For decades, the Alemany Flea Market has been a Sunday ritual in San Francisco, drawing thousands of bargain hunters and vendors to a large parking lot in the southeast corner of the city’s Bernal Heights neighborhood.
But this past weekend, a sense of foreboding hung over the card tables piled with record albums, crockery, artwork, garden tools, hats, rugs, footwear, statues, toy cars and wicker baskets.
A city spokesperson confirmed last week that all municipal programs were in the process of being evaluated for potential cuts due to fiscal constraints, but said no final decisions had been made regarding Alemany.
But in the run-up to a March 29 end-date for several vendors at the Civic Center Fulton Plaza flea market, several vendors who spoke to The Standard on Sunday said they fear their weekly community hub could become another casualty of San Francisco’s budget woes.
