St. Mark Flea Market brings good deals

St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church and the Knights of Columbus Chapter 13446 have scheduled their 10th annual flea market for Oct. 17.

The community can participate in a giant garage sale at the church at 7340 Cahaba Valley Road. People can reserve space to sell items in the parking lot, as long as they agree to donate 25 percent of the money they receive to the church, said Tom Heberlein, flea market coordinator for the Knights of Columbus.

The event begins at 7:30 a.m. and goes to about noon. Participants who reserve a spot will get a table and two parking spaces, Heberlein said. The flea market in recent years typically has drawn 20 to 30 vendors.

The Knights of Columbus are accepting advance donations of items people want to discard without selling at the market. Items already donated this year include furniture, clothing, DVD players, Blu-Ray players, books, a lawn mower, edger, weed trimmer, outdoor equipment and pots and pans, said Stephen Stack, president of the Knights of Columbus local chapter.

Money raised from the flea market has been used to sponsor seminary students and help pay for events and other church expenses, Stack said. In recent years, the flea market has raised about $2,000 a year, Heberlein said.

The flea market got started as a way to help people whose neighborhood associations prohibit garage sales to get rid of unneeded items, Heberlein said.

To register, email StMarkFleaMkt@aol.com. To donate items, send an email to KofC13446@aol.com to make arrangements.