Praise from a first-time market visitor

It was my first time at the market and had a great time ... I had donated a Freestyle Crochet blanket that i did myself, and saw how fast it went, plus some jewellery i had, and thus will have to remember for next time ...

One of the books that i donated my daughter ended up taking (too funny), not knowing that it was one i donated ... 

Mary  -- First time customer at your great free market

The Beauty of Autumn and Gloom of Winter

The Beauty of Autumn and Gloom of Winter

by Bernard Ordiz

I cannot believe it! December 2017 is fast approaching and next thing we know, we see little snowflakes falling from the sky. I do not know about you but sometimes I get winter blues. The sight of muddy slush, wet boots, layers and layers of jacket and yellow snow make me feel despondent, that I would have to endure these for the next three months or so.

What I would probably miss the most in autumn is the mosaic of leaves and the invigorating touch of the autumn wind on my face. I will also miss the times when the REALLY REALLY FREE MARKET hosts their monthly market outside and the weather is beautiful. It is amazing to see many marketgoers come out and search for the needed materials for FREE. Seriously, the materials there at the market are really FREE! Usually, I take something but this time, I did not because I already took A LOT of FREE items. 

If you need something, do not hesitate to visit the

REALLY REALLY FREE MARKET.

The market is held at 225 Campbell Avenue at Campbell Avenue Park from 10 am to 4 pm in a very diverse, quiet and welcoming neighbourhood. It's really worth the travel from Scarborough, where I live, to there because it is kind of bucolic, a little away from the main intersections of Dundas Street West and Bloor Street West.

There are a lot of amazing volunteers there too who, like me, enjoy the beautiful weather Mother Nature bestows (unless it is winter). I am really going to miss the market when it is held outdoors because of the crunching sound of leaves and the appearance of the sun above the trees, emanating its gleaming sunlight and emitting warmth to encase the marketgoers.

I miss the autumn fashion when people just wear light boots and a light sweater instead of layers and layers of jackets and heavy boots that they drag on the ground, thus making this annoying noise. At the market, many marketgoers are searching for FREE autumn coats and autumn accessories. Sadly, this will end soon as jackets will replace them. On the bright side, those jackets will be FREE so make sure to check them out if you need one!

Autumn is my favourite season because it makes me nostalgic about school, my first day in Canada many years ago and the exquisite mixture of red, orange and yellow that keep many Torontonians in a sunny disposition. I guess I would just have to endure the ravaging impact of the snowstorm and the pain when I slip on the ice. Anyways, I'll hope to see you at the December market which I wish is still outdoor and has no slush and weet boots in sight!

            

My First Free Market Experience by Bernard Ordiz

WEDNESDAY, July 12, 2017

     Who in the world DOES NOT like free stuff? No offence but I would probably reckon that only a crazy person of the highest order would be frank enough to confess they hate free stuff. Or they are very likely a compulsive liar. You choose. As I am neither crazy nor a compulsive liar, I assure you, I decided to go to the "absolutely magnanimous and sophisticated" Really Really Free Market at 225 Campbell Ave., Toronto, ON M6P 3V5. Save the address, y'all! You will need it for future free markets.

I really like this welcoming sign.

     It was July 1st, 2017, Canada Day, when the Really Really Free Market took place. That day was my first time volunteering there as well as exploring the Campbell Park. I hastily rushed inside the little storage-looking place where the market happened because regrettably, it was raining on Canada Day. It was not an auspicious day for the market. There inside, I saw this zany and unreserved woman wearing a headband with two miniatures of the Canadian flag hanging at the top. I introduced myself and found out that this woman was none other than Suzan. 

Suzan is the communicative woman set at right, conversing with the collectors.

     Suzan was welcoming and she introduced me to the other volunteers who were just as enthusiastic as her. She was also convivial: I remember her asking me of how I pronounce my name as she figured some people are irked of wrong name pronunciations. Then, she proceeded to delineate how the Really Really Free Market works. It is just like a thrift store where a plethora of gently used items are taken whereas the collector will either choose to swap an item with his belonging or he can choose not to swap it at all. I was the latter because I absolutely forgot to bring a bag and initially had no intentions of fishing for any items. However, Suzan handed me a bag. At first, I hesitated but determined that I should probably look for some clothes and room decorations.

Some things I am interested in.

