There is a happy mood this Saturday on the closed road on the southern bank of the Main, where around 150 suppliers are presenting their goods for the first time after more than two years of a Corona break.
"We've been drinking sparkling wine since morning," says dealer Edith Ochs.
The joy of seeing familiar faces among customers and junk dealers again, of being part of a hustle and bustle again, is great.
It lets Ochs, who has repeatedly made representations to the traders in the Römer over the past few months, put aside concerns that things could be even better for the Frankfurt flea market.
"We're just happy that it's taking place again, here." Here, that means Schaumainkai, where the flea market was held for almost 30 years, from 1990 to 2019.
Mechthild Harting
Editor in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung.
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Stephanie Wüst is also satisfied.
"It feels good," says the Head of Economic Affairs after strolling past the stalls selling junk, antiques, second-hand clothes and sometimes just odds and ends.
In the past few months, the FDP politician had campaigned in the coalition for the Frankfurt flea market to return there.
“A flea market is a tourist magnet.
That's where you come into contact with the city.” In addition, flea markets are places of trade and what could be nicer than combining that with positive feelings, says Wüst, who also likes to stroll through markets because she has a weakness for mugs.
“A flea market needs a permanent location so that visitors and dealers can be sure that it takes place regularly and reliably.
That was not the case in the weeks leading up to the pandemic.
In 2019, the then city government had started the experiment of closing the Mainkai, a central section of the northern bank of the Main, to traffic on a trial basis.
This initially caused traffic chaos.
The simultaneous closure of the south bank for the flea market increased the dissatisfaction of the citizens and so it was decided at the end of 2019 to give up the location on Schaumainkai and to move the flea market to Mainkai, even if it was much cramped there.
It took place four times against protests from the dealers on the Mainkai, then Corona came.
The simultaneous closure of the south bank for the flea market increased the dissatisfaction of the citizens and so it was decided at the end of 2019 to give up the location on Schaumainkai and to move the flea market to Mainkai, even if it was much cramped there.
It took place four times against protests from the dealers on the Mainkai, then Corona came.
The simultaneous closure of the south bank for the flea market increased the dissatisfaction of the citizens and so it was decided at the end of 2019 to give up the location on Schaumainkai and to move the flea market to Mainkai, even if it was much cramped there.
It took place four times against protests from the dealers on the Mainkai, then Corona came.
Now the flea market on Schaumainkai is back, albeit in a slimmed-down form: it used to stretch from the Friedensbrücke to the Alte Brücke, but is now only held between the Friedensbrücke and the Untermainbrücke.
Instead of 300 exhibitors, there is now space for half.
This is a compromise, says Wüst.
Finally, the city government wants to gradually close the Mainkai again.
Wüst doesn't believe in the idea of leaving the flea market on the north bank despite all the protests.
There was not even enough space for the rescue lane.
She hopes that now that the flea market has returned to its original place, everything will fall into place.
"We've made a start," confirms a dealer who has been exhibiting for 42 years.
However, he is skeptical that the Frankfurt flea market will once again develop into what it used to be, after all there are not enough stands in the long term.
Klaus-Peter Schaub, who has also been on the market for years, rates the return as a “partial success”.
He was satisfied "if it stays like this".
In any case, on this first day of the new flea market, he only saw friendly and happy faces.