When the Berkeley Flea Market, a fixture of South Berkeley since the 1970s, announced its impending closure earlier this year, it set off a wave of tributes and farewells celebrating its past as an essential haven for those seeking cheap furniture, used clothes and community.
It appeared that the market’s story was drawing to a close.
Attendance had fallen off. The number of weekly vendors had declined from about 200 a decade ago to 20 or 30. And the market’s nonprofit operator, Community Services United (CSU), was struggling to keep it afloat as it lost up to $10,000 a month…