Market looks up: RGV pulga vendors unaffected by faltering economy

NEAR DONNA -- Buyers barter with traders here, freely exchanging cash for the cheapest deals on the novel and the profane.

Across the span of merchant tables laden with clothes, music, toys and even pornography, profits were made. The unfettered trade at the Val-Verde Flea Market is hardly touched by the world's tumbling economy. Within the rows of stalls and among the market's colorful vendors, however, is a miniaturized Wall Street. (Looking for a flea market?)

"Actually, for a one-day market this is good," said Steven Eusnovich, after pausing from fastening a new piece of magnetic jewelry on a recent afternoon at the flea shop near the intersection of Val Verde Road and Business 83. "For other people, I'm worried. For me, no - I don't really worry about (the economy)."

Retail sales across the country and in the Rio Grande Valley have fallen in recent months. High personal debt and economic uncertainty have spooked many consumers and persuaded them to rein in spending. Analysts predict that this might be the least profitable holiday shopping season in years.

For flea market merchants, they're hoping consumers will turn to the grey markets for cheaper deals.

Eusnovich wholesales the beads with Tri-State Imports in Donna and sells the jewelry pieces at the market to have something to do.

He makes good money that adds to his government pension, he said.

Earlier in the day, a suspected movie pirate nearly knocked Eusnovich's jewelry spread to the dusty ground. The man had abandoned his neighboring booth that brimmed with allegedly illegal movies when police arrived.

The magnetic jewelry held tight, fastened to a piece of metal concealed beneath a table cloth.

Vendors at many flea markets operate with little oversight and some make vast sums from offering illegal and quasi-legal merchandise.

That day the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office seized more than 100,000 allegedly pirated CDs and DVDs and arrested 37 people.

The excitement hampered sales and thinned the crowd - uncertainty can dampen profits at this market.

At the nearby Original Farmers Market, Owner Margaret Breneman said she strictly regulates her vendors, banning anyone selling illegal or pirated goods.

Breneman opened her doors in October and so far things have been slower than last year. She's optimistic though.

"I think we're going to have a pretty decent year," Breneman said. "The people are hurting ... and they're not going to the big stores."

Outside a hollowed barn at the Val-Verde Flea Market, 52-year-old Don Campbell offered profile sketches for $5. The afternoon sun threatened to further wash the color from a detailed portrait of a Marilyn Monroe photograph that advertised his talent.

"For me, this is excellent," the Harlingen-based painter said. "I started on the streets, my friend, homeless."

Eight hours before the twin towers fell blocks from Wall Street on 9/11, Campbell's wife died in Austin. Six days later the Dow Jones Industrial Average suffered the worst one-day point loss in its history - a record broken on Sept. 29 of this year.

Campbell recalled how his life became a tailspin of alcohol for years after the event. At the same time American consumers racked up astounding amounts of debt and traders indulged in unfathomable realms of risk in an orgy of consumption.

Campbell's spiral from his former home in Austin to the streets of the Valley ended when he quit the bottle and opened a business in Harlingen painting portraits, he recalled.

It was risky, he said. He had no money, but he rebuilt his life.

"I was going to starve at first, the whole ‘starving artists' thing," he said smiling.

Now his profits are high and he sketches portraits at flea markets for fun and promotion.

The indulgences of Wall Street - excruciatingly complicated securities among other creative investments - and the excesses of consumers - credit cards and subprime mortgages - sank the economy earlier this year.

Thousands of people continue to lose jobs every month. Investors wonder when the economy will hit bottom.

Few people at the flea market seemed afraid. Tejano music echoed across the dusty expanse where money changed hands. An older man danced.

As he took a drag of a cigarette, Campbell reflected on his own life and offered advice like a Wall Street insider.

"Don't panic," he said. "We've all been through this before."

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Sean Gaffney covers business, the economy and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4434.