Sagle Flea Market shuttering stalls

SAGLE — The sun is setting on the Sagle Flea Market after 34 years.

The market’s manager, Allen Bond, said his family was forced to sell the property on the east side of U.S. Highway 95 due to financial hardship coupled with a gradual evolution of the local economy, population and consumer tastes.

“We’ve had lots of fun out there, but it has been declining over the years,” said Bond.

Bond’s father purchased the land in 1978, but was unable to develop it as he wished. Then one day vendors asked if they could use the site to peddle their goods.

“It just grew all by itself,” said Bond.

The heyday of the market tracked with the heyday of the timber industry, according to Bond. Loggers and farmers would visit the market in search of tools or machine and vehicle parts in an era before discount chain stores.

The market also played to Bonner County’s thrifty, do-it-yourself ethic. Bond said locals were more inclined to find the materials they needed and do the work themselves rather than pay a contractor.

“The market did really good back in those days,” Bond recalled.

But when the timber economy faltered amid increasing environmental regulation, Bond said the market began its slow decline. Changes in the county’s demographics also affected the market.

As more affluent people began taking up residence in Bonner County, there was less interest in secondhand goods. More strain was added in 1999, when state tax officials required the market to account for sales tax, which Bond said cut business by as much as 25 percent.

Despite the challenges, the market could be relied upon for claw-footed bathtubs, in addition to fixtures and machine parts that were built before manufacturers embraced the concept of planned obsolescence. Antiques, recordings, knickknacks and other flea market staples could also be had.

“You’d find all kinds of things out there — everything from Class A motor homes to livestock,” said Bond.

Bond said the market’s sellers were a mix of transient vendors, local and regional vendors, and “weekend warriors” who simply wanted to rid themselves of excess belongings.

Illness in Bond’s family ultimately provoked a decision to sell the land. Bond’s mother is at an assisted living facility and a trust that was established after her husband died has been depleted.

“We have to sell the property to continue to take care of her because the rest of her funds have run out. It’s one of those have-to-do things,” Bond said of the sale.

Bond said he does not know for certain what the new landowner will do with the approximately 10-acre site. A rumor circulating among vendors, however, holds that it will re-developed as a boat and recreational vehicle storage facility.

“It’s kind of a local icon, but everything changes,” said Bond.