By Creighton A. Welch - Express-News

In terms of Texas flea markets, Traders Village in Grand Prairie and Houston are two of the most popular, drawing a combined 5 million people a year.

Now, the company is opening a store in San Antonio. Traders Village bought 290 acres of undeveloped land for an undisclosed price at Old Pearsall Road and Loop 410 on the city's Southwest Side to create a festival-like flea market that it hopes will attract thousands of vendors and millions of shoppers each year.

Traders Village is pegging this as more of an entertainment venue than just a place to shop. It will be able to host festivals, gatherings and concerts and even will have an RV park and, someday, cabins. “You can spend the day shopping, enjoying everything from corn dogs to Thai food and then enjoy some entertainment,” said Mike Baxter, marketing director for Traders Village.

The company plans to break ground in six months and to open the market in mid-2010. San Antonio has several flea markets that offer live music, food and other events, but Traders Village will offer it all on a larger scale.

The first phase of Traders Village will hold up to 1,200 vendors, about the size of the Houston market. But the company plans to expand to more than 3,000 vendors in the future, the size of its Grand Prairie shops. It will have several large expo buildings as well.

Though flea markets don't pack all the glitz and glam of other retail, they actually are faring well in the recession. Baxter said 2008 was a record year for Traders Village. “We're finding that the economy is doing very well for flea markets all over the country,” Baxter said. “2009 could be another record breaker because people not only are looking for bargains, but they're looking for money, so they come out and sell.”