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Bob — A Chapter from Albuquerque
Bob — A Chapter from Albuquerque
I met Bob shortly after moving to Albuquerque in 1997. He was a vendor at the Indoor Mercado — a now-defunct indoor flea market — and we quickly struck up a friendship. Before long, we became business partners at the largest flea market in town, working side by side for several years. We even ran toy booths at the New Mexico State Fair in 2001 and 2002, which was a wild ride in its own way.
Bob and I haven’t kept in touch since I left the area. It was a good run, but the relationship had its challenges. It was co-dependent, and I’ll admit — I was the bad guy. Bob leaned on me heavily to manage his life, and that dynamic wasn’t healthy for either of us. I hope he’s doing better now. As for me, I’m relieved to have let go of that burden.
The photo here was taken on September 13, 2003, with Bob sitting proudly on his 1986 Honda Goldwing — a moment frozen in time from a partnership that taught me a lot.
Scooter Craze of 2003
Scooter Craze of 2003
Back in early 2003, kick scooters were all the rage — and we were right in the thick of it. While they’ve made a modest comeback in recent years (mostly electric now), nothing compares to the scooter boom of that time. Behind Bob in the photo, you can spot one of our hot-ticket items: racing wheels for kick scooters. We carried more than half a dozen different scooter models, and I was the go-to guy for repairs and upgrades — the official scooter tech.
Our setup at the flea market was impressive by any standard. At our peak, we operated seven vendor spaces — three of them were 24 feet long and 10 feet deep, and the rest were 10-foot wide and 24 feet deep. The entire space was ours, and the product line we offered was surprisingly extensive for a flea market operation. Toys, scooters, bandanas, wall decor, candy, incense, oils, burners, pipes (at the time for tobacco use only) and about every accessory that could go with them — we had it all.
The two photos above were taken in September 2003, capturing a moment from a time when the flea market was buzzing, scooters were flying off the shelves, and we were riding the wave of a retail trend that felt like it might never end.
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