Eastern WA’s largest open-air flea market wows shoppers with its south of border flavor

Paula Thompson hides behind a curtain of 4-foot-tall sea shell wind chimes, her smile peeking through to the crowds of passing families.

“I like the sea shells because it reminds me of the sea. I like being in the ocean, near the water,” Thompson says in Spanish, her 13-year-old grandson Oscar translating.

But it’s also a reminder of her roots and her family.

Growing up in Michoacán, Mexico, Thompson spent her childhood by the water. As a little girl, she plucked sea shells from the beach to use in artisanal decorations she and her mother made to sell. Her mother operated a storefront for a number of years.

These days, Thompson, 61, of Yakima, mostly sources her shells from craft stores, like Hobby Lobby.

A few years ago, she decided to start selling them like her mother once did. Her storefront at the Pasco Flea Market boasts a hodge-podge of items — from garden fountains, to dream catchers and bracelets and, yes, even the elaborate wind chimes.

“She’s not able to work in other places because she’s sick,” Oscar says. “She just puts her mind on making the shells. She has tumors in her back, so she can’t really do a lot of things.”

Every weekend morning from March through October — barring the occasional freak snow storm, 100+ degree heat wave or global pandemic — hundreds of vendors just like Thompson set up shop at the Pasco Flea Market.

And, just like clockwork, thousands of shoppers soon after make their way through the rows and rows of trailers, tents and stands to peruse the quirky, bizarre, exotic and one-of-a-kind goods for sale.

It’s Eastern Washington’s largest open-air flea market. On a given weekend, 8,000 to 10,000 people work and shop at the sprawling, tent-like city, estimates market manager Kyle Robinson.

‘There’s always an interesting story’

Where else can you find $5 horchata on tap, knock-off Louis Vuitton bags, 2-for-1 copper wire-twisted scorpion figurines, cheap name-brand carpenter pants and world-class tacos birria — all in one place?

Outside the gates, families sell tomatoes, watermelon and other produce. Inside the market, families line up to buy ice cream from a cart.

For some merchants, it’s a 36-year tradition.

For others, it’s the start of a new business venture.

“Nobody wakes up one day and decides they want to be a vendor at a local market,” said Robinson. “There’s always some interesting story behind it.”

The flea market has been a fixture in Robinson’s life since before he was born — and at every level it’s been a family affair.

His father opened the market on a 2-acre lot in 1987 near the King City truck stop to help pay his tuition at Washington State University.

Two weeks before Robinson was born, his parents moved the operation to the 70-acre lot where it currently stands, just off Highway 12 at 3620 E. Lewis Place in Pasco.

Here is where it has grown over three decades, since 1990, from a small pop-up to “a mecca for bargain hunters and Latino culture hounds,” as one Tri-City Herald reporter put it in 2008. Back then, admission to the market was just 50 cents.

The market means many different things to many different people. On a hot August afternoon, underneath a shaded area near the admissions booth, Robinson struggles to sum up the market to a first-time market goer.

After some time thinking, he settles on a phrase: “Small business incubator.”

“Many of the businesses downtown, in Pasco as well as in Kennewick, got their start here,” he said. “A lot of the reasons we get so many people coming back is because of the diversity. There’s lots of different vendors, different merchandise. It’s variety.”

“Variety” — It’s the same word Robinson’s father, Billy Robinson, used in 2008 when asked to explain their success. If anything, consistent variety is what has made the market a lasting legacy.

If it’s there today, it could be gone tomorrow. But what might take its place?

Billy Robinson, who died in 2012 following a years long cancer fight, was a believer in the power of the market. Having worked in smaller ones before opening the Pasco Flea Market, the senior Robinson saw how communal markets uplifted retailers and brought communities together, his son said.

“It’s humbling to know that it affects so many people,” Kyle Robinson said.

Hundreds of spots are filled with restaurants and merchants selling small live birds, clothing, electronics, toys, tools, plants, perfume, cookware, leather goods and much more.

