ROGERS, Ohio – Long before Craigslist, eBay and Facebook Marketplace, the tri-state area’s largest flea and farm market was born in a barn, literally.
It was July 1, 1955 when Emmet Baer, already an established auctioneer, started the Rogers Community Auction, selling produce, eggs, and miscellaneous items every Friday, says Kymberly Seabolt, promotions director.
Almost immediately, she says, vendors gathered around his auction barn to capture the attention – of the auction crowds. The Baers opened a restaurant on the grounds and expanded the market during the 1960s and 1970s. Emmet’s death in 1971 left his widow, Lucille, and their son, Jim, to run the business.
Jim had added buildings and pavilions to provide indoor market space. A new poultry barn was built to house the small animals that were auctioned. With an eye toward growth, he purchased more of the surrounding ground to hold the expanding auction and market. Following his death in 1999, the tradition was carried on by the third generation of Baer Auctioneers and Market Professionals.
Today the third and fourth generation oversee the operations with more than 40 full-time and seasonal employees. Rogers Community Auction and Open Air Market comprises nearly 250 acres, with 70 acres of free parking, more than 1,200 vendor spaces and five miles of vendor aisles.
Internet-based marketing is both a challenge and a boost to traditional flea market sales. Vendors market themselves via Rogers social media channels to get customers excited about visiting.
“Today we can have 30,000 visitors on a slow Friday market day” Seabolt says. “This is quite a journey from humble beginnings in a single barn.”