Traders Village is a large open air flea market with 1,800 indoor and outdoor vendors on over 100 acres. Traders Village is open every Saturday and Sunday from 8am to dusk all year long. Every weekend, the market becomes a small city. The RV park and campground next door fills up with vendors, and Traders Village comes to life.
You can literally find just about everything here. There are a lot of permanent vendors
set up in "stores" at Traders Village selling new merchandise. However, the majority of
them sell used merchandise. You will find everything from car parts to a family pet. Vendors range from someone selling junk out of the trunk of their car, to indoor stores that are air conditioned where you can buy new new
clothes, carpet, furiture, etc.
There are also carnival rides for kids, and food and drink everywhere, which provides a
state fair environment to the flea market. To make it easy for shoppers, there are ATM
machines, stroller and wheelchair rental, plenty of restrooms and parking, and mobile beer merchants. Traders Village also holds/hosts special events such as dog shows, car shows, chili cook-offs, antique auto shows, and championship barbeque contests.
As a place to sell things, Traders Village provides potential business owners with a low risk way of starting a business, whether turning a hobby into a business, or opening a new location for an existing business. You can also have a one-time garage sale at Traders Village.
For me, the draw isn't the vendors or their wares at all. The people watching is unbelievable. There is such a large cross-section of society walking around that it is fascinating to watch everyone. Lots of people bring wagons with coolers of beer and soda, but the beer vendors driving around in golf carts don't charge too much. You also get to see people bargain with the vendors which is amusing. So I don't go to Traders Village to shop. I go for the low cost entertainment, and to get the family out of the house...and if you happen to find something to buy...better yet.
Traders Village is located at 2603 Mayfield Road about half way between Dallas and Fort Worth in Grand Prarie (a southwest suburb of Dallas). To get there from downtown Dallas, take I-35E south to SR 67 and continue south to I-20. Take I-20 West and exit at Great Southwest Parkway and turn right. Turn left on Mayfield Road, and you will see Traders Village on the right. From the Dallas/Ft Worth International Airport, take the south airport exit to State Highway 360 and exit at Mayfield Road and follow the signs.