San Jose Flea Market, San Jose

The San Jose Flea Market, located in the heart of the Berryessa district of San Jose, California, was founded by George Bumb Sr. in March 1960. He had the idea to open a flea market while working in the solid waste and landfill business. He witnessed abundant items thrown away every day and realized he could make a profit from these discarded items. After visiting swap meets in Los Angeles and Paris’ Thieves Market for inspiration, George Bumb Sr. established the San Jose Flea Market at 1590 Berryessa Road in San Jose, California. He bought 120 acres of an old meat-processing plant and remodeled it to create a market with an initial 20 vendors and only 100 customers per day. ()