(Photo above courtesy of Bend Indoor Swap Meet)
When you visit The Bend Indoor Swap Meet, you will find it to be unique in a variety of ways. With 25 full time and ten part time local vendors, the available items for sale are limitless. The old, new, vintage, antique, handmade and the unusual are available to visitors.
The Bend Indoor Swap Meet is unlike the garage sale many are familiar with. “We have added Saturday market vendors which make it well rounded,” reports Owner Carol Jacobs. “It is a venue of mostly quality items available to a variety of income levels. Many of the vendors buy, sell and trade to repeat customers as well as new comers. And it is not all about buying and selling. It is about looking, searching, finding, visiting with vendors and customers alike and enjoying your visit to our establishment. Most of all, it’s about having fun.
“We are multicultural beginning with our Latino diner. Victoria serves a variety of fresh fruit specialties served in watermelon and pineapple shells. She also sells a variety of imported candy, food and drink items from Mexico. In addition, we have a vendor who sells a variety of Latino clothing and sports items to include
soccer merchandise.
“Then we have Klava. A 90 year old Russian women who was captured by the Nazis and held captive at a work camp until she and a girlfriend escaped and hid in the forest until the American Liberators came to the rescue. Klava’s history is a human interest story in and of itself.
“Besides Victoria and Klava we have Eva. A Hungarian woman who migrated from Hungary to Canada and then to the United States. There’s also Antonio, who hails from Cuba and has a story of his own. We have a variety of vendors from so many different backgrounds each with interesting stories.
“I would be remiss if I did not mention the veterans who are vendors at The Bend Indoor Swap Meet as well as the many veterans who come to buy, sell and trade. It is not unusual to find veterans exchanging information about their service and enjoying one another’s company. We at The Bend Indoor Swap Meet are proud of all our veterans, past and present, and welcome them with open arms.
“The vendors have gone out of their way to receive customers in wheelchairs, walkers and canes. Many who are repeat customers.”
The Bend Indoor Swap Meet is increasingly becoming a weekly stopping place for a variety of customers. Numbers of newcomers has increased significantly in the past year. From the homeless to the wealthy, they have something for just about everyone at one time or another.
As we like to say, “We’re not just a Swap Meet…We’re An Event,” concludes Jacobs.
The Indoor Swap Meet was founded by Carol Jacobs. There are some vendors that have been with the Indoor Swap Meet since the first year.
Carol Jacobs, owner, operator and “The Boss,” The Bend Indoor Swap Meet, itsmecarolj@hotmail.com
