What Happened to the Seven Mile Fair?
I have fond memories of the Seven Mile Fair, Racine County’s indoor/outdoor flea market. In the 1980s Seven Mile Fair was a treasure trove of typical flea market fare: overpriced antiques, handicrafts, Avon, knock-offs of popular toys, and good ol’ fashioned junk. One of my favorite childhood memories involved saving my pennies so that I could buy a copy of Mario Brothers for the Atari 2600 from the Atari game seller at Seven Mile Fair. Back in those days, a brand new video game cost less than $20.00.
In an effort to relive a small piece of my youth, I visited Seven Mile Fair over the weekend.
Oh, how things have changed. I’ve never been to Tijuana, but Seven Mile Fair is exactly what I imagine a Tijuana marketplace would look like.
Spanish is by far the dominant spoken language at Seven Mile Fair now. Dozens of booths featured Spanish music and movies, Quinceañera dresses, Mexican food, Western Wear, and similarly themed goods. Booths sported blinged-out jeans and hoodies, and women’s clothing that I can only describe as “hoochie-riffic” and gold-painted jewelry at ridiculously high prices.
The only thing there that was reminiscent of my childhood days at Seven Mile Fair were those awful booths selling cramped cages of stressed out puppies and birds - those were the memories of that place I wish I could have forgotten.
The best that Seven Mile Fair had to offer was long gone. I counted one booth that could appropriately be considered flea market fare - an older woman was selling some old glassware and hand-knitted barbie dresses.
Granted, the Seven Mile Fair experience during the summertime is certainly different. During the warm weather months some vendors set up outside and sell their goods under the hot sun. However, if the outside of Seven Mile Fair has changed as much as the inside did, I suspect that if I go there this summer I won’t find lemonade stands and antiques outside either. I wouldn’t be surprised if I could buy myself a burro though…
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Author’s Note, appropos of nothing at all: I saw National Treasure, Book of Secrets last week and enjoyed it immensely.
October 28th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
I was there last weekend and bought some excellent snow boots and a pair of rubber shoes for rainy weather at 15$ a pop. After all I am there for a bargain not a demographic survey. The vendors I spoke with, a wonderful assortment of cultures were English speaking and very cordial. Unlike a trip through the mall the customer service was warm and friendly. All in the eye of the beholder, I expect. We also had a really great beef bomber topped with cheese and a watermelon drink that tasted just like a cold refreshing chunk of fresh watermelon. I was to 7 mile fair last summer and it has changed for the better. It’s cleaner and the booths seem more organized. And there is less junk, I saw a lot of bargains and one booth offered lay away. Pretty cool! I think it is still making memories for alot of kids and adults alike.
November 12th, 2008 at 11:12 pm
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November 26th, 2008 at 9:52 am
The new 7 Mile Fair is dominated by Latino culture for sure, but to long for the the 70s and 80s version of it….well, you were probably too young to remember what it was like.
7 Mile Fair about 30 years ago was the kind of place where you could drive in, lose your car battery and then buy it back in the same day. That “treasure trove of typical flea market fare” was often stolen merchandise and theft was a serious problem.
For better or worse, the culture has changed; But I would never take back that “old” 7 Mile Fair your reminiscing about.
January 12th, 2009 at 6:14 pm
I am a little offended by this article and the accompanying photo. Am not sure where you’ve been Ms. Hoffman but the latino culture has been alive and well in Wisconsin. I suggest you get used to it, and fast. The next President-elect could be a President Diaz, Gonzales or Chavez just because Spanish is being spoken doesn’t mean that English is not understood. We preserve culture and heritage, just because it’s a bit different doesn’t make it bad.
June 28th, 2009 at 1:22 am
7 Mile Fair has been a favorite of mine for as long as I can remember. The mix of cultures is what adds to the charm of the fair. My uncle, grandfather, and many family friends have been vendors at the fair off and on again for as long as I can remember and not a one of them is hispanic.
I have been to TJ and actually wish the fair was more like TJ. The food and culture there is wonderful! I loved being treated like an “American princess” even though I only had $100 to spend. I was also amused by the names that they used to try to get my hubby’s attention.
Maybe you should visit TJ or some other Hispanic destination. It is only by experiencing their culture that you can fully appreciate their culture.
I love that America is a mixing pot of cultures!
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