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A friend has sent you a link to the following article: http://hawaiicam.com/index.php/hawaiicam/comments/45/ There’s no fleas so why bother with that name?First, there’s no fleas. Well, maybe a few here and there. We’re in Hawaii, right? And, there’s no swapping going on. Well, maybe you swapping your money for someone else’s stuff. We have garage sales in Hawaii, too. Today it’s all about fleas and swaps. The garage sale or yard sale is ubiquitous in America these days. Drive down any decent residential area on Saturday and you’ll see a cardboard sign tacked up on a telephone pole, address blaring, and arrow pointing. The big brother to the home yard or garage sale is the Swap Meet. Yes, I know they’re sometimes called flea markets but I could never figure out why. There’s no fleas so why bother with that name? I mean, isn’t it like grape nut flake cereal? There’s no grapes. There’s no nuts. What’s with that name? Hawaii folks love to shop. So we collect things. You name it. We have a relative somewhere who’s collecting it. Of course, in turn, they’re married to another relative who’s trying to get rid of it. It’s the circle of life. Buy. Store. Yard sale. In Hawaii we have our share of yard sales, garage sales, and for the more enterprising sellers and shoppers, a couple of very large swap meets. We even have an indoor flea market—except it’s more of a retail business posing as a flea market (whatever that is). Mango Marketplace on California Avenue in Wahiawa (Central Oahu) is the indoor version. Think of 8 or 10 yard sales all crammed into an indoor, air conditioned place. Messy. But bargains can be found. The swap meets are a bit different. The largest of the two is the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet. It’s held, you guessed it, at Aloha Stadium; past the airport on the way to Pearlridge. There’s a nominal admission charge and parking is free in the Stadium parking lot. What’s there? There’s not much “swapping” going onRemarkably, there’s not much “swapping” going on. It’s more commercial than you’d imagine. Yep. There’s T-shirt vendors all over. All the tourist items, too. Like conch shells from the Philippines. Some electronic gear. Clothes of all kinds (except lingerie—although if someone could get the right models that might increase attendance substantially). Think of a couple of hundred tents filled with stuff (most of it new) for sale. That’s the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet. Down the street a couple of miles and behind the Pearlridge Shopping Center is the Kam Super Swap Meet. This is more local than commercial so you’ll find fresh produce, fruit, flowers, and so on. And there’s more “things” for sale that used to belong to someone else. So, what’s the awful truth about swap meets in Hawaii? I don’t recall ever seeing much “swapping” going on.