MOORPARK : College Will Host Weekend Swap Meet

Moorpark College officials have reached an agreement with an Arizona promoter who plans to start a weekly swap meet at the east Ventura County campus.

Bob Whittington of Markets West in Glendale, Ariz., said Thursday he plans to open the swap meet the weekend of Oct. 22-23 in the college parking lot.

“It’ll be like an old-fashioned swap meet or flea market, with antiques, collectibles, food and drinks,” Whittington said. “And we’ve set aside space for nonprofits and groups from the college to set up sales.”

The latest plan to establish a year-round swap meet at Moorpark College follows a flea market that closed down last year after only a few months.

Moorpark College Foundation Director Jim Niles said holding the sale both Saturday and Sunday would stimulate interest.

“You generate people not only with the advertising, but a huge part of it is the casual drive-by traffic,” he said.

Whittington said he already has arranged for newspaper and cable television advertisements to promote the swap meet.

He expects 40 to 50 vendors to be selling goods during the initial weekend.

Under the agreement between Markets West and Moorpark College, the campus will receive 20% of the gross receipts, Whittington said.

Niles estimates that would amount to $25,000 or more in the first year.

The swap meet will be open 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, the promoter said.