Member Spotlight – The Ark Antiques & Flea Market
Visiting The Ark Antiques and Flea Market is like embarking on a treasure hunt. This place is rich with unique pieces, and they have such a variety of items to choose from. With 180+ booths and 140 independent vendors, shopping at this indoor flea market and antique mall is like an adventure waiting to happen! The Ark is located at 301 S. Main and is open 7 days a week – Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. and on Sunday 12 noon until 5 p.m. Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are the only days The Ark is closed. Those kinds of store hours are every shopper’s dream!
How did The Ark Antiques and Flea Market get started? Owner Ben Coffey said, “We made the wonderful business decision right in the middle of COVID to say, ‘Let’s open a flea market!’ And so – July 1, 2020. So, we’re coming up on our five-year anniversary [that] we started The Ark.” At the age of 14, Ben had his first booth at an antique mall, then had a 10-year break. Ben got back into the business with an eBay store for a while called “Ben’s Cheap DVDs and More.” He said, “That entrepreneurial spirit has always kind of been there!” Now have you ever wondered how they came up with the name for the store? Ben said, “The whole reason of naming The Ark – The Ark was kind of like Noah’s Ark. As far as, eventually we’re going to have two of everything in here!”
At The Ark, it’s easy to get lost in the whole shopping experience. You’ve heard the saying “so much to do, so little time.” There are multiple rooms, each with its own name to help you navigate your way around the store. Some of the things you’ll find at The Ark include clothes, home décor, kitchen items, jewelry, toys, handmade items, lotions, candles, and so, so much more!
New merchandise is always being added to the booths at The Ark. The goods you’ll find at each booth have been carefully curated by that vendor, resulting in a shopping adventure filled with a diverse selection of products throughout the store. Are you looking for antiques, dishware, baseball cards, or furniture? The Ark Antiques and Flea Market has it! Want to get some holiday pieces, maybe some vintage décor, add to your Beanie Babies collection, or get some more DVDs for your library? Well, The Ark has all of those too! You just can’t believe the variety of things you’ll find at The Ark Antiques and Flea Market — and so many rooms filled to the brim with items to buy!
If you’re looking for a shopping extravaganza, mark your calendar for April 24th – April 27th and shop at the HWY 56 Sales Scramble organized by The Ark Antiques and Flea Market. We’re talking 100 miles – essentially between Great Bend and Marion – of garage sales, flea markets, vendor pop-ups, and eateries! About the Sales Scramble, Ben said, “The real purpose of this is to put out-of-state dollars into these small towns and these small businesses. And so, we’re really looking to sign folks up on the advertising side of it who are either a second-hand store, that folks are coming to look at, or just a unique store. So as an example, Kaylan with Stitches [Quilt Shop]. Even though these folks are not coming solely for quilting classes or something like that they may say – ‘Oh yeah, there was that place in McPherson. I’m going to go back when I have time.’ ” What a great way to get traffic into these communities to support local businesses! By going online to hwy56sales.com you can find a list of the participating towns in the HWY 56 Sales Scramble AND maps that will show you the location of each garage sale, flea market, or eatery, along with a brief description of what items will be featured at the sales and the hours they’ll be open. This sounds like a 100-mile shopping paradise!
The Ark Antiques and Flea Market began its journey in 2020 and is an award-winning antique mall and indoor flea market that McPherson is fortunate to have on Main Street. All vendor booths are under one roof and if you go to The Ark’s website you can even find a map of the store with the vendor number locations identified, as well as the names of the different areas and rooms that make up this exciting shopping opportunity. The Ark Antiques and Flea Market Facebook page is also a great resource for seeing what’s new in the shop. WHO? The Ark Antiques and Flea Market. WHAT? A unique shopping venue. WHEN? Open every day of the week throughout the year, except Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. WHERE? 301 S. Main Street in McPherson. WHY? Why not!! It’s a great way to keep those shopping dollars local! A truly amazing shopping experience in our own downtown! Check out these photos taken at Chamber Connections hosted by The Ark Antiques and Flea Market and start making your list of things you want to go check out!