Two Gold set up a baggage market in Palanga: some earned 900 euros a day

Auksė Kontrimienė comes from the Šiauliai region. Palanga attracted him to science and love.

And his colleague Auksė Buteikienė came to the beach from Druskininkai.

“We met in Palanga in 2014, when we took our children to kindergarten. Standing on the sidewalk, we laugh that both Auksė and those born, one on September 22 and the other on September 23. Nobody depended on us anymore, it had to happen. Fate “, A. Kontrimienė recalled the beginning of the story.

Since both Auks are active women, they began to think about what Palanga was missing. The infrastructure for children was not maintained in 2014; there was a lack of playgrounds for the elementary school, so Auksė initially considered installing a children’s room.

Finally, these ideas were abandoned and it was decided to carry out a family market: the 20 tables loaded with children’s clothes and toys were occupied.

“Then we grabbed the bull by the horns – based on the income from the municipality, we moved to the parking lot on Palangos Taikos street. There we began to train the so-called Garage Sale (sale of car trunk – liet. k.) ”, – assured the interlocutor, who stated that her former first mothers, as natural persons, organized a luggage market in Lithuania – only a company from Kaunas had done it before.

“Everything has” calmed down “after us, mothers from other cities have started to create similar markets,” Auksė said.

According to the organizers, the baggage market is a form of market in which individuals gather to sell their household and garden items.

Researchers believe that the over-trading and selling of household items is necessary because it reduces the cost of disposing of waste, as well as creating a community where savings, entrepreneurship and communication thrive.

They were forced to move

The gold market takes place initially once a month, then twice, and finally every weekend.

“We worked successfully in that place for 6 years, sometimes 100 cars were assembled. We formed a community and now we were forced to move to another place because a merchant who offered more money won a tender organized by the municipality. “Our work, which was raised by a ‘baby’ morally dear to us, was sold in a public tender for a larger sum of money,” said market organizer Aukseliai.

From July 3, the luggage market moved to Žibininkai, near the HBH entertainment complex in the Kretinga district, about 9 km from the old usual place.

The 50 acres of designated area could house about 100 merchants.

In Taikos de Palanga street, the traders of the trunk market began their activities in the morning and paid 7 euros, and now they pay 5 and open the trunk on Saturdays and Sundays from 1:00 p.m. Discounts to help merchants get used to the new point of sale more quickly. You can trade until night.

Some traders would like the market to be open all year round, but according to Gold, you need to rest and store things in the winter.

Aukseliai Market is open for 5-6 months, 50 acres of designated area could accommodate about 100 merchants.

“Finally, we have the type of market we have always dreamed of: in nature among the trees, far from the city, but with a lot of action and movement. Our goal is that people who come to us to trade do not see all as work, see it as entertainment.

If you come with the whole family, a man with children, for example, could go to the playgrounds, take a bath, have lunch. We hung out on site and some hammocks, running nearby beasts. Shopping at the baggage market is a form of leisure that promotes sustainability. After all, we are consumers who have caused problems for nature. In this way we can give a second life to things that are no longer needed.

For example, we hung flags around our plaza that were made by a woman’s hands from old pieces of cloth. The inscription on the market stall was made of sticks that were used for barbecuing. Everything should be seen with different eyes, ”said Auksė, who works in another field of administration, so the market is just an additional weekend activity for her.

Sold for 900 euros

Some traders, according to Auksė, admit that they did not come to the market to earn money; it is a shame to throw things away, so they offer to pay between 1 and 3 nominal euros for them.

When asked about the most impressive exhibits seen, Auksė named ancient musical instruments, swords, and ancient prayer books.

“There have been unique cases where he has sold unnecessary items for 900 euros a day. People are sometimes surprised to charge 100 euros. He says he was ready to dump everything in a bin while he won and could buy a new item. Sometimes I also sell myself, I don’t like clothes that I don’t know how they were in our closets ”, the interlocutor laughed.

Speaking about the most popular items on the trunk market, Auksė mentioned that books are especially popular.

Not everyone lets in

In the “Aukseliai” market, it is undesirable to sell new products or used clothing in bulk. The goal is for new products to account for only about 10 percent. all the goods of the merchant.

We want to attract the largest number of artisans, antique lovers and collectors to the market.

“Last weekend, there were artisans who made figurines and wax soaps. There were also felt slippers and handmade boxes.

We also had a merchant, Marius, who created unique decorations out of wood, iron, and stone. There is also Zita, who creates sustainable things with her own hands: she sews bags, dresses, tablecloths from materials that used to be bags, curtains or just clothes.

It is to be appreciated, because we are large consumers, so at least in this way we can contribute to the conservation of nature. Diligent hands, artistic talent and the result exceeds expectations. From our activities, people began to cultivate other activities, they began to create, ”said Auksė, ensuring that around 50 cars gathered at the first market at HBH on July 3.

There are few local merchants, he said. They also come from Mažeikiai, Plungė and all over Lithuania.

“Sometimes they come on weekend vacations and bring unnecessary items to the market to sell. People are not lacking in intelligence,” Auksė smiled.

Collectors looking for “gold nuggets” visit luggage markets. After all, the market’s name was born from the idea that everyone here can take advantage of a little bit of that “gold” discovery.

From porcelain to grandfather’s chambers

After visiting the Aukseliai market on Saturday afternoon, we spoke with several traders.

One of them, Gediminas from Radviliškis, sold porcelain beauties. Many of them came from Sweden at one time.

Here is a pencil reminiscent of tsarist Russia, made of black glass, priced at 300 euros, the Latvian porcelain ashtray will cost 250 euros. Metal miniature from the 19th century. silver purses are around € 40-60.

“I came to Šventoji to rest, I thought I would go to the market. The first time I try it here. I brought a third of the merchandise. So far, a man just bought a silver ring. I was in Vilnius, I sold 500 euros for half a day, ”said Gediminas.

When asked why he chose to buy and resell antiques in particular, he explained that his father had been doing this for 40 years.

Monika, who visited the Aukseliai market for the first time, said she had come from Plungė, 50 km away.

On the hangers, her, mother’s and bride’s clothes, on the counter, grandfather’s cameras, an antique microscope, a musical instrument, a home theater set with “movies.”

Right here, and his father’s wind turbines.

“Dad sold them in the Rietavas market for five years. They took about 15, they sold them all for 12-17 euros. And here cameras and other antiques were found in grandfather’s attic when we cleaned the house after his death. Neither We even knew they had none, what value they had. I put the prices “from the sky” – for 15 cameras I ask 15 euros, I sell it with a tripod for 50 euros Home theater – 10-15 euros.

The parents exchanged and so did we.

I put it on the internet, nobody bought it, I thought I would come here, I would try to sell it ”, smiled the merchant.

And here Lina de Palanga and Vaidu transport new and used items (furniture, bicycles, wallets, toys, etc.) from Germany.

The price of the old consoles, tables and chairs already rebuilt in Lithuania exceeds 100 euros. Bicycles are in high demand and cost between 350 and 550 euros.

“It just came to our knowledge then. An innate thing. Here, our daughter is already pushing us together, perhaps the third generation of merchants is growing up, smiled Lina. – We have been operating in the markets for ten years – Rietavas, Dituvos. In summer During the holidays, we go to Germany, we buy everything and we sell it here ”.

The weekend bargaining in the market is not the main activity of these traders, they work in the public service.

“Once we’ve sold 7 bikes a day,” Vaidas asked about the highest daily earnings.

Lina admits, not only trading, but also buying something from others in the market: “What a market, if you don’t buy something.”