In order to create another revenue source, the Associated Student Government is organizing what will potentially be a monthly-recurring flea market.

According to ASG Student Trustee and Flea Market Committee Chair Ben Andersen, the flea market is set to take place in parking lot C on April 26. ASG’s goal is to have 50-100 vendors participate.

Andersen said he has first given the idea for organizing a flea market at Fresno City College when he was Region V President of the Student Senate California Community College during the 2011-2012 academic calendar year.

Andersen saw that one of the 11 community colleges that comprises Region V of the SSCCC, San Joaquin Delta College, had a flea market that generated significant revenue for the college. According to a Aug. 11, 2011 report in the Lodi News-Sentinel, San Joaquin Delta College’s flea market generated booth-rental income in excess of $500,000 annually.

The success of similar initiatives around California inspired Andersen to push for creating one at FCC.  “What we have seen around the state is that the potential [for creating revenue] is very large,” Andersen said.

ASG will charge vendors a fee for permission to set up booth, according to Andersen; the price of the permit will range from $30 to $60, depending on whether the vendor is selling food or other wares as well as the number of parking spots the participating vendor’s booth will take up. ASG’s goal is to raise $3,000 from the first flea market.

According to Andersen, final plans for how the money will be spent have not yet been decided but there has been a draft with preliminary proposals. “We don’t have an operating agreement in place yet, but we do have one written up that delineates scholarships will be a large percentage [of money raised from the flea market], as well as the club system,” Andersen said.

The creation of the flea market began early last semester when Andersen asked that the possibility of creating a flea market at FCC to be on ASG’s agenda so that ASG could begin discussing it. He also gave a presentation regarding the creation of a flea market to the Student Senate.

Afterwards, a bill was passed by ASG that created the Flea Market Committee, according to New Media Club Vice President and Flea Market Committee Member Courtnee Hulsey. Since the creation of the Flea Market Committee in September 2013, the Committee has met weekly to discuss progress on the initiative.

Early this semester, the Flea Market Committee wrote a bill asking for funding to promote the flea market. The marketing bill passed which then allowed the committee members to begin working on the promoting the initiative

According to Hulsey, in her capacity as a Flea Market Committee member, she has been responsible for the graphic design of the marketing effort, which has included designing a logo, a banner as well as a flier.

The marketing effort, in the upcoming weeks, will consist of a “street-team” passing out fliers and going door to door in the Tower District and other nearby areas, according to ASG Senator Gao Vang.

“We want to bring the nearby community in [for the flea market],” Vang said.

According to Andersen, the flea market will be a monthly occurrence on the last Saturday of each month next fall, “provided the first one is successful.”