10/03/2023
October 2, 2023 928-726-4655
YUMA SWAP MEET LOOKS FOR A NEW LOCATION AS UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT EXPECTED TO ACQUIRE PROPERTY
YUMA, AZ - Bill Gresser Jr., President of Yuma Swap Meet, announced today that the Swap Meet is looking for a new location because the US government is expected to acquire the Swap Meet’s property in the near future to expand the Border Patrol station. As a result, the Swap Meet has decided not to reopen for the 2023 season in November as originally planned.
“Yuma Swap Meet has operated at the same location for over 60 years, and we are proud of the contributions we have made to Yuma,” said Gresser. “At our core, we are a big family where hundreds of small local businesses work hard to make a living. At the same time, we are the largest tourist attraction in Yuma County with tens of thousands of visitors coming from Yuma and across the US, Canada and Mexico all winter.”
On any given weekend, the 40-acre Yuma Swap Meet has over 350 individual vendors, most of whom are from Yuma, but some who come from California, Oregon, Washinton and many other states.
Sylvia Parada, Space Sales Manager, and an employee since 1990, said “We truly are a family here at the Swap Meet. All our vendors are small, family-owned businesses. I’ve watched children working in their family’s stand who grew up to be vendors on their own. We have vendors who started with a few items, grow their business and open stores in town. Our objective is to be the ideal location for small businesses to start and grow.”
General Manager Max Dunham, who has also worked at Yuma Swap Meet since 1990, said “Everyone comes to the Swap Meet to have fun. Our business is really about entertainment. Up to 10,000 shoppers per weekend come out for the family friendly fun, great food, live music, free entertainment and incredible shopping. One sign of our popularity is that we have over 18,000 followers on Facebook!”
Gresser added “We have always been good neighbors with the Border Patrol, and everyone appreciates their work for our country. We understand they need to expand, and we’ve been told that the Swap Meet property is the best property where they can expand.”
“Yuma Swap Meet has made a positive impact on so many lives, from small family-owned businesses, to people just looking for something fun to do in Yuma, so we are actively working to identify a new location for the Yuma Swap Meet to help keep Yuma’s small-businesses running and the great fun going,” said Gresser.
