It was 1997 when I arrived to Atlanta and routinely I would take GA-400 going south. Traffic going south was then rather fluid though less lanes were open. And going north, especially if it was early in the morning, traffic was low and basically composed of caravans of double height old vans, packed with towers of ladders tied I don't know how with an infinite army of construction workers inside. The same spectacle could be seen all over the city's main highways. These were the vans that belonged to Hispanics rushing to their job sites: they were building Atlanta.
Hispanics had been arriving in herds since pre-Olympic times, they were rushing to comply with all the construction that was needed; venues, hotels, roads..., houses for the newcomers lured with cheap prices in a city exploding with well paid job offers of all types.
Their place of arrival was mainly Chamblee. The apartments were there and diversity was welcomed.
Soon they started to frequent the already established
Buford Highway Flea Market, right there, in the heart of Chamblee, turning it into a "Mexican-Plaza" type of place. They would shop, mingle, get a hair cut, and have a delicious meal. It became home for them then, and keeps on being home for them today.
Yes money was pouring from their weekly construction jobs, and yes they would go to the Buford Highway Flea Market to spend it - after sending some home. Many successful merchants saw their start-ups flourish there, even the small ones, the ones with only one twelve by twelve booths! Many of them are still there, after 25 years, since the place opened its doors in what used to be a chain department store that closed it doors, leaving the space to see new life.
Today the Buford Highway Flea Market is not much different. It is still an amazing cultural experience for non-Hispanics; the noise is Hispanic, the music is Hispanic, the language of the customers is Hispanic, the delicious food is Hispanic, a place like no other. The Flea Market became a landmark for the Hispanic community that visit it weekend after weekend. Still a place where they buy, mingle, get a hair-cut, have a great meal, and have fun. Yes, the Payasita Chispita (clown) is now a staple that entertains equally kids and adults with all sorts of alternatives, including Karaoke contests, where you might see the next "Hispanic Idol" singing a wonderful ranchera. First it was mainly a male-macho crowd, the hat-mustache-boots one, but today it is them, their wives, and their English speaking children. They have planted their roots in the country, and the Flea Market is still their place.
