Showing posts with label Sharing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sharing. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Really Really Free Market change of hours due to space constraints during skating season


IMPORTANT: TIME CHANGE
Reduced Hours
December | January | February 2020
10 am - 1 pm
Visit time limit: ½ hour

Please bring your contributions *before* noon. 
We cannot accept any after 12:00.

We apologize for the inconvenience.
Please tell others about the time change. 
Thank you, and see you soon!

Sunday, July 7, 2019

Summer At the Really Really Free Market!

This is my first year attending the Really Really Free Market as a volunteer, and so it's the first summer Market I've ever been to!

I love the summer Market! There is A LOT more space, everyone is browsing and crowded tables are less so than the winter Markets.

The next Summer Market takes place on Saturday August 3rd, 2019











The first thing you'll see when entering the Market is the Volunteer Table and the information signs. The friendly volunteers are happy to help with any questions about the Market, and will surely make your experience wonderful!


The next sign is a simplified version of the rules:


One Ikea size bag, or one hour spent at the market. It's important to respect the one hour rule, as loitering for better items is not fair to other market-goers. Be sure to follow the rules!


















This is the jewelry table, where you will find a volunteer to greet you. The jewelry table is a special place, with beautiful items. These items work with a token system, where you ask a volunteer for two tokens, and exchange the tokens for any piece from the table. There is usually one jewelry item per person. 

















One young market go-er found this beautiful necklace! You truly never know what you will find!













Take a look at some of the other items!












A bike seat. some reflectors, and a camera battery charger!




Plenty of books for the avid reader! 


Some home items for those looking for pieces on a free budget! Best deal you could ask for!



VHS's and DVD's!


One Market goer found this really cool hat! She loved it after trying it on!


This really RAD sweater found by another market goer stars Santa and a Unicorn! It even has fur all around the hood! Super cozy!


The children's clothing section has plenty to look at, including a beautiful black and floral patterned skirt! 

 And of course, my favorite find at the Market! Though, this find, was just for pets and scratches, not to take home.
























The King of the Really Really Free Market! SANDY! 

I hope you enjoyed looking through the photos, if you didn't find anything in the photos that sparked interest, I hope you found inspiration to come take a look at the next Market! Every market is different and you truly never know what you will find!

With light and love,

Kristina Leis


Tuesday, March 12, 2019

Grateful Mindset at the Market

                                               Grateful Mindset 
By: Kristina Leis 

Ever wonder if a place exists where no money is exchanged, capitalism is removed and everything being sold is free? Well, the Really Really Free Market Campbell Park has this exact event! It occurs on the first Saturday of each month and they take donations throughout the day. Those donations then get organized into categories and placed on tables. “Customers” are then able to fill their bags with anything they see and like until an Ikea sized bag is full. This sounds amazing, and it is! 

If you’re curious as to whether the market is as crazy as BestBuy on Boxing Day, you can be assured that there is some competition for the nicer items. That being said, the dedicated and hardworking volunteers would appreciate it if everyone waited their turn and chose carefully what items to take. We urge the market goers to choose a grateful mindset over a greedy one. 

The first time I went, I had no idea what to expect. It’s not glamorous or aesthetically pleasing as most capitalist stores are. The event takes place inside of a community building and is quite tight when filled with people, donations, and volunteers. Though the market utilizes the space inside and outside of the building in order to showcase all the donated goods. 

Donation categories include; houseware items, books, movies and DVDs, personal care items, fitness, pet items, clothing, and many more! The left over items then get donated to a charity or church that is willing to accept them. 

With the start of Spring, I urge everyone to do some gratitude thinking and ask themselves if all of the items in their closet, bathroom, and house in general bring joy and spark happiness. The Really Really Free Market is a wonderful place to bring your donations if you aren’t interested in a store gaining profit off your items that are no longer of use to you. It is absolutely wonderful to know that someone will find a dress you haven’t worn in two years and it will spark so much joy for them! Or that coat of yours will keep someone warm during the rest of the winter season.  

If you’re interested in donating to the Market, the next one is happening April 6th, 2019 at Campbell Park! Donations are accepted from 9am to 3pm. Be sure to check out the market, as you never know what you will find. As the saying goes, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure.


                 

Monday, December 10, 2018

We are looking for a volunteer Blogger!

We need someone to write once a month--or less, or more, but on the average about once a month. The posts can be a few lines or many paragraphs (and photos).

The posts can be about stuff found at the market, about your experiences, interviews with visitors, unusual finds, how the market works, or tips for frugal living and waste reduction. The only requirement is updating the market dates once a month and putting up announcements for changes in the market when necessary.

We also welcome once-only blog contributions. 

Interested? Write to us at rrfmarket@gmail.com

Monday, December 4, 2017

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

Friday, March 10, 2017

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!