And the cost for vendors to do business is cheap: $20 on Saturdays and $40 on Sundays.

Robinson says he employs up to 55 people during the season to help run the market, too.

New and old

There’s a hidden hierarchy at play here.

Near the entrance, veteran merchants covet their spots furnished with seasoned kitchens, rudimentary carpentry to weather the sun and dust.

Many of the newbies lay claim near the back of the market, where space is more plentiful.

This is where Brian Richards and Joel Rios set up their fledgling trading card business.

“The few times we’ve been here, we’ve seen some people selling fake Pokemon cards and things like that,” said Richards, 25, of Kennewick. “We just don’t like seeing people getting ripped off, so we come out here to sell the real stuff to make kids and some other people happy.”

It’s their first year selling at the flea market. They’ve been here every single weekend and so far business has been pretty consistent, Richards said.

“For now, we’re mainly going to do the flea market. But we’re hoping to build up our own card store eventually,” he said.

The dream is to bring more people together through trading cards, said Rios, 35, of Richland.

Groups that would meet to play Magic: The Gathering or trade rare Pokemon cards are not doing so as frequently since the COVID pandemic hit. Richards and Rios want to lead that revitalization here in Tri-Cities.

They duo also sells Funko Pops and even “mystery boxes” filled with random trading card packs.

Carlos Rimos, 64, of Pasco, sells blankets from a 40-foot long, triple-door parking garage.

For 18 years, the Tyson Fresh Meats worker has been selling blankets on the weekends as Cobijas El Viejon, which translates to “The Old Man’s Blankets.

It’s a side gig he enjoys and something he plans to be doing for another 18 years. Most of his clientele are new parents and teens.

“It’s nice to be here in the fresh air and to socialize, which is what I like the most,” he said through a translator.

Hispanic heritage and a changing neighborhood

Hispanic culture and heritage is rich at the Pasco Flea Market, with many merchants predominantly speaking Spanish.

One commenter on Tripadvisor said walking through the Tri-City staple was like “taking a trip to a village outside Mercado south of the border.”

Gabriel Portugal, former president of the Tri-Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, estimates thousands of dollars are exchanged every day that the flea market is open.

That’s important because those revenues go directly into the pockets of Latin business leaders and young entrepreneurs. The market can be a testing ground for new and up-and-coming products from Mexico, or used as a stopgap for people between jobs.

“I think the economic impact is really great,” he said. “There are folks who come from far away, I think from Oregon and even California, because they want to sell their goods and it’s the best place to do that at.”

At the same time, the flea market also finds itself at a crossroads with an ever-changing east Pasco as new neighborhoods and industrial developments pop up, edging ever closer to the Snake River.

A mile south of the market, Amazon built twin fulfillment centers it plans to open sometime in the future. The project is expected to add 1,500 jobs to the area.

Investments in public markets and private shopping centers could bring more opportunities to east Pasco, too.

“I imagine it’s going to be a challenge to compete for customers, and we hope the flea market survives and continues to create this opportunity for people to go do business,” he said.

Since the pandemic the market has been working on getting back to business as usual, Robinson said.

There could be future conversations about its role in the community, especially if the need to expand or relocate ever arises, but the time for those conversations is not now — the flea market will remain an east Pasco fixture for the foreseeable future.

“The flea market’s always been a family affair and my family’s been born and raised in Pasco. So, we’re just excited to see the Pasco community growing,” Robinson said.

Tips when going

Here are some tips if you plan on going to the Pasco Flea Market, at 3620 E. Lewis Place.

• Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturdays and 7 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sundays.

• Saturdays are free and there is a $2 admission for adults on Sundays.

• Be prepared to walk! There is plenty to see and do at the market.

• Parking is free but the lots are unpaved and dusty.

• Check the weather and drink plenty of water to avoid overheating. If possible, go when it’s early and cool.

• If you enjoy a variety of authentic Mexican eats, stop by one of the several food courts with picnic tables located throughout for breakfast or lunch.