FARMINGTON — A successful indoor flea market is about to close while a lease with a national firm for the space is under negotiations.

Mt. Blue Market Place in the Mt. Blue Plaza will close as of June 3, Renee Targett, property manager, said. She would not comment on the next potential occupant while negotiations are under way.

“There’s a lot of rumors going around but I can’t comment,” she said.

The market has included as many as just over 50 vendors selling a variety of new and used items during the last three years, Mike Wedge, who was serving as cashier, said Wednesday.

There’s about 30 vendors left in the 30,000-square-foot space. Some are looking for space to rent for a smaller, similar market. Many are offering 20 to 50 percent off items prior to the closing, he said.

Eight of them intend to lease space from Jim Meader in the former Ford garage showroom next to Aubuchon Hardware. The eight will focus more on antiques and collectibles rather than flea market items, David Clark said.

He and his wife, Betty, are organizing the new business, which should open around the first of June, he said.

Several customers  have been upset over news of the closing. There are a lot of repeat customers who come back frequently to see what’s new, Wedge said.

The Mt. Blue Market Place celebrated its third anniversary April 17, Targett said. The concept started as a way to help pay the bills on the empty space. It was doing well. Rent included a cashier for the vendors who leased space on a monthly basis.

Some vendors just left items in their space, paid their rent and collected their money from the cashier when they sold, she said.

Unfortunately, it didn’t take care of all the bills, she said.

The former retail store is expensive to heat. During the coldest part of the winter fuel bills ran up to $1,500 a week, Targett said. The space needs to be be heated because of the sprinkler system.

Targett, representing Empire Property Management LLC, has reduced vacancies to just a few spaces.  

There are 12 small, individual offices in the space next to Family Dollar and a small space next to Fastenal, she said.

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