photos: Mead Mier
If you’ve heard it said that the Tanque Verde Swap Meet, 4100 S. Palo Verde Rd., has it all, feel free to take that statement literally. Since 1975, this family-owned operation has provided budget-minded Tucsonans with gangas galore by following a simple formula.
Mattresses, tools, toys, clothing, appliances, bicycles and books are just a few of the everyday items available here from independent vendors. Throw in hard-to-find treasures and collectibles, outdoor cartoons and carnival rides for the kids plus affordable food coupled with our famously warm weather, and you’ve got a bargain hunters’ paradise that is open every weekend of the year.
Tanque Verde Swap Meet President Linda Fiore takes pride in having provided, for 37 years, enterprising entrepreneurs an opportunity to promote themselves, speaking with admiration of locals “converting their hobbies into businesses.” The swap meet carries “a lot of small, hometown things,” offering sellers “exposure to thousands of people,” says Fiore. “We would like to consider ourselves a community marketplace.”
Fiore is also “very proud of the fact that over the years” the swap meet has been able to “donate to any charitable organizations who need space.” On the wall in her office (amid the nonstop swirl of activity), a letter of gratitude from Tucson’s nonprofit Community Food Bank testifies to this generosity.
Swap Meet Manager Ray Stone, a large fellow with a gentle demeanor, has been on board since around 1990. Handmade luchadores and “a lot of local folk art” are among his favored swap meet purchases, as well the trolley light he found and restored. “I firmly believe it is one of the last bastions of free enterprise,” Stone says. He speaks warmly of both the “generations of customers” and those who come only “once a year,” while recommending the carne asada at the Mercado cafeteria.
“We have a variety of food,” Fiore says, and the ready availability of cold Eegee’s, specialty ice cream from the Outpost Snack Bar, funnel cakes, hamburgers, Mexican hot dogs, kettle corn, pizza, sandwiches and nachos proves this to be true. Beer stands and beverage carts wet the whistle of those who drink responsibly.
It’s difficult to say precisely how many attendees visit the swap meet on any given afternoon or evening. With a 1200 to 1600 car parking lot and near constant turnover, the number is certainly well within the tens of thousands. Even the briefest of strolls around the countless stalls and stands affords one a chance to rub shoulders with an eye-opening broad segment of humanity. It’s people-watching at its finest! This writer went home with a Popeye comic, Jaws 3 on VHS, a hanging succulent plant, a finger light and a Willie Nelson tape.
Swap meet hours are Fridays 3pm-11pm and Saturday-Sunday 7am-11pm. A currently underutilized stage is available for local talent; Fiore would “love to develop that further.”
Call 294-4252 for inquiries. Visit TanqueVerdeSwapMeet.com for directions.
See you at the swap!
