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May 27, 2009
The first Really Really Free Market will be June 6
in Avon and everything will be really free
By SUSAN WEST
Augustson hopes Hatteras Island’s community
spirit will shine June 6 at the Avon Fire Station when the
island’s first Really Really Free Market gets underway at 9:30
a.m. The event will end at 12:30 p.m.
Markets are planned for the first Saturday of each month through October, or “as long as there is interest.”
Other than reserving the location and setting the day and the hours,
little formal organization goes into holding a Really Really Free
Market.
“The market will be different every month. Its character
will be shaped by the participants and what they bring to share with
other people,” explained Augustson.
She said she planned to take children’s toys and cookies to the event.
“But, the idea is to share not just goods but also skills and
creativity and knowledge with others in the community,” she
explained.
Musicians, storytellers, magicians, jugglers, artists, craftsmen,
chefs, and gardeners have participated in Really Really Free Markets
held around the country.
Augustson said the market concept fits well with island traditions.
“My husband’s grandfather had an old barn packed full of
all sorts of stuff, everything from boat engine parts to bolts and
nails. It wasn’t uncommon for his grandfather to share
whatever was in that barn when his neighbors in the village needed
something to repair a boat or a house,” she explained.
The concept also addresses modern concerns, she said.
“Many of us have lots of things that could be reused by someone
else rather than filling up recycling centers and landfills,”
Augustson said.
One of the very first Really Really Free Markets in the United States
was held in Raleigh in 2004. The concept has spread to many other
North Carolina towns, including Greenville, Carrboro, Wilmington,
Greensboro, and Charlotte.
Augustson emphasized that the event is completely free, and that people
shouldn’t feel that they have to bring something in order to take
something.
“This isn’t about trading at all. It’s more
about a gift from the community to the community,” she said.
Persons wanting more information about the June 6 Really Really Free
Market can call Augustson, president of the Kinnakeet Civic
Association, at 252-995-3855.
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