At half past eleven in the morning, when the esplanades used as a carpark in Sant Joan are rather empty, the operators who order the traffic ask you to park close to the rest to fit as many as possible. Such meticulousness is surprising, but it is understandable an hour later, when it is then completely packed with vehicles.
The other surprising detail a few minutes after browsing the craft stalls is that most of the passers-by speak English, German or Dutch. Even in winter, the foreign public is prevalent, although they are usually residents or have a second residence in Ibiza .
This is confirmed by Savina Vaquero, who has been selling silver jewelry in this market for the last four years. “The ones who buy the most from me are the Dutch. They are my number one customers without any doubt, at least in my case”, she stresses.
A family atmosphere
She also sells in Las Dalias and es Canar, but she says that Sant Joan’s market is completely different from the rest. “Here there is a very family atmosphere, in a small place and in a perfect surroundings”, says Vaquero.
“Sant Joan has a very authentic and original place, with a very cozy and relaxed atmosphere”
“For me, Sant Joan has a very authentic and original place that brings together many artisans of the island with a very cozy and relaxed atmosphere”, says Pedro Giambruni, who makes original jewelry out of gold or silver and sea urchin shells.
Another of the most eye-catching stalls is that of Freddie Robbino, with the Converse-type canvas sneakers that he and his wife customize, stone-wash and draw on. “Here, not only do our products sell pretty well to tourists, but it has live music and ends early. At three or three thirty at the most we are finished”, he says.
In the last two years, the flea market has been affected by the ups and downs of the health restrictions due to covid, and was closed for several months. They also operated with only half of the vendors every Sunday, alternating from week to week, in order to space out the stalls and avoid crowds of people.
“Every Sunday, 10 or 15 people come to get inquire because they are interested in having a stall”
Good prospects for Sant Joan
Since February 27th, the street market has been bringing life back to the town every Sunday with all of its 95 stalls. In addition, if anyone is going to be absent or is off the island, there is a reserve of more than 30 artisans on the waiting list for a stall.
“Every Sunday 10 or 15 people come to inquire because they are interested in having a stall,” explains the president of the artisans’ association, Mar Andrés. “The main requirement now is to have the Balearic craftsman’s card, because we are focusing more on craftsmanship and prioritising it over resale,” she explains.
To fill vacancies, the balance between the different offers is also taken into account. “If there is a clothing vacancy, we call one with this specialty, or one of costume jewelry if the case arises,” says Andrés.
In any case, the head of the flea market is fully confident about the good results she foresees for this year. “We are happy and very optimistic, because this is a very beautiful town and people come back because they don’t feel overwhelmed”, she stresses.
Activities
This season they plan to extend the market’s offer with parallel activities such as folkloric exhibitions, “with dancing and explanations of the typical costumes”, as well as installing advertising for the hiking routes promoted by the Sant Joan City Council.
Once a month, the programme also includes theatrical performances and activities for children, such as face-painting workshops. In addition, on the two previous days since its reopening [one Sunday there was no market due to rain] there was live music, but this week it has been suspended due to the weather forecast, according to Andrés.
One of the market’s founders, Saigo Dicenta, continues every week with a stall selling musical instruments, although he left the organisation a couple of years ago. In 2012, together with the then president of the Fiestas Commission, Vicent Torres, of the tobacconist Can Vidal, they planned a weekly event to liven up the cultural and artistic life of the town.
“Now it’s all about the street market, but before it was just another part of the offer,” Dicenta says. As a native of Sant Joan, he is pleased that this weekly event has benefited the rest of the town’s businesses and enlivened social life in its decade of existence.
However, he now foresees that, after two years of restrictions and limitations with covid, “we don’t know what the future model of the market is or where it is going to go. In his case, he would like it to once again become “a cultural and musical reference point for the island”, he concludes.
For the full article, please visit Diario de Ibiza website here.