When I was young—back in the early ’90s—I used to love going to the flea market.

Rotating signage announcing Chesapeake Bay Peddler's Grand Opening this weekend.

My favorite was FX. If you’re from Virginia Beach, you remember it. It was located on Virginia Beach Boulevard, not far from where Town Center is now. FX started out as an electronics store, but then became Bill’s Flea Market. In those days Bill’s was like a big world bazaar where you could find literally anything, from perfumes to vintage posters to antique jewelry. Every corner you turned there was something fascinating.

Then, as I got older, the place got really sketchy. What was once a maze in which I loved getting lost became a place where I felt like I might get kidnapped.

By the time the old FX burned down a few years ago, Bill’s Flea Market (and its other locations around Hampton Roads) had all gotten that rap. Drug paraphernalia, guns, stolen goods and pornography seemed to be mostly what the vendors within were selling.

So when I went down to visit Chesapeake Bay Peddler—which is actually housed in an old Bill’s Flea Market on Military Highway, not far from the airport and Norfolk Botanical Gardens—I had no idea what to expect.

When I walked in, a couple little kids ran up to me and eagerly said hi. The lobby was bright and open, if just a little quiet. I asked for Jeannie Steele, who owns and manages the place, and was led over to the office. Jeannie, it turned out, is an adorable woman with bright eyes, a really pleasant way about her, and a stature of maybe five feet and some change. But Jeannie, it also turned out, is quite a businesswoman. And she’s got a vision for Chesapeake Bay Peddler that is going to turn that place completely around.

Jeannie and Joey Steele.

A former RN and massage therapist, Jeannie, along with her husband Joey, who owns a plumbing company and is just as likeable as his wife, took over at the end of June. When Bill Barry, who is Joey’s cousin, passed away recently in a car accident, the market first went to Barry’s stepsister. Unfortunately she had a difficult time making it work. So Joey and Jeannie stepped in.

At that time Jeannie had a shop in the market selling hand-crafted soap. Of course she never thought they’d be doing this—”Things just kind of fell in our lap,” she says.

But it seems to be a perfect fit. In just these few short months, the Steeles have completely re-envisioned the place, worked out a viable business plan, and have moved full-steam ahead since. In just the few weeks between when I first visited at the end of July and my visit just last week, the place has changed quite a bit. Flags and food vendors out front entice you off of Military Highway. Inside, some scooters and fresh paint enliven the lobby.

Lily, a young lemonade "vendor".

“My vision is to have a very eclectic market, where there’s something for everyone,” says Jeannie. “We want to open a more cultural environment.”

Her vision is of a more upscale place where hand-crafters, artists and boutiques take the lead. A place for exciting events; muscle car shows, arts and crafts shows, charity events, family festivals.

“I see it as an incubator for small businesses,” says Jeannie. “A lot of people don’t have the money for a big storefront. Here, businesses can start small; or if they’re struggling, they can scale down until the economy picks back up.”

Already the market’s off to a great start. Currently in Chesapeake Bay Peddler are a bridal shop, a barbershop, a mens’ suit store, a ceramic shop, a basket shop, an alteration shop, a place that does embroidery, and a comic store, to name just a few. There’s Shutterbugs, a portrait photography studio. There’s Southern Magnolia, a shabby chic kind of retailer, owned by Linda Whitehurst, a single mom who recently lost her job. There’s Four Chicks, a funky little jewelry shop, where I almost spent all the money I had on me. (What can I say? Monica Gatlin, one of the owners, let me try on everything!)

The business owners are from everywhere in the world–there are Hispanics, Filipinos and Africans.

There’s Leepat Gift Shop, for instance, which is owned by Leroy and Patricia Skerritt, who hail from Trinidad.

Sam Bundallah, owner of CompuSpot and doctoral student, hails from Tanzania.

There’s CompuSpot, a computer sales and repair shop, owned by Sal Bundallah from Tanzania, who is also working on a Ph.D. in computer information systems. Sal has been in the flea market since the beginning.

“For my kind of business,” he told me, “you can’t find a better place than this. I’m happy; I can’t complain. You want to see the proof?” And with that he pulled out a giant wad of cash from his pocket with a huge smile.

“This is what people come to this country to do,” says Jeannie. “Build businesses and legacies to pass down.”

And when she says this, she’s speaking also of herself. The Chesapeake Bay Peddler itself has become her family’s business: Her brother, David Carpenter, who is in fact a carpenter, helped revamp the place; her son-in-law, Timothy Fox, designed their logo and website; her son is working on turning the café into a bakery and bistro; and her daughter works in the café, as well. Plus, “there are always children and grandchildren running around.”

Monica Gatlin, owner of Four Chicks, an awesome little jewelry shop.

“This is where we have our roots, and we’re proud of it,” says Jeannie, whose family hails from Ocean View. “This is home. It gives me an immense sense of pride to give back to this community.”

And she certainly is doing so. The people who are benefiting from Chesapeake Bay Peddler are people who are trying to live the American Dream; people coming in from the old FX, people who lost everything in that fire; and people who just want to build something.

Then also there are people like me who benefit—people who miss the old flea markets where you could discover all these cool tiny shops and get lost in it all. People who want to support others who are here to build the legacies that they will one day pass on. People who simply are looking for a unique place to shop.

Chesapeake Bay Peddler will have its Grand Opening this weekend, from Friday to Sunday. It’s located at 6820 N. Military Highway in Norfolk. To find out more about Chesapeake Bay Peddler, visit their website by clicking here. Or check them out on Facebook by clicking here.