Howard's Flea Market — Local services in Homosassa Springs

I will never again come to this flea market the disrespect I received from here is inexcusable. I rented a spot and didn’t do well for that weekend and a nice woman I became friends with let me share a spot with her and this flea market doesn’t have a rule about doing that yet they won’t allow it. They will even make up lies to kick you out. They weren’t happy about me sharing a spot which I don’t understand because a rented spot is better than nothing and if you have people struggling you would think this would be a better option… instead of attempting to stay when they were so up in the air with the fact of sharing a spot I packed my stuff up to leave. I decided to stay a little to hang out at my friends spot and also see if there was a way to get a spot since at three time I was low on funds. Right admitted they came to speak to us the one guy pulls back up to tell me that I’ve been asked to leave because the office claimed to get a message from someone that I was doing drugstore on the premises.. the whole time I had been sitting at my friends spot and no one knows me there because I’m not from this county.. so the office made up a false allegation on a disabled single mom for what reason? My stuff was packed and I wasn’t trying to cause trouble yet it made no sense when you have multiple people in spots at the flea market barely selling things that it wouldn’t be okay to be sharing spots. Especially when you have someone that has like 5 spots. An angel was trying to help me get on my feet and I’m appalled at how I was treated. Felt like I was discriminated against because of them most likely seeing some of my medical issues and twisting them to say I look the way I do because I’m doing something wrong .. when I’m reality I’m just trying to get by and sell the things I’m making so that me and my child have a roof over our head. Children should not be running the flea market. It’s also not a good spot for a disabled person who can’t walk far because they barely have any disabled parking here. I would not recommend selling here or going here by how they treated me because I can’t be the only one disrespected.This feels like a defamation of character or discrimination case.This flea market was well aware of my disability status because they could barely accommodate me with parking close to my spot when i was there alone and knew about my disabled parking permit.. Shame on this flea market for the disrespect.I’m supposed to stay away from stress and the stress this caused is inexcusable. The younger girl that seems to be in charge should not be if she is going to make up lies to kick people out when they aren’t even doing anything wrong. What makes this worse is my 10yr old daughter and her friend were with me and they were confused why we were being kicked out and let down that they couldn’t sell their...

I’m downgrading my review to 1 star. When I signed up to be a vendor and rent a shed space, I was told there would be a $60 deposit but I would get it back if I stayed for 3 months. I was intending to just try it for one month, but with this information I committed to 3 months, making it clear that I was going to stay 3 months so I could get my deposit back. I went to the office in person at the end of each month to pay my rent for the next month. Long story short, I finished my 3 month agreement and they are keeping my deposit because I didn’t give a 30 day notice? Par for the course. The rest of this review details the actual experience of being a vendor.

As a vendor I have been very disappointed with this flea market. I have been setting up here every Saturday for the past 3 months. ( May June July) Yes there are tons of vendors with lots of stuff for sale, but the “shoppers” just aren’t buying anything. I am not new to this industry. I post 40 ads a week to local Facebook groups which is the only way I have sold anything at this market. I have a variety of different things that usually sell well at outdoor markets, such as tools, toys, trading cards, antiques, sporting goods and camping equipment. The vendors around me are usually lucky to make $10 to $20 on a Saturday. They are just holding on for the winter months “when the crowds return”. I walked through all of the main aisles intentionally looking to see how many people were carrying items they had bought today. I counted FOUR. Out of dozens of people (mostly retirees who were apparently there just for something to do). I stopped and asked several vendors and they all said the same thing- “If I can make enough to cover my rent I will be happy.” I am sorry, but I don’t want to do all this work for nothing! Sure, as a shopper there’s lots to see if you’re looking for free entertainment , but as a vendor there are MUCH better investments for your...

Howard's Flea Market has been operating at this location for many years. It was closed down for several months as were all the other non-essential businesses during the coronavirus quarantine but reopened Memorial Day 2021. Many of the empty booths that were occupied by vendors who couldn't survive the shutdown have now been filled up again. There are no protective measures in place anymore: not one vendor in the roofed stalls was wearing a mask, no physical distancing or mask use was required of customers, and no hand sanitation stations were available. Very few customers (estimated about 1 in 20) were wearing masks. There is free off street parking available. There are vendors selling CBD oil and hemp products, lots of blemished, returned or reconditioned power tools, loads of dollar store made in China items, rugs, plants, umbrellas, pet supplies, perfumes, scented oils, books, motorcycle leathers and masks, toys, pots and pans, soaps, and more. There are public restrooms for customers. Food trailers and food booths are available throughout for hungry or thirsty customers. There is a "Mermaid Maze" that I think is free and for the kids. Very few closed booths have air conditioning and very few open but covered booths have fans, so if you have issues with heat getting to you and making you weak, you might want to make your visits here very early in the morning during the summer (no later than 9AM) or wait until October when the Florida fall temperatures start to equal northern balmy summer temperatures. Most of the vendors have fair prices, and they all seem willing to bargain with you, so don't be afraid to NICELY ask if they can do any better...