Flea Market Fire Support Overwhelms Vendors

SALISBURY, N.C.,None — On Sunday, vendors of the Webb Road Flea Market in Salisbury set up tents not far from areas damaged by fire back on Sept. 3. VIDEO: Massive Fire Destroys Salisbury Flea Market

Many people showed up looking for a good deal, a stark contrast to the day before, when some vendors actually re-opened but rain kept shoppers away.

Shopper Heather Shepherd said she was excited to get back into her weekly routine of scouting for good deals.

"This is great. I was so sad when it burned down," she said.

Shepherd said she was also shocked that the flea market reopened so soon. She said, "I thought that they would just demolish it and not start over."

Vendors like Ray Grant said they were overwhelmed by the amount of people that showed up ready to shop.

"It's nice all the people are coming back," he said.

Grant has sold health and beauty products since the flea market opened 25 years ago.

He said it's how he and his wife make a living.

Grant lost $60,000 worth of products in last Friday's fire. He said, "I lost all my stock. like having a 401k, it just crashed."

Grant said, fortunately, he had a little merchandise off site which is was he is now using to start over.

"It's been home for 25 years, and I enjoy it out here," he said.

Jennie Grubb, who sells birds, said she and others definitely had to make adjustments in using a makeshift space.

"It is limiting because we had more space on the inside [of the original building]," she said. "It was just easier. We could leave all our supplies here, and we just concentrated on getting the birds up here."

Grubb said her birds were saved from the fire because she took them all home with her at night.

Fire investigators have not determined a cause of the fire.

The owners of the flea market said plans are already underway to rebuild a part of the 31-acre site.

More Video:

VIDEO: Vendors Sift Through Rubble After Flea Market Fire

VIDEO: CHOPPER VIDEO: Salisbury Flea Market Catches Fire

WSOC