Why residents love Dubai Flea Market

FROM 20 STALLS IN 2007, IT IS NOW UAE'S LARGEST ORGANISED MARKET FOR PRE-LOVED ITEMS

- BY ZAINAB HUSAIN

Dubai Flea Market, which opens at different parks and venues on weekends, has become a hotspot for Gen Z and millennials for thrift shopping, thanks to online sustainability trends.

(Zainab Husain/Gulf News)

On weekends in Dubai, some community malls and parks transform into buzzing market places lined with stalls stacked with clothes, household items and quirky finds. Shoppers dig through racks in search of hidden treasures, while vendors call out deals, “Special price, Dh30!”

This lively scene belongs to the Dubai Flea Market, a community initiative that has been breathing new life into secondhand goods since 2007. What started as just 20 stalls at Al Safa Park has grown into the UAE’s largest organised market for pre-loved items.

The idea came from Melanie Beese, a German expat, who wanted an alternative to Dubai’s mall culture.