The Giant Flea Market in Union City is closing its doors forever after the December market.

The flea market has been a part of the community for over 13 years. Some of the vendors have been setting up their booths for the majority of those years.

In the past year or so the flea market has lost customers and vendors due to the slowing economy. When the lease for the building it is housed in expired, the owners of the flea market decided that in their best interest they would close the doors.

Some in the community were surprised to hear that the flea market would be leaving, but most of the vendors knew it was going to happen sooner or later. There have been too many problems not being fixed, and too much money lost by all involved to keep it open.

Avon Vendor Susan Andrews says, “The air conditioner on the right side of the building quit working in July, and it was never fixed.” Andrews also says that her business was practically cut in half during the past year because of lack of vendors and lack of customers.

With people being laid off from work and prices on everything going up, it is hard to afford even bargains at the flea market, let alone a booth to sell those items that costs around $100 for just one month. Like everything else, the booths at the flea market cost more and more because there just isn’t enough vendors to pay the bills. The owners have been forced to raise the prices over the years several times to make ends meet.

A current vendor at the Union City Flea Market has signed a lease with Wal-Mart for the old building in Fulton, Ky. It will be opening after the first of the year, and several of the vendors from the Union City market will be at the Fulton market.