On the first Saturday of every month at 2 p.m., Carrboro Town Commons comes alive with people from all walks of life, brought together to attend the Carrboro Really Really Free Market. Ranging from clothing to tech support, from bouncy houses to hot hand-cooked meals, the market has something to benefit everyone.
And just as the name implies, everything at the market is really and truly free.
David Deming, a Chapel Hill resident and bus driver for Chapel Hill Transit, who has been associated with the Carrboro Really Really Free Market since 2005 or 2006 when it started occurring monthly, said that the purpose of the market is to provide mutual aid.
This market in Carrboro is just one of the Really Really Free Markets across the nation founded on values of communal solidarity. The first of its kind occurred around the same time in both Raleigh and Miami, Florida before expanding both nationally and internationally, including to Carrboro on October 5, 2004.
“It was a pretty wacky idea. [The] whole concept is that you can just show up and give stuff away and not charge money. It sounded pretty radical.” Deming said.
This mutual aid, Deming said, is an outlet for people who have too many clothes, household items or everyday wares to be able to give those things away to other individuals who need them, in a manner that is both easy and accessible.
The atmosphere at the market on Saturday was mutually beneficial in every sense as people gave not only their possessions but also their time in many different ways. Some of these ways included providing free bike repairs and haircuts.
Working alongside Deming to cook the free food provided at the event was Tracy Wall who has been involved with the market for over a decade.
“The idea of mutual aid is a very powerful human experience. Giving aid or helping other humans is why we're here, so we don't have money as intermediaries or anything like that.” Wall said.
