Great indie-electric music. Cheap, chilled booze. Kick-ass bargains. You’d probably be grinning as widely as a Cheshire Cat if you were offered just 1 of the 3. But all 3? Your brows raise in suspicion, you frown in doubt. You mustn’t have heard of Flea.Fly.Flo.Fun.

The local flea mart with a difference celebrated its second anniversary on Oct 25 by throwing a huge bonanza. Quirky and kitschy apparel and accessories were on sale, awesome music played, and lots of fashion-loving good-lookers put on parade.

But of course, UrbanWire wasn’t there just to shop; we want to take a look at the good people who started Flea.Fly.Flo.Fun. So here’s an interview with the brains behind the concept- Christy Chow and Terence Lau.

UrbanWire: What inspired you to start Flea.Fly.Flo.Fun?

Christy (C): As firm supporters and participants of the local music, fashion and arts scene, we wanted to provide a space for anyone to give a try at their ideas. Plus, we love the vibrancy of flea markets where it’s relaxed and full of smiles.

Terence (T): I was toying with this idea of having a flea market with a fusion of local music and something else for quite some time. So was Christy. Her idea was local fashion/design and something else. Through some weird coincidence we got around talking, and “Hey ho! Here we go!”

UW: How did you arrive at the name Flea.Fly.Flo.Fun?

C: It was a spur of the tongue. Just how we like things to be.

T: There were a couple of silly names that came out while we were thinking of one though Flea.Fly.Flo.Fun wasn’t one of them. That just came out suddenly and it somehow got caught on.

UW: Was it hard getting people to be interested in a flea market of Flea.Fly.Flo.Fun’s attitude?

C: We met our challenges while trying to grow, since we are not commercially driven. Over time, many saw our attempt in creating good joy and crowds started to pour in to join the game. Be it just meeting up with friends, casual browsing or hawking their wares.

T: In the beginning we had to literally beg and drag all our friends to take up a stall. But it finally paid off and slowly, word started to spread and Flea.Fly.Flo.Fun caught on. Now, we keep getting tons of additional requests even though we’re full. The administrative matters of it were and still are a torture but I guess we’re used to it by now.

UW: What are some of the more interesting items you have seen sold?

C: Rare vinyls, collectable vintage toys, Tarot card reading, photo art on Polaroid shots, hugs!

T: Hmm…well, I got a pair of Nike shoes for $10. No one believed it and thought it cost at least $80. Whoo hoo! There were also loads of almost mint comics being sold and me being a comic fan, I’m ALWAYS tempted. Luckily I’ve read almost all of them otherwise I’ll have to find more space in my already cluttered room.

UW: Do you as organisers head down to Flea.Fly.Flo.Fun yourself to garner buys? If so, what sort of buys do you look out for?

C: Nabbing buys are always fun for us too. That is our secret agenda for organising such an event! Terence looks out for toys since he misses his childhood playtime. I hunt for vinyls or artsy trinkets.

T: Eh! Don’t anyhow say “hor”. Plus I haven’t seen any “Mask” or “Gobot” toys yet. As organisers, we’re always around for all our flea events. We need to make sure, administratively, everything is worked out. That usually takes at least 2 hours. We also try to ensure everyone is happy. I usually like to look out for cheap, simple and comfortable shirts or tee shirts. I’m a real slacker when it comes to dressing so the easier the better.

UW: Are there any items that are prohibited for sale? What are they?

C: Illegal items and food. Respecting the law and hygiene is important!

T: Typically the illegal stuff (we leave you to decide what is illegal), and we have some constraints on food and beverages due to the venue’s restriction. We try to work around it but it doesn’t work all the time.

UW: Is there a form of quality control for Flea.Fly.Flo.Fun?

C: No, there isn’t. One man’s meat is another man’s poison.

T: We don’t restrict what the stall holders sell, but the guide we usually give is, “Sell what you yourself would want to buy”. It’s a good guide and so far we haven’t seen anyone trying to unload their pile of old, used PE tee shirts at our fleas, though if anyone does, I’d probably buy them. Hee.

UW: Are your family and friends supportive of Flea.Fly.Flo.Fun? How do they show their support?

C: They will put that day aside to bask in cheap beer and shared laughter. We are very grateful for everyone’s support and companionship along the way. It has been darn jolly for them as well, we hope!

T: So far so good. Friends do drop by time to time at our fleas and never leave empty handed.

UW: How would you say Flea.Fly.Flo.Fun has progressed/changed since it first started out?

C: We started out small scale and have progressed to maintain the freedom of flea markets while bringing the event to a larger scale.

T: It took quite awhile to get our system running smoothly, and though there are some hiccups here and there, through experience we learn. Generally I think everyone’s not only at our fleas to sell, but mainly to have a good time.

UW: What can we expect to see in Flea.Fly.Flo.Fun from here on?

C: We hope to continue to provide an ever-growing platform for anyone to give a shot at having good fun. Be it selling their wardrobes’ contents to replenish their wallets, stocking up on good buys or hawking their little creations.

T: That we leave to the teh tarik [Malay for frothy milk tea] sessions. We try to grow bit by bit every time and every year. Sometimes we get S.W.O.P. to join us; sometimes we have local designers; last year we had a candy floss machine. This year, we’re having a big bonanza. We’ll see. 3 am sessions with “Popeyes” at Punggol help too.

Pictures taken from Flea.Fly.Flo.Fun’s Facebook Group and website.