Well the first Deep Ellum Sellum went off last Saturday (8/11) night in the covered parking lot behind Cafe Brazil. It was a huge success, we had about 15 vendors come out and everyone had a good time. I really liked the fact that we had so much variety in the flea market. There were paintings, clothes, photography, vintage stuff, and jewelry. The parking lot was planned off to the inch with AutoCAD which yielded 36 10′x10′ spots but realistically I think 25 spots is the most we can manage.

The food/drinks was a big hit and special thanks to Ruth from the Sunshine Store for cooking hot dogs for us all. Also, the dj helped to turn the heads of people out in the neighborhood who didn’t know about the event beforehand. I think the food/drink/music combination should be at every Deep Ellum Sellum event, it helps set the atmosphere to more of a festival or party then just a flea market. I saw people gather in groups at the grill just to hang out and chat as well as in front of the dj. Hah there were even a couple people dancing at one point.

All of DEEP’s costs for putting on the event (flyers, food, drinks, renting the space, ect..) were covered by booth sales and we even have enough left over to cover flyer printing for the upcoming September gallery walk. I’m thinking of proposing the idea of moving Deep Ellum Sellum to the parking lot near Kettle Art Gallery (where the Sunshine Store is). It would be a lot cheaper to rent that space and it’s more in the heart of Deep Ellum. I’ve always had this feeling that that lot should be the focal point of any outdoor Deep Ellum event. The downside is it’s not covered and I have a feeling Deep Ellum Sellum will out grow it in short order.

Overall, this first event was great and I want to thank everyone who came out and helped make it a success.

Chad