Wednesday, October 19, 2016

The market continues indoors! Bring stuff that can become Christmas gifts!

With the weather getting a bit nippy, we have moved indoors to the Clubhouse again. If all goes well, and the volunteer commitment remains steady, we intend to continue through the winter.

When the hockey season starts it will affect the physical size of our market (December to April markets), so keep that in mind when you are trying to decide what kind of carrier to bring with you. Too many shopping carts can clog up a small area. We hope that only people with physical challenges will bring carts, and that the rest with suffice with backpacks or shopping bags.

Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Want to see what people found at our last market?

Check out and follow our Instagram account: reallyreallyfreemarket. 
Do you  have market photos to share? Email us and well post it on Instagram. rrfmarket@gmail.com

Sunday, May 22, 2016

June 4th RRFM is around the corner!

Summer has finally arrived and we are looking forward to our next market on Saturday, June 4th, 10am–4pm, at Campbell Park. Weather permitting, we hope to enjoy a day of community exchange outdoors! 

Please read the side panel of this blog to learn more about what a Really Really Free Market is, How It Works, and some Wish List items we are currently looking for.  

In addition, here are a few friendly reminders: 
- we cannot accept large items unless you leave your contact info and are available to pick them up at the end of the day if they are leftover
- you do not have to bring anything
- if you bring items, please do so before 3pm
- please remember the "shopping cart" guideline for collecting materials


We are always looking for new volunteers to assist with organizational and/or day-of market tasks. Feel free to email us at rrfmarket@gmail.com if you are interested or have any other questions about the market. 


We hope to see you on June 4th! 
RRFM LOVE
<3

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Do you have a car? Would you like to volunteer with our community market for about half hour? If your answer is yes and yes, be a transport volunteer on May 7th!

Despite the large volume of stuff that moves through our market, somehow we always end up with more stuff than we started with! Visitors are allowed to take as much as they wish after 3 pm, but most visitors have already had their fill by then...

Usually leftover stuff is too much for other volunteers to transport to charities in their backpacks and bicycles, although they take as much as they can.

If you have a car or other similar motor vehicle, you could make a huge contribution to our monthly community event: We need transport volunteers to come by between 4:15 to 4:45 (or a bit later if more convenient), and take some of the leftovers (which we will box or bag) either to to a nearby charitable second-hand store that is a five-minute drive away and open on Saturday evenings, or to a charity, event, community space, or any other place of their own choice.

Are you that person? 

 

Please e-mail us at rrfmarket@gmail.com if you are! 

 

Our next market is Saturday, May 7th, and we are looking for end-of-market transport volunteers for that day. 

https://www.facebook.com/events/151402781925327/



Sunday, July 5, 2015

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Our contribution wish list

People have frequently asked to donate money to the Really Really Free Market. While we appreciate the sentiment behind the offers, the RRFM is a cashless enterprise and it would be against our attempts to promote a money-less "gifting" economy by accepting money. However, we do accept contribution of goods and services, and there are always things we need. If you are able to give us any of the following, we would be forever grateful.
In no particular order, here are some of the things we would appreciate:
1) Tables with foldable or detachable legs
2) A slightly bigger bookcase
3) Large whiteboards for putting up signs
4) More volunteers!
This list will become a permanent part of the sidebar to the right, and will be updated if and when we receive the items or we think of more stuff. Please contact us at rrfmarket@gmail.com if you are willing to donate anything on the list.

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

The Market will return--as soon as we have enough volunteers!

Would you like to volunteer two or more hours at our once-a-month market?

We need help with:
Helping market goers by answering their inquiries and assisting in placing their stuff on tables
Keeping tables organized and easily accessible
Setting up
Taking down
Taking leftovers to charities with your bike or other vehicle


If you think you can do some of these, please let us know.
Remember, volunteers, just like other market-goers, can take from the market whatever they wish to!

Thursday, September 4, 2014

MARKET POSTPONED UNTIL RE-ORGANIZATION TAKES PLACE

Dear market-goers and volunteers,

In order to improve the Really Really Free Market at Campbell Park, we have decided to postpone the monthly market until we come up with and put into effect an action plan. We are most likely to resume in spring 2015.

The areas that we plan to focus on most are:

(1)  Volunteer involvement at the organizational level and at the market;
(2)  Effective and reliable means of transporting market leftovers to charities, etc.;
(3)  Guidelines to spread the sharing and co-operation spirit to the few individuals who continue to engage with the market in a competitive mind-set.

We welcome suggestions as we have in the past--in keeping with the principle that a Really Really Free Market involves no money and no swapping. We encourage and would love to have those of you who are available to become involved in the market in order to hasten bringing back the market as soon as possible.

We are very sorry for any inconvenience that this may cause.

