | ZOOM |

        At issue are new regulations — restrictions on what can be sold and how those sales are recorded — that are being proposed and increasingly passed.

        Edgewood resident Mike Stallings, who owns the Richwood Flea Market in Boone County with his brother Mark, has been elected the first president of the Kentucky Flea Market Association.

        “There's nothing out there right now in Kentucky that we're concerned about,” Mr. Stallings said Friday in his office at the 300-booth flea market.

        The market owners have seen developments in other places and want to make sure no legislation viewed as detrimental to the industry is passed in Kentucky.

        “But we want to be proactive just in case something comes up, so we hired a lobbyist to keep an eye on things for us,” Mr. Stallings said.

        The association has hired Bob Babbage, the former Kentucky secretary of state and one-time gubernatorial candidate who has been lobbying in Frankfort for the last few years.

        For now, about eight of the 30 flea markets in Kentucky are expected to join the association, but the others are being encouraged to join, Mr. Stallings said.

        Though mainly populated by small and independent sellers and businesspeople, flea markets are a big business.

        Nationwide estimates put annual sales at $4 billion to $8 billion, Mr. Stallings said. In Kentucky about $15 million to $20 million in products are sold each year at flea markets.

        “As you can see,” Mr. Stallings said, “there's a lot at stake here.”

        In Pennsylvania, lawmakers passed a bill last year that requires a receipt for every transaction, an uncommon practice at many markets.

        Flea markets in Pennsylvania also face tighter regulations governing the sale of certain products, including food, produce, baby formula, cosmetics and over-the-counter medicine, such as pain relievers.

        “That just puts an extra burden on the seller,” said Tim Byrne of Covington, who operates a flea market Web site, www.fleamarkets.com. “The big retailers and grocery stores are driving a lot of this legislation, because they have the clout and money with the politicians,” Mr. Byrne said. “I think it's an outstanding idea to hire a lobbyist. A lot of states are doing it.”

        Mr. Stallings said the power of political activism was witnessed last year when the National Flea Market Association's lobbyist was able to convince Congress to kill a federal bill similar to the legislation passed in Pennsylvania.

        “That was a wake-up call to a lot of people in our business,” Mr. Stallings said.

        Legislation viewed as bad for flea markets has also been proposed in Arizona, California, Missouri and Illinois, Mr. Stallings said.

        “In all those places, flea markets are getting more organized because they see doing so as a means of survival,” he said.

        “We're very interested in what is going on politically because we need to be,” said Ryan Levin, whose family owns the Turtle Creek and Caesar Creek flea markets.

        “We need to get active on the grass-roots level and we need a lobbyist in Ohio,” Mr. Levin said. “We've talked to other owners and it's something we're trying to get started.

        “There are some big interests out there who want to use their muscle to come down on the little guy, the business people who sell at and who own flea markets,” he said. “We need to get organized.”

        But Jay Frick, owner of Traders' World flea market in Monroe, Ohio, said he does not see the need for lobbyists or state associations.

        “I don't think it's a big problem,” Mr. Frick said. “I don't know what people are worried about. We don't have anybody selling baby formula, and how they can stop somebody from selling cosmetics is beyond me. It just doesn't sound necessary.”
       

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