To Najlon we go

It all started with a tuba…a couple weeks ago when Florian and Vincent from my Serbian class were describing their weekend, Florian mentioned that they went to the Najlon Flea Market and bought a tuba for ninety Euros. I was hooked from that moment and knew that I would have to make a trip to Najlon at some point during my time in Novi Sad. That point was this past Saturday when Tucker and I ventured to the flea market in the hopes of finding some goodies of our own.

Tucker and I met up at 6am that day to get the early start that we were advised to get. We got on a bus, and after about a twenty-five minute ride, we reached our destination. Unfortunately, our “early bird gets the worm” mentality did not work out in our favor, for the majority of the vendors had not even set up their stations yet. Some were still asleep in their cars, as others looked for a quick bite or talked to each other. As we waited for the market to come to life (from the buyer’s perspective), Tucker and I found a small café to help pass the time. 

By 7, there was daylight and a significant difference in the amount of products on display. It was time to get out there and haggle! There was so much variety: clothing, shoes, toilet seats, books, tools, shoelaces, mint-condition food and bathroom items (although I’m not quite sure how vendors got their hands on those things), etc. After a few laps around the flea market, we both knew what we wanted. I wanted an old-school film camera and Tucker wanted a Yugoslavia military pin for his friend’s dad and any interesting book worth his dinar.

We were both able to find what we were looking for, but Tucker was the true victor of the day since he actually purchased something –and not at the initial price, might I add.

 

Yes, these vendors are always looking to make a sale, but you could just feel it in the atmosphere that the Najlon Flea Market is more than a business…it’s a way of life. With the broken Serbian that we knew, we were able to express interest in goods and bargain, but we also had the chance to randomly converse with the people we encountered as we perused; it seemed as if there was always time to set aside the business aspect of the flea market and incorporate the social one. Although I left the flea market empty handed, I was able to take with me a piece of another lifestyle in Serbia.