After 10 years of serving Toronto's east side, the Leslieville Flea announced their last market in December 2022.

Or, so we thought. 

Former owners Brigid Elmy and Chris Roberts never intended to close down Leslieville Flea. Instead, the pair hoped ownership would change hands. 

They wanted to sell the business to someone with deep roots in Toronto's vintage scene. So when former digital account manager, mother, and market lover, Kendall Pereira offered to take over, the duo knew the flea would be in good hands. 

"Once a millennia ago, I was a creator in the vintage space and a blogger in Toronto for over 15 years. So when I raised my hand. It sort of came naturally," said Pereira, the owner of what is now called, The Toronto Flea.

Pereira first took note of the flea as a shopper. About three or four years ago, she was walking around Stackt Market when she saw a Leslieville Flea sign that confused her.

"In my head, Leslieville is really a place. So it felt really disjointed that the Leslieville Flea would be at Stackt. It was a little confusing for me, other people, friends, and community members as the market was on the west side," she said.

To usher in the rebrand, Pereira has already planned two events: The the inaugural market in June, set in a beautiful old century home on the East side, as well as a Pride the following week.

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Fans were unable to contain their excitement online.

One Instagram user responded saying, "Can't keep a good thing down!" while another exclaimed, "eeeek!!! I'm so excited," followed by mind blown emojis. 

Pereira has around ten events planned over the course of the market season. She mentioned that there are a lot of markets in Toronto, but they're the only real market on the East side.

The Toronto Flea will host its inaugural event on June 4th, followed by their Pride event on June 9th.

Take this opportunity to support local vendors and creators!