Last Sunday, we paid a trip to the secondhand bazaar in İstanbul’s Şişli district. The flea market has an unimaginably expansive inventory -- from antiques to secondhand shoes, from hand knit sweaters to items that one can only see in old films these days. It seems that everything but food can be found here; the only food sold at this venue is tea to keep you warm, and simit to stave off any feelings of hunger for long enough to shop. But the vendors’ conversation will also keep you going.When we say bazaar, don’t think of anything too big. With roughly 50 stands, the place is located inside a Şişli parking lot. Anybody who can afford the TL 30 price of a stand can be a vendor. Most of the sellers are older people, many hoping to sell items that they bought in their youth and which have since gained value as antiques. Items that smell of history, some being sold out of financial need, others to make room for new things.
Ali Tokgöz frequents the flea market. The 62-year-old has been going to the bazaar for three weeks running now. “It’s a new place anyway,” he says of the five-week-old bazaar. Tokgöz began coming to the bazaar as a customer, but when he heard that anyone could set up a stand, he decided to sell some items from his home as well. “I had to fight with my wife over some of the items,” he said. “But even when I sell things, I end up just bringing other things home. What can I do? When I see antiques that are heavy with the smell and feel of our old times … I can’t help myself.” Tokgöz is happy with his bazaar experience, though, saying that he has also made new friends here, as they speak during the day at the bazaar.
The bazaar is a somewhat different experience for Nuriye Cengiz, who comes to the bazaar to sell goods to support her household income. The things she sells aren’t old; just the opposite, the sweaters that she knits by hand come in all the latest designs. Both in terms of her own age and the age of her wares, she’s the youngest vendor at the bazaar. At 38, Nuriye explains that sometimes she doesn’t even break even with the amount of money it costs to rent the stand. Her hands are always busy knitting, even as she speaks with us. She sells sweaters for TL 20, and scarves for TL 10. The woman exudes the warmth of Anatolia, though, as she orders a tea for us and offers us some börek that she brought from home.
Even though it has only been newly established, the bazaar already has regulars and is developing its own unique scene. In a short period of time it has become a frequent stop for antique collectors, who browse the stands one by one, examining each piece. And as with many bazaars, bargaining is an integral part of the experience here. Our suggestion is that if you visit this bazaar, don’t hold back from bargaining -- you can often get the price down to half the original one named. In short, this flea market represents a wonderful opportunity for those who want to take a nostalgic step back in time on a Sunday, and an exciting new alternative for antique enthusiasts.
