Flea Market Lease Signed for 2010
February 25, 2010
by Nancy Wood

Daniel Jones and Roy T. Jones of Milton have signed a lease with the Town for the five-acre Flea Market property. The Flea Market is located on Route 7, on the town-owned Burns property.

The Joneses, father and son, took over the Flea Market about four years ago, a couple of years after Larry Lavelette ceased to run it. Lavelette, passed away March 3, 2009, at the age of 66. Born in Charlotte, Larry served on the town’s volunteer fire and rescue department for several years and established and ran the Charlotte Flea Market for 35 years.

At the time the Flea Market was started the land was still owned by Earl Burns. Since buying it, the town has leased it seasonally from April 1 to October 31 each year. As one of only a few commercial operations allowed on Route 7 in Charlotte, its use is restricted to Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. The current rental is $2,500 for the season.

The Selectboard first reviewed this year’s lease at its January 25 meeting and tabled it in order to have Daniel and Roy Jones present to respond to questions about payment for electricity and bathroom facilities. Questions were also raised about the amount of the lease payment. Carrie Spear commented at that meeting that there was a need to “keep it low enough so marketers can make a go of it.”

At the Selectboard’s February 8 meeting Daniel and Roy Jones both responded that they paid an electric bill for the lights; the town pays the bill for the well located behind the Flea Market. They also said that, yes, they had portable toilets on site during the season, and that there was also an outhouse. Referring to the outhouse, they said, “We keep them clean all the time; we put lime in; we maintain them very well.” They added, “We use them for storage in the winter.”

The Charlotte Flea Market is listed on several flea market websites, with a discontinued telephone number. One listing describes it as having 40 dealers on the average, selling a wide range of antiques and collectibles, crafts, new and used merchandise, jewelry, furniture, clothing, household items.