Things I am definitely not interested

     I rummaged through the magazines and DVDs but found none of the magazine topics nor film titles interested me. I mean, do you expect a sixteen-year-old boy to pick up a cooking magazine with a beaming Paula Deen on the cover? However, I found a much interesting book: a travel guide to New York. Before you think of something mocking or condescending, my family almost got lost in New York so this must be a handy guide. Nonetheless, that was the only book that interested me. If I brought my parents along, Mom could have picked up a romantic novel by Danielle Steel while Dad would have picked up the Sin City movie. Just jesting, I actually picked the movie. 

A bookworm at the market.

A lovely coat for a lovely collector.

     Of course, who the heck would forget to pick out some clothes? I indubitably did not because I selected a blue NHL shirt with the New York Rangers logo at the front and Callahan at the back. Too much for supporting the Toronto Maple Leafs. Across the racks of clothing, I spotted a painting of a scenery. Though it looks a little amateurish with plastered paint, I thought it was really simple and could be a good decoration in my room. All I need is a nail and hammer to hang the painting. Besides the painting was a candle holder but instead of just a traditional holder, it depicted three carved figures creating a circle together by holding each others' hands. Positioned in the middle, of course, is where the candle is supposedly placed. I grabbed it and put in my grocery bag where I told Suzan that that was all I wanted for now and that I would be departing. She thanked me for coming as I peered outside to discover heavy rain.

Beautiful artwork at the market.

Overall, I really recommend the place not only for people who may not afford lavishly but for those who simply want to collect items. In fact, I saw a whole bunch of music CDs and I saw a millennial man who selected a The Romantics CD which I reckon was probably added to his music collection. Best of all, it is free. You do not need to swap anything nor are you inspected after finally selecting your items. For the market and the items are free, you will not regret keeping something you do not like because you did not pay for it. It was an absolute success and I had the great pleasure to have my first Really Really Free Market experience with affable volunteers. Until then, I shall see them and you, fellow collectors, at the next market.

Items that I selected to bring home.

Women's plus size clothing 18-24 at our June 3rd market

Gently used. T-shirts, Jeans, some office clothes. Limit of 3 outfits per person.

Send us your market photos!

 Here is an impressionistic snap, courtesy of a market regular, Tim. We love those!

The ones below are from what the market looked like *before* our 10 am opening. 

Send us more!

Dear community Members,

Our last market was very good, I hope you all had fun like we did, we can't wait to have our next Market.

 

We are looking for more Organising and Market Volunteers. Our Market volunteers help us during the market like setting up, finishing up and helping around during the market and you can pick your shifts and if you want to stay for the whole day then that's awesome. With our Organising volunteers, they help us with organising the market for eg. social media, transportation, answering queries related to market etc. 

We are promoting an impartial draw for our new volunteers, "2 Cineplex Adult Admit Ones, good for general admission at any Cineplex theatre in Canada. Also valid for scene points towards free movies, food and drinks." 

So come on board. Everyone in a market group is very friendly and accepting. We all would love to have you on our team.

You can email us at rrfmarket@gmail.com. 

 

 

Love
RRFMarket Team

RRFM Returns Feb 4!

Hello Community Members!


We're happy to say that the Really Really Free Market is on track to open this coming Saturday February 4, 2017 at Campbell Park!


FREE LEGAL ADVICE ON FEB 4:

For our past Market goers, you may remember our Mr. A Daramola, who is a licensed paralegal, and has been so kind to lend his services over the years. We are delighted to announce his return this coming Saturday! If you're interested in his advice, please take the following points into consideration:

• Free legal advice by legal professional, 11am-4pm
• No appointment necessary
• Must bring documents if there are any
• Check with info desk to put your name on list
• Anyone in crisis will be given priority
• Consultation will take place in the same space as the Market

REMINDERS:

1. RRFM will be held inside Campbell Park Community Centre on 225 Campbell Ave, North of Wallace Ave and South of Antler St.
2. Sharing the space with hockey equipment, Campbell Park Community Centre is limited in space, so limit your time to 1 hour
3. You DON'T have to bring anything to participate in our Market - it's completely FREE
4. If you do bring items to share, bring them before 3pm and make sure it's in clean & working condition (but please no big items)
5. During the Market (10am-3pm), the limit is 1 large sized IKEA bag per person, 2 bags for families of 3 or more people
6. The jewellery limit is 2 per person
7. After 3pm, you can take as much as you can

We hope to see you at our next RRFM!