St. Louis Swap Meet Expanding to Arch Riverfront

ST. LOUIS - May 23, 2016 - PRLog -- The St. Louis Swap Meet has rebooted to better serve the local small business community and offer consumers a unique weekend shopping experience.  In addition to their new location along Cherokee's Antique Row, their first expansion will be to the newly renovated Arch riverfront this summer.

Formerly held every Sunday at Lemp Business Park, the new incarnation of St. Louis Swap Meet is now held on the first and last Sundays of each month from 9am - 3pm through November at four locations along Cherokee Street's famous Antique Row. The main entrance at The Corner Gates (Cherokee and Lemp) offers an indoor venue featuring air conditioning, rotating live music acts, ATMs, bathrooms and adult beverages.  Three additional lots are located along Cherokee Street from Lemp Ave. to Missouri Ave. On May 29, there will be a special "Dancing in the Streets" event, with live music from local DJs and bands.  Area restaurants Whisk, Mudd House, and Irish Corner Pub will also be open for shoppers.

According to owner and organizer Martin Casas, the idea for the new and improved St. Louis Swap Meet is to give neighborhood businesses the benefit of all of the foot traffic the swap meet generates while giving small businesses that can't afford a brick-and-mortar location a place to showcase their products to a wide variety of customers. Last year, the Swap Meet averaged 2,000 shoppers per week over its 36-week season.

"I'm inspired by small business owners in our city. I want to do what I can to help them grow and bring our city back. What they need is a place to sell their goods, meet customers, build their capital and expand their business. An outdoor market can do that. It can help businesses grow and help bring back a community," says Casas. "A swap meet is everything. It's everyone that wants one more day of sales in one place. If you sell at a farmers' market, we'll take you. If you sell at an art fair, we'll take you. If you sell at a flea market, we'll take you. It's Sunday, so you get to get what you want."

The Swap Meet will host a variety of vendors selling everything from antiques to crafts and even fresh produce courtesy of Stuckmeyer Farms. Booth rental starts at $40, and electricity is available for an additional $25. Attendance is free with plenty of parking available at lots as well as on the street. For more information, call 314-809-5083 or email info@stlswapmeet.com.

The St. Louis Swap Meet downtown at the Arch will take place on the third Saturday and Sunday of each month from July through October celebrating the reopening of the grounds.  This riverfront location will feature 40 vendors as well as some of the area's most popular food trucks. Booth rental starts at $150, and vendors must sign up for both days of the weekend.

More locations around the metro area are in the works. Keep up to date with all of the St. Louis Swap Meet expansions at stlswapmeet.com; Facebook; Twitter and Instagram.