Some quick reads to get you ready to press SUBMIT on your application…

 

Before applying - get ‘in the know’…

 
 

What are the dates / times of the Flea for Season 7?

  • SPRING FLEA | May 4-5
  • SUMMER FLEA | July 13-14
  • FALL FLEA | September 21-22
  • WINTER/HOLIDAY FLEA | December 13-15

Saturday 10am-5pm
Sunday 10am-4pm

How does a 2-day market work?

Glad you asked! Two days of the Flea = MORE shopping (YAY!). #TeamFlea is hard at work to ensure a safe and successful weekend for all. Enrolled vendors will participate in 'Event Prep School'. Event Prep School was created to ensure that vendors show up prepared on the day of the Flea.

Event Prep School will outline topics including the following:

  • Security - we will have overnight security on-site monitoring the market area and points of entry/exit
  • Weather
  • Setup + Teardown
  • Insurance requirements
  • Packing list
  • Permitting + licensing
  • and more!

Regarding security:
Vendors are solely responsible for maintaining and securing products and or furnishings. Please use your discretion for what you leave at your booth overnight on Saturday. We recommend lowering your tent halfway (and may require you to do so depending on weather conditions) or utilizing the sides/walls of your tent (if available) to secure your booth. Further, it is recommended to bring totes or storage containers with lids to secure any product you may leave overnight from weather conditions.

Additionally, please note, you may re-setup your booth on Sunday, but we will not allow cars in the parking lot, unless otherwise agreed upon with Team Flea. Please utilize carts (or bring helping hand) to replenish your stock.

Team Flea is working hard to ensure the safety of the event area and those within. As such, we will have additional barriers at potential entry points, overnight security at each entry point and throughout, in addition to security cameras to provide proper surveillance to the area outside of event hours.

Where is the Flea located?

Tyler Village
3615 Superior Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44114

I want to be a vendor, is it too late to apply?

Our first round of applications are accepted starting January 25th. For consideration for Spring Flea, your application must be received by March 1st. For consideration for Summer Flea, your application must be received by April 1st. For consideration for Fall Flea, your application must be received by July 14. Continue to read the below FAQs for further information about the application process.

What's included with your Market Membership?

The Cleveland Flea is a small business incubator that draws thousands of Northeast Ohioans to lesser-known neighborhoods in the city to shop curated vintage, culinary all-stars and the most talented makers in the region. Here's what you get by making a commitment to join us this season:

  • Your booth space - An opportunity to create your own pop-up shop within an engaged community of like-minded businesses and shoppers.
  • Inclusion on our vendor list (and map if you are a Full Season Pass holder) featured on our website for each Flea.
  • Networking opportunities. The ability to meet and connect with some of the greatest movers and shakers within the community.
  • The best team in the biz (#TeamFlea) thinking daily (all year long) about all the extra resources and tools you might need to launch, grow & love your creative small business
  • Potential social media features.

Read more, here!

Vendor Types / Categories

  • Handmade / Maker
  • Vintage
  • Food (stand / truck / trailer)
  • Farm stand/produce
  • Independently owned boutique
  • Experiential + Interactive
  • Non-Profit
  • Other

Booth Sizes and Pricing

BIZ PASS - STANDARD/BASE RATE - same as last year's pricing
SINGLE MARKET BIZ PASS
10x10 | $600 ($300/day)
10x20 | $900 ($450/day)
10x20 VINTAGE | $600 ($300/day)
FOOD TRUCK (30' max) | $850 ($425/day)

FULL SEASON BIZ PASS (note: does not include Holiday)
10x10 | $1,800
10x20 | $2,700
10x20 VINTAGE | $1,800
FOOD TRUCK (30' max) | $2,550


BOSS PASS - access to additional perks (must qualify upon application)
SINGLE MARKET BOSS PASS
10x10 | $700 ($350/day)
10x20 | $1,000 ($500/day)
10x20 VINTAGE | $700 ($350/day)
FOOD TRUCK (30' max) | $950 ($475/day)

FULL SEASON BOSS PASS (note: does not include Holiday)
10x10 | $2,100
10x20 | $3,000
10x20 VINTAGE | $2,100
FOOD TRUCK (30' max) | $2,850

It's my first time being a vendor at the Flea, can I purchase a Full Season Pass?

It depends! We'll review your application and depending on what you show us, you may be eligible for a Season Pass.

Why should I buy a Full Season Pass?

A Full Season Pass guarantees you a booth all season long. We routinely have more people apply than we have space. A Season Pass makes it certain you WILL have a spot at each market. You will be done with applications and booth sales, making your life easier so you can just focus on your business. You will also be able to keep your same booth all season - share your Cleveland Flea address with your shoppers!

