Administration and Operations
King of Friendship: Tom Kerr began Friendship Flea Market back in 1968 with his wife, Rosemary. With a friendly smile and a quick wit, he had both vendors and visitors returning year after year. Tom retired in 2012 and sadly passed away in February 2019.
Jan Schnell (right) is Rosemary’s daughter and is the mastermind behind the day-to-day operations. She organizes the vendors and campers from the Main Office and is always ready with a friendly smile to assist you. Her assistant, Gretchen Vansant (left), is both a friend and Friendship enthusiast. Gretchen started assisting Jan in June, 2017.
Erin Gordon runs the Field Office located on Kerr Hollow. She answers the phone, makes announcements, and sells ice.
Parking Lot
Lillian Kerr Young is Tom’s sister and has been working the parking for decades. She used to run it with her late husband, Walter.
Maintenance and Set-Up
Rusty Gordon is Rosemary’s grandson and was personally trained by the original Head of Maintenance, Tom’s brother, J. L. Kerr. Rusty is the person to see for electric, plumbing, or any general maintenance questions concerning the operations of the flea market.
The Goals of Friendship Management
For the Vendor: Create an atmosphere conducive for them to live comfortably in a safe and pleasant outdoor atmosphere for nine days. Friendship management works to draw people to the market so the vendor can make a profit during their nine-day stay.
For the Visitor: Create a safe and pleasant atmosphere which brings them back, again and again to our twice a year events. Friendship management ensures our visitors enjoy the fun and spend, at their leisure, their time and money for those items our vendors sell.