Step into Sokols in Bethlehem on Sunday, April 26, and you’ll find the bustling energy of a vibrant flea market, with one radical twist: not a single price tag in sight.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., “The Free Market” will transform the hall at 613 Hillside Ave. into a bustling marketplace where goods change hands without a single dollar being spent. Part social gathering and part sustainability initiative, the event aims to divert quality items from landfills and place them directly into the hands of neighbors who can use them.

“A lot of people have too much stuff and a lot of people need stuff,” says Coalition for Appropriate Transportation Director Scott Slingerland. CAT hosted a successful Free Market event earlier this year, and Slingerland is continuing to advocate for community-based sharing.

“The question is,” he says. “How do you bring the stuff and the people together who need it?”

The Free Market is sponsored by Bike Biscuits, a small-batch vegan baker out of Bethlehem.

“Listen y’all, we just got too much stuff in this world that goes unused or thrown away,” they said in a release.

Those interested in having a table to offer items for the taking are instructed to visit Bike Biscuits on Instagram at instagram.com/bikebiscuits to sign up. Those interested in receiving items are encouraged just to show up. It is free admission and family-friendly.

Part of the fun is the in-person element, Slingerland explains. “I can see someone pick up something I brought,” he says. “It could be a shirt that had a whole life with me and I can see who takes it and know it is going to have a life with someone else.”

He explains that sure, you could list the items online in a Facebook free stuff group, but it’s not the same. “The big shift is that it gets people together. It’s a social connection that you don’t get when you are trying to sell something online from your house,” he says. At the last event, he was moved to see a notable intersection of disparate people.

“There are circles of community that don’t intersect all the time,” he says. “At the Free Market you’ll see musicians, lawyers, unhoused people, artists… it’s great to have these intentional intersections.”

So what inspires someone to give their belongings away for free in this economy? Slingerland suggests that for many, the business of selling used goods has always been more about the decluttering than the cash.

“Garage sales have existed since people have had garages,” he explains. “But you’re not in it to make money. You’ll sell a pair of shoes for 50 cents, a bike for five bucks. You basically make pennies on the dollar.”

Why not remove the awkward middle step of exchanging small amounts of money and just focus on doing good? Events like this help keep stuff out of landfills while at the same time helping community member in need.

“At the last Free Market, people brought some really nice things to give away, Slingerland says, recalling items ranging from 3D-printed gadgets to clothes to backpacks and art. Some people brought necessities like toothpaste and hygiene items to share with individuals who could really use them. “There was real altruism there,” he says. “Some people who stuck their head in were confused like ‘what do you mean everything is free?’ but it was great to see an alternative to the business model that is capitalism.”

There will be a few vendors selling things like coffee and vegan donuts, the release from Bike Biscuits notes, as well as a few small businesses with items for sale. There will also be a community resource table with information from a variety of community groups as well as a fundraising raffle to support the endeavor. But you don’t have to spend a single dollar if you don’t want to.

Whether you’re in spring cleaning mode or in need of something used but new to you, the event offers a chance to give and receive. The message from organizers is simple: show up, share what you can, and leave your wallet in your pocket. In a world of rising costs, could it be that for at least one day in Bethlehem, the best things in life really are free?

Read the original article on lehighvalleylive.com. Add lehighvalleylive.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here.