Application Submission and Notification Dates

Accepted SPRING & FULL SEASON PASS vendors will receive their acceptance letters within a month of the date the application was received. At that time, no new vendors will be accepted as FULL SEASON PASS vendors. Having said that, we have a rolling application process that allows us to continue to add new and interesting vendors throughout the season to fill all of our remaining spots. The application stays live on the website until July 14 and we check it once a month for updates and review. Any newly accepted vendors will purchase their booths on the days listed below - the same as everyone else. Please note that those who are not accepted into Season 7 will also receive within a month of the date the application was recieved.

If you're an accepted Full Season 7 Pass vendor, when you purchase your booth, you will fill out a small form that will allow you to indicate your top booth choices. As always, there are no guarantees, but we will do what we can to honor your requests. You will remain in the same spot all season. Purchasing all markets at once guarantees your same spot, and allows you to be done with booth sales for the season.

Accepted Single Market Pass vendors will have Booth Sale Day to buy the market(s) of their choice prior to the start of the season. Booth spots are first come, first serve (to purchase) and location within the market will be assigned by a member of Team Flea. You do have the option to upgrade to a "high traffic zone" or "corner booth" by purchasing one of the limited booth upgrades options. You are welcome to purchase as many markets as you like (on behalf of your business only) on each booth sale date. In your acceptance email, we will note the market date for which you've been accepted. If eligible, you can pick one or two if you are a month-to-month vendor or just get one for now.

You will have an opportunity to purchase a booth approximately 6 weeks prior to each event. Booth sales will only be live for one day, and will be first come first serve. This is why we encourage everyone to snag what they want for the entire season to ensure you can participate in every market you want to be a part of. See Booth Sales Dates for more info.

Jury Details

The Cleveland Flea is a juried event, and we review each application thoughtfully. We jury each application according to our community values, the overall brand experience that we look to maintain at each Flea, and the shopper experience. It's very important to us that small business owners in our city are supported and we understand that feedback is an important part of the process towards growth.

As a successful flea market who receives close to 500 vendor applications each outdoor season (but can only accept around 170 a month) and sees up to 10,000 shoppers at each event, we have a brand presence in the community that we are proud of and aim to maintain.

We are known for being:

  • the place where our community finds unique & uncommon goods
  • innovative/cutting edge/trendsetting
  • a creative hub
  • an exciting and adventurous experience
  • a launchpad for small businesses & creative visionaries

Those of you who are just starting out, or who lack much of the business requirements such as website, social media and photos will have an opportunity to work with us incubator-style.

For those of you who apply as a business, we have a list of criteria we look for when jurying vendor applications. What we try to assess overall is your committment to your own business / craft and your committment to being a good partner for us. That list includes but is not limited to the following questions:

  • Is this vendor committed to being their best?
    Do they have a website? Do they have a presence on social media? Is there packaging/labeling/setup appealing to our shoppers?
  • Of all of the vendors of this type that we've seen, is this one of the best?
    Does this vendor fall into the top 10% of candle vendors (for instance)?
  • Did this vendor get all of their information to us in a timely manner?
    Did they apply on time? Did they buy their booth on time? Did we have to follow-up on missed parts of their application? Did they include photos? Were any of their links broken?
  • When this vendor shows up at our market, will they set up a booth that delivers a quality experience to guests?
    It may be simple, but will it be designed well and be inviting and exciting for our shoppers or will it just be a simple table with little thought put in to set-up or signage?
  • Do we have too many of the same vendors?
    We have to make sure we don't accept 5 donut vendors, for instance.
  • Will this vendor offer something unique that others are not offering?
  • Does this vendor have "the cool factor"?
    In other words, will they show up in a modern, cool, cutting edge way that's in line with our market or is their product outdated, not of high quality, or inconsistent in some way.
  • Is this vendor handmade, vintage, food, a corporation, MLM company representative or independent consultant?
    We do accept a few vendors who sell items that are not handmade (such as small boutique vendors) but we do not want our market to be flooded with this type of vendor. In addition, we don't accept any franchises.
  • Does this vendor excite and inspire us?
    If they sell items that can be found easily (and cheaper) at local box stores like Target then it's likely not a vendor that will be a great fit for us. We want to showcase beautiful, handmade, HIGH quality, made-in-the-US vendors as well as vintage vendors who source fashion-forward products and have a great eye for design.

If, while reading this list of criteria, you thought to yourself, "I think I check all of the boxes. I'm a serious business owner with a special, cutting edge brand that's unique!" ...Keep scrolling and submit your application!

Booth Sales Dates

Booth sale dates to be announced upon receiving vendor acceptance email.

When will I receive my booth assignment?

Booth assignments will be sent to vendors the week of the Flea. Only Full Season Pass holders are able to select a specific booth location.

Community Rules + Regulations

In the effort to continue to make the Flea a safe and fun place for our community, we require that all vendors adhere to our Community Rules + Regulations. We recommend that you review the policies prior to application to help you determine if you're the right fit for us.

