Missing her swap meets, newcomer starts one

Alia Zaidi knows her swap meets, and she knows there’s more to them than just people “getting rid of their junk.”

Back in San Jose, Calif., where Zaidi is from, she said she was a regular at swap meets she described as “kind of like going to one large garage sale, which I liked.”

So, when she moved to Maricopa in January, she naturally looked for the local swap meet scene. It wasn’t long before she “got tired of going to Mesa and Phoenix,” which have swap meets not quite up to par with her standards.

On a leave of absence from her job as a financial adviser for the University of Phoenix, Zaidi said she thought of starting one in Maricopa.

“I thought we needed it,” she said.

Her first is 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday at 19265 N. Porter Road.

Canvassing local businesses while searching for space, Zaidi said she found them enthusiastic but getting a bit more of a sponsorship or space commitment proved to be one of the most challenging parts of putting together an event.

“Everybody thought it was fabulous,” Zaidi said. “But I guess they were unsure as to how it would turn out.”

That was when Century Link stepped up to the plate to offer sponsorship support by paying for advertising and having a booth, and Sequoia Pathway Academy offered space.

“Before you know it, I was getting a business license,” Zaidi said. “Now that this thing has taken off, I don’t know that I want to go back (to work).”

Zaidi said she has enjoyed planning the event, and she sees it as a way to fill a recreational gap in the city.

“It isn’t a money-maker, but this is offering me the opportunity to give families some entertainment options,” Zaidi said.

That’s why she made it a point to have entertainment, such as an inflatable bounce house and music because she wanted “something that could draw people to the event aside from vendors.”