Gallup 9th Street Flea Market

Saturday on North 9th Street

The landmark is the bright yellow roof of the King Dragon restaurant on US 491. A right turn there and a left onto 9th Street lead to the Gallup 9th Street Flea Market, which lies on the north side of town one block east of the highway and runs parallel to it. The market is open every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on select Fridays. Admission and parking are free.

The market’s home page counts more than 500 vendors and as many as 10,000 visitors each week. Its own list of questions and answers is more modest: the number varies from week to week and averages around 450. A standard space measures ten feet by twenty and includes room for the seller’s vehicle. Before nine in the morning, reserved spaces are marked on the ground with an orange “R.” The holds lapse at nine, when the market opens to the public. Writing for New Mexico Magazine, Judith Fein advised visitors to arrive early for easy parking. By four or five in the afternoon most vendors are packing up.

There is no ATM on the grounds. Some vendors take cards, but many do not. The office is a trailer at the southeast corner.

Mutton stew and Blue Bird flour sacks

The market describes its stock as food, crafts, jewelry, livestock, and household goods. Fein’s inventory, published in 2018 and updated in 2021, is longer: jewelry, pottery, animal fetishes, Pendleton pillows, cowboy hats, paintings, herbal remedies, farm tools, and aprons made from Blue Bird flour sacks. The market’s own blog adds woven rugs.

Some stock arrives only once. On June 6, 2026, the market posted that discount lumber from Colorado was for sale that day in assorted sizes. On May 24, a vendor called Native Honeyman announced it was on the grounds with raw honey, pollen, and all-natural soap. Fein’s advice for the jewelry tables was practical: “Ask questions about provenance and quality if you’re buying turquoise or silver.”

Fein’s list of foods is mutton stew, Navajo fry bread, hot fresh tamales, horno-baked Zuni bread, and milky horchata. The market’s blog names the same stew, fry bread, and Zuni bread.

Acoustic guitar players often work the aisles through the day, the market says. Children have pony rides and the Story Garden, and the market’s posts also mention a children’s library space near the pony ride and a stage.

Fridays for the Ceremonial and Route 66

The 2026 season brought extra days and evening programs. On Memorial Day weekend the market posted a free concert. On Friday, June 19, and Saturday, June 20, evening concerts began at 5:30 p.m. Dog House Media produced them, and the bill included Weezer and Blink-182 tribute bands. The market opened on Friday, July 3, as a free vending day marking America’s 250th birthday, and stayed open on Saturday, July 4.

Gallup’s largest week is the Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial in August. The state tourism department describes it as a pow wow with traditional dances, an arts and crafts fair, an all-Indian rodeo, and a pageant. On Saturday, August 1, 2026, the children’s library space held a coloring book project, a sticker scavenger hunt with a sweet treat for finishing, and a mural. The market announced the day as a celebration of “the 104th Intertribal Ceremonial and 100 years of Route 66.” The following Friday, August 7, was another free vending day in honor of the Ceremonial. For Saturday, August 8, the office stopped taking reservations “due to the popularity of the Market during this weekend.”

The office also sold Route 66 centennial T-shirts for $15, designed by Natalya Nez. The market’s calendar lists a Friday opening on November 27, 2026.

A market on the edge of the Navajo Nation, and May 2016

Gallup was founded in 1881, when the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad laid its tracks through. The state tourism department calls it the largest town on the edge of the Navajo Nation, near the Pueblo of Zuni and, across the state line, the Hopi Reservation. Downtown, trading posts have been run by the same families for generations.

The flea market takes its name from the street it stands on. According to its blog, it began as a common ground where artisans and traders from the Navajo Nation, Zuni Pueblo, Hopi Pueblo, and other Indigenous communities could show their crafts and traditions. The sources give no founding year and do not agree on its age. The market’s home page says it has operated on its present site for more than 30 years. Its blog and the Visit Gallup listing say more than 25.

In May 2016, Gallup Land Partners, LLC took over operations. According to the market’s team page, the company owns and is developing 25,000 acres in Gallup. Those holdings include the Gallup Energy Logistics Park, a 2,500-acre industrial park served by rail. Its chief executive is Jacob J. Bracken. Robert Roche, also on the market’s leadership team, is developing a carbon-neutral manufacturing complex through the company, with an inland port, a free trade zone, and residential housing.

Martin O’Malley came to the company as a consultant in 2016, during the takeover of the flea market. He joined full time in 2017 and serves as general manager. The team page describes him as a 30-year resident of Gallup and the surrounding area.