The Long Way
Alameda County
People browsing stalls at an outdoor flea market.
Plate I. Vendor stalls, Berkeley Flea Market. From berkeleyside.org
An outdoor flea market or swap meet held in a parking lot.
Plate II. Vendor tents, Berkeley Flea Market. From berkeleyfleamarket.com
A crowd of people gathering at an outdoor market or event.
Plate III. Visitors and vendor stalls, Berkeley Flea Market. From berkeleyfleamarket.com
An outdoor market booth displays various crafts, statues, and woven baskets under tents.
Plate IV. Vendor stalls at Berkeley Flea Market. From dailycal.org
A vendor stands at a market stall filled with clothing, hats, and socks.
Plate V. Vendor stall, Berkeley Flea Market. From berkeleyfleamarket.com
Various bags and textiles hanging at an outdoor market.
Plate VI. Vendor crafts display, Berkeley Flea Market. From berkeleyfleamarket.com

Berkeley Flea Market

Berkeley, Alameda County, California. Open-air marketplace.

Details

Map. Berkeley, Alameda County, California. Larger map
Where
3100 Adeline Street, Berkeley, CA. Directions
When
9am to 5pm Saturdays & Sundays.
Getting there
Ashby Bart Station Parking Lot Off MLK Way & Ashby Rd.
Fees
Vendor stalls: two stalls for $30 cash, $32 by card.
Access
Open again after the official June 28 closure; vendors maintained the market independently over the summer.
Phone
800-650-8321
Website
berkeleyfleamarket.com
Managed by
Community Services United (CSU).
Established
1973.

The Berkeley Flea Market has been a Bay Area cultural landmark since the early 1970s, grown out of the community surrounding the Ashby BART station and known for global crafts, music, food, and strong roots in African American culture.

Notable Events

  1. 1970sThe flea market was the brainchild of community activist Pat McClintock as a way to raise funds for over a dozen Berkeley nonprofit organizations. berkeleyside.org
  2. 1973A court of law awarded Non-Profit Community Services United the right to officially establish The Berkeley Flea Market on the Ashby Bart Lot. berkeleyfleamarket.com
  3. 1973The market's history stretches back to 1973, the year the Ashby BART station opened; trains didn't initially run on weekends, prompting people to use the empty parking area to sell secondhand items. kqed.org
  4. 1985A court ruled against BART in a lawsuit aimed at moving the flea market off the site, saying the market had the right to stay as long as BART didn't have a legitimate use for the parking area. kqed.org
  5. 2024Vendors were informed of the market's imminent closure in November, 2024, with a hard date set for June 28 the following year. thestreetspirit.org
  6. 2025The market announced its closure after 50 years of operating at the Ashby BART Station, with its final official day being June 28, 2025. thestreetspirit.org
  7. CSU negotiated a new two-year deal with BART; the flea market can remain on the BART parking lot until Aug. 30, 2027, with CSU charged $750 monthly, down from the $1,273 paid monthly under the previous lease. berkeleyside.org

People

  • Artrenia Harris, President of Community Services United (CSU) and steward of the historic Berkeley Flea Market.
  • Kingdom X, Board Member.
  • Kristen Spencer, Board Secretary & Community Liaison, Berkeley Flea Market.
  • Arnold Perkins, stepped up to manage the flea market during its early years; went on to become Alameda County's Public Health Director (early years).
  • Keith Carson, stepped up to manage the flea market during its early years; later a longtime Alameda County Supervisor (early years).
  • Lashone Stowe, started coming to the flea market as a child.
  • Louis Freedberg, involved in launching the flea market in the mid-1970s (mid-1970s).
  • Marty Lynch, involved in launching the flea market in the mid-1970s (mid-1970s).
  • Pat McClintock, community activist; the flea market was the brainchild of Pat McClintock as a way to raise funds for over a dozen Berkeley nonprofit organizations (mid-1970s).
  • Spirit, drummer at the flea market (the last 30 years).
  • Yasin Khan, General Manager.
  • Andrea Prichett, CSU board member.
  • Charles Gary, long-time board member of Community Services United (CSU), the Berkeley nonprofit that runs the market.
  • Christopher Smith, drummer at the flea market leading the effort to keep it open.

Sources

  1. berkeleyfleamarket.com
  2. berkeleyfleamarket.com/our-market
  3. facebook.com/TheBerkeleyFleaMarket
  4. berkeleyside.org/2025/09/19/berkeley-flea-market-officially-back-and-legal
  5. dailycal.org/news/city/local-businesses/come-on-home-berkeley-flea-market-officially-reopens/article_151a6de3-ccd6-4810-8303-07640186abf0.html
  6. berkeleyside.org/2025/07/02/berkeley-flea-market-remembrance
  7. thestreetspirit.org/2025/09/04/farewell-berkeley-flea
  8. kqed.org/news/11723821/ashby-flea-market-shuts-down-temporarily-considers-relocating