READ MORE

Refund + Cancellation Policies

Vendors are required to sign an agreement when purchasing a booth spot. The booth spot fee is non-refundable except as otherwise provided herein. If a vendor fails to show up at the Flea that a booth spot was purchased, it is at The Cleveland Flea's discretion to terminate the Vendor Agreement.

Vendor must remit the booth spot payment to The Cleveland Flea by the method and by the date to be specified on the Offer E-mail and/or Vendor Packet, should you be accepted.

 
 
 
 

The questions you’re asking + the answers you’re looking for before event day!

 
 

When will I know what time to arrive and where to setup?

A vendor packet will be sent to participating vendors about a week prior to each Flea.

Is there a vendor bathroom?

Your well-being is top priority, that is why we have a Vendor Recharge Station set-up for you in the ZONE 1 parking garage next to the color wall. This station includes your own personal restrooms (without the wait), water + more!

Where can I get water?

Hydration is a must! Water will be available at the Vendor Recharge Station, set-up for you in the parking garage next to the color wall. This station includes exclusive restrooms (without the wait), water, and more! We also do our very best to hand out water 1-2x per Flea! We also strongly encourage that you invest in a BPA free reusable water bottle for your day to day health.

Is there a first aid station/EMS? Where?

Disclaimer: In the Case of an emergency never hesitate to call 911, but yes we have an EMS on site! They are located next to the green space and are there to help in the case of a minor or serious event!

How should I help to facilitate smooth lines that are not clogging walkways or blocking other's booths?

Wow, look who is popular with Clevelanders! We encourage the utilization of chalk and/or signage directing traffic for ordering, waiting, and pick up.

Can a member of Team Flea watch our booth while they go to the bathroom/get food etc.?

Unfortunately, due to liability purposes and lack of brand and product knowledge, we are unable to watch your booth. Please prepare to have someone your trust and knows your company well as a back-up representative of your booth.

Refund + Cancellation Policies

Vendors are required to sign an agreement when purchasing a booth spot. The booth spot fee is non-refundable except as otherwise provided herein. If a vendor fails to show up at the Flea that a booth spot was purchased, it is at The Cleveland Flea's discretion to terminate the Vendor Agreement.

Vendor must remit the booth spot payment to The Cleveland Flea by the method and by the date to be specified on the Offer E-mail and/or Vendor Packet, should you be accepted.

Business Tax + Permitting

Here are the things you'll want to do after you fill out your application & once you've been approved to sell at The Flea:

  1. TAXES. We know taxes aren't all that fun, but alas, they are a necessary evil and you know what? Paying taxes means we're legit! We're legit small business owners who are making CASH. It's alllll how ya spin it, friends.
    LINK: https://www.tax.ohio.gov/sales_and_use/license.aspx

  2. VENDOR'S LICENSE
    Transient Vendor's License
    You sell things in Ohio, but you move around. So, even if you have a brick and mortar, you'll need this if you sell outside of that.
    LINK: https://www.tax.ohio.gov/portals/0/sales_and_use/st_st1t12_09.pdf

    Vendor's License
    Each person with a fixed place of business in Ohio from which taxable sales are made. Vendors must have one license for each fixed place of business. License is issued by the County Auditor.
    LINK: https://www.tax.ohio.gov/portals/0/forms/sales_and_use/Applications-2010/ST_ST1.pdf

  3. (VINTAGE VENDORS ONLY) SECONDHAND DEALER'S LICENSE
    LINK: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3nB5-VW59MaYkp6bmcwazdidUpNNnIyRXlrdjZhZmhidFBz/view

  4. (FOOD VENDORS ONLY) HAZARDOUS MATERIALS PERMIT
    If you are using charcoal or propane, you'll need to do a few more things than the other vendors. It's the price you pay for being so damn HOT!
    Be sure that you've gone through hazardous materials training and have a certificate to prove it.
    Visit the Fire Department at 1645 Superior Ave. to fill out an application for temporary storage of hazardous materials.
    Bring the app over to Tyler Village for a signature from the property owner.
    Submit all of those materials and the city's application fee to the Fire Department THREE WEEKS BEFORE the Flea.
    E-mail proof that your materials have been submitted to vendors@theclevelandflea.com at least one week before the event.

  5. (FOOD VENDORS ONLY) HEALTH DEPT. CHECK-IN Contact the Cleveland Health Department about what is required of your own business if you are selling food of any kind, and you will need a permit from them.
    This is REQUIRED to sell food at the flea or you will risk having the health department shut you down on the day of (yes; this has happened!).
    In addition, if the health department does shut you down because you do not meet their requirements, then it is likely that you will lose your right to participate in future Cleveland Flea markets.
    Please check this off your list FOUR WEEKS BEFORE your first market and e-mail us with the appropriate information to let us know that you did at vendors@theclevelandflea.com with the subject titled "Your Business name - Health Department Approval".