We will miss you all until we see you again. Thank you for making the market the success that it has been for over two years, 26 markets!

Here's to a new and improved Really Really Free Market at the park!


If you would like to hear from us when the market resumes, just send a short message to rrfmarket@gmail.com. And don't forget, we always need lots of volunteers! Volunteering is fun, and you can take anything from the market, just like everyone else. If you want to get involved with RRFM, either at the organizing stage, or at the market itself (of both!) drop us your name. Another thing we need help with is taking the leftovers to charities at the end of the market! 


Wednesday, July 9, 2014

We celebrated our 2-year anniversary on July 5, 2014

Here are scenes from our 25th consecutive all-seasons monthly market since July 2012 at Campbell Park. Photos by S. Poyraz
Would you like to receive monthly announcements from us? Just send a short message to rrfmarket@gmail.com. 
We always need lots of volunteers. Volunteering is fun, and you can take anything from the market, just like everyone else. Drop us your name to volunteer at the market, or to take the leftovers to charities at the end of the day! 

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Extra help needed for our July Market (Services and Volunteers)

On July 5th, we celebrate our 2nd year anniversary. 

Our anniversary market is still almost two months away, but we think that in the summer it is better to schedule ahead. During the summer, there is so much going on in Toronto that if we don't find potential contributors now, by the time of the event their schedules will be filled up.

We're hoping to have extra events on our anniversary market. We would like to have more free services like the legal advice desk we've had the last two months. We've already received some interesting suggestions from our ongoing Really Really Free Market Survey (1) & (2). If you have any free services to offer, please let us know as soon as you can so we can include them in our newsletter and promotional material.

Most of all, we need more volunteers than usual. If you volunteer at the market, you can still pick up what you wish. Here are some of the things we will need help with:


  • Setting up the market (If in the park, carrying tables, signs etc. to the park.)
  • Greeting people and explaining how the market works
  • Handing out information about the market
  • Asking whether people would like to sign up for our newsletter or to volunteer
  • Helping people put their stuff on the marked tables
  • Keeping all the tables, racks, and other display areas tidy
  • Separating broken, torn, rotten, grimy, and smelly items from the nice ones (Yes, sometimes people still bring those things--they probably don't read our announcements)
  • Photography/video
  • Taking down the market, and return Campbell Park stuff to the Clubhouse
  • Boxing and bagging leftovers (but not broken, torn, dirty and smelly things)
  • Take those bags and boxes to charities (by foot, bicycle, or motor vehicle  -- we often need a motor vehicle)

In addition to the above, we also need help with pre-market activities, such as publicity, facebook, twitter, blogging, newsletter, volunteer coordinating, answering e-mail inquiries, organizing monthly meetings, finding nearby charities to donate leftovers, coordinating drop-offs to charities, networking, taking and publishing meeting minutes,and so on.

Write us to volunteer for any of our markets, including the upcoming June 7th market.

Scenes from our May Market:

  Photos by Sidney Anson Leyva and Suzan Poyraz

Monday, April 14, 2014

Free legal advice table, dog nail-trimming demo, and our new Chill-Out table!

Big thanks go to our paralegal friend Ade for spending all day at the market helping individuals who needed a legal perspective on a concern of theirs. Another thanks to Diana: with the blessings of her poodle friend, she demonstrated how to properly and efficiently trim the nails of a dog. Do you have a service to offer at the market (free, of course)? Please let us know.Write to us also if you would like to volunteer at the market greeting people or helping keep the market organized, or in some other way.

The purpose of the chill-out table was to provide people who spend all day at the market a place to hang out rather than having to stand around the tables, where there is only enough space for people looking at the goods. While they chilled out, they helped themselves to free coffee and baked goods. Curious about what kinds of goods came to the market this time? Here are some shots from the market.

Photographs by Suzan Poyraz

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Our March market was our 21st in a row!

One of the things we love about our market is that people will make their way to it no matter the weather: Soaking humidity, torrential rain, temperatures in the double-digit minus celcius. Look at some of the fun stuff market-goers brought with them to our March 1st market....

Photos by S. Poyraz
Want to be alerted a week before each market? Send a request to be put on our mailing list. Want to volunteer at the market or in organizing the market? Write to us with "volunteering" in the subject line.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Here are some items and happy browsers from our winter markets in December, January and February. Send us your market photos!



Photos courtesy of Mary Kate Dall
Scroll down to see all the fun stuff from our previous 21 markets!
Want to be alerted a week before each market? Send a request to be put on our mailing list.

Sunday, November 3, 2013

It might have been wet outside, but inside, the only thing raining was free stuff!

Here are some scenes from the November 2nd market. Were you there? Send us your Really Really Free Market story!


Photos courtesy S. Poyraz
Want to be alerted a week before each market? Send a request to be put on our mailing list.