The first weekend of operation of Santa Cruz’s big flea market on its new seafront site has already sparked demands for a return to the previous location near the city’s main fruit and vegetable market.
Santa Cruz’s popular “Rastro” attracts thousands of bargain-hunters and browsers every Sunday, many of them tourists who travel up from the resorts in the south of the island. It has stood for years on the streets and tree-lined boulevard next to the Nuestra Señora de Africa market but has now been moved by the council down to the seafront and adjoining parking area.
Its roughly 400 stalls and patches extend along a long stretch of road from the city’s transport interchange and the authorities believe it is a better location for stallholders and shoppers.
However, the first Sunday of business brought a flood of complaints ranging from far too few public toilets (and their poor location) to a lack of shade from the hot sun.
“There is nowhere to have a drink to cool off and many have to walk a long distance to the interchange to use the toilets there” complained one elderly regular Rastro user.
Meanwhile, traders say the logistics of the site have not been thought through properly and vehicle access for setting up and taking down stalls leaves a lot to be desired. “They should at least put up awnings or some form of shade from the sun. The problems are already apparent in mid-March and I shudder to think what will happen at the height of summer”, one stallholder told local media.
There are fears also that the much lower footfall on the lower level of the Rastro will see many traders opt not to take up their allotted positions, although Santa Cruz says that the patches will rotate every few months to ensure that all stallholders will have access to the busier sections.
