KTLA 5 – Melrose Trading Post flea market reopens with COVID-19 safety protocols after monthslong closure

After a monthslong closure, the Melrose Trading Post flea market has returned to Fairfax — with new coronavirus safety protocols in place.

Shoppers arriving at the campus of Fairfax High School on the corner of Melrose and Fairfax avenues to browse for handcrafted goods, eclectic arts, vintage clothes and antique furniture will have to wear face masks at all times, except when eating or drinking, and keep at least 6 feet away from others, organizers said.

To allow for more physical distancing, the market was enlarged, walkways were widened, vendors’ tents were spaced farther apart and visitor capacity was reduced.

Vendors and staff will start their day with COVID-19 symptom screenings, including temperature checks ahead of the flea market’s 9 a.m. opening time every Sunday.

There won’t be live music music at market like before, and the usual food and beverage vendors won’t be there until they are allowed to operate by the health department, organizers said.

Instead, food trucks were brought in, and visitors can enjoy their meals while sitting in a large food court area — the size of half a football field — to allow for 6 feet of distancing between tables.

The flea market, which helps raise funds for programs at Fairfax High School, first closed in March as the coronavirus pandemic spread in Los Angeles County.

“We have two things going on: Let’s keep it safe but let’s create an opportunity for people to make some money in here, and also raise money for Fairfax,” cofounder Pierson Blaetz said.