Indoor-outdoor flea market opened June 6
POST FALLS – It’s the little things in life that give Maureen Moss purpose.
While the 61-year-old has her own line of packable specialty items for sale, those little things are more often the collective works, and sense of small-town community, provided at local flea markets. That’s why Moss recently opened Treasure Towne in Post Falls, an indoor-outdoor specialty shop and flea market that comes to life every weekend.
“It’s a family, we wanted it to be a family atmosphere from the beginning,” said Moss, who owns the place with Frank Seth and Jo Bennett. “We have some really wonderful stuff,” she added.
In the 6,000-square-foot “town,” each booth-lined block offers something different and unique. Every Friday through Sunday, the market’s aisles fill up with a variety of vendors, offering items ranging from knick-knacks and collectibles, tools and toys; to sunglasses and soaps, and there’s something new every weekend.
Looking for some hand-carved log furniture? Organic fertilizer? Fine art? Or just some food? Treasure Towne has it all. The admission-free market offers a true mixed-bag shopping experience with 32 indoor vendors, and another 24 outside booths that are set to open with games and prizes in mid-July.
Moss’ inspiration for Treasure Towne came after running her own booth, Nana’s Pantry, which offers customized survival kits and bulk food, at a now-defunct flea market in Liberty Lake for the past three years. Once that market closed, she saw that the River City lacked a place dedicated to the creative works and finds of local specialty merchants.
“We decided that we were going to try for something” similar to the former Liberty Lake flea market, Moss said. “There is really nothing like this in Post Falls. There are thrift stores in Coeur d’Alene and other places, but there wasn’t something like this in the area. As my partner Frank says, ‘Let’s see how many dreams we can build.’ “
It turns out there is no shortage of vendors with big dreams. Once the owners put the word out about Treasure Towne earlier this year, local merchants lined up to rent booths, including some of their previous flea market neighbors. But some hitches in finishing the building’s interior, which was an empty shell with gravel floors, no electricity and bare studs, delayed the opening.
“It took us a little longer than we expected,” Moss recalled. “The vendors were in a holding pattern from March until we opened (June 6). I think it was really hard for them because they weren’t making much money.”
In the wake of the June grand opening, Treasure Towne has steadily attracted business through word of mouth, a location right off the interstate and road signs courting curious passers-by. Post Falls couple Sue and Gerald Spreen were on their way home from church on a recent Sunday afternoon when a Treasure Towne poster caught their attention.
“We love this kind of thing,” said Sue Spreen, as she inspected some wildlife photography from vendor Yolanda Rosales’ Soaring Raven Artz collection. “I keep too busy to shop much, but today was my day. This is a real treat. I like their selection and the people are all friendly.”
For vendors, Moss said the weekend market offers a reliable outlet to showcase their wares, rather than the oftentimes tiresome pack-and-unpack traveling routine of a flea market merchant. Booths are available and can be rented for $20 to $50 a weekend.
Moss said she hopes Treasure Towne becomes a permanent marketplace in the community, one where everyone involved can thrive. “My long-term goal is to see it continue the way it started, and it is my retirement dream,” she said. “I couldn’t ask for it to be any better than it is right now.”