Jack Gibson - Keys
Jack Gibson had a small hardware store in Cairo, IL, when he moved to Sarasota more than 20 years ago with three key-making machines. "I had never heard of flea markets before but though I'd try a small booth at the Red Barn," he recalls. "It was only Saturday and Sunday back then, but it's worked out okay. We now have two spaces, and one of those key machines is still going strong! Designer keys like NASCAR's Dale Earnhardt #3 car are a hot new item, and I've been pleasantly surprised at the way they sell. The Red Barn has produced a lot of repeat business, and I've made many good friends that way."

Joyce Wilt Brown - Pretty Woman
"I'm one of the 'originals' at the Red Barn," says Joyce Wilt Brown, who started Pretty Woman with her late husband John after building a successful real estate business in Houghton Lake, MI. "We started with a 10 by 10 booth and now have an upfront 50 by 40-foot double storefront," she notes. Remarried to Cliff Brown, a key partner in the business, Joyce offers more than 750 women's fragrances and 450 men's scents, ranging from $15 to $150. "There's something for everyone, and the Red Barn advertising and promotion has helped make the Pretty Woman known all over," she adds. "I'm very satisfied!"

Dia'a Sabek - Art De'Cor International
"The Red Barn is a unique and different place and has been good to me in so many ways," exudes Dia'a Sabek, who has operated Art De'Cor International for about 11 years. "We specialize in metal, wicker and wood native art and handicrafts from all over the world," he explains. "My stuff is very unique and you can't find it anywhere else." Relocating from another flea market, he started with two booths and now has an upfront store and four booths in back. "This area has its own character and presentation, and the Red Barn helps with more advertising and special events to build business in the slower summer months."

Jim Merrill - Wild Things
"Growing up down the street from the Red Barn, I was into antiques early on and was here almost every weekend," recalls Jim Merrill, who started Wild Things in a 10 by 10 booth over 12 years ago. "We sell a lot of 'off the wall' items and a real eclectic mix of collectibles. One of the craziest success stories is our fossilized Copralite - actually turtle poop, which we can't keep in stock. We went through the fire with the folks at the Red Barn, and they've done a great job in building our repeat business as we now have nine booths for Wild Things and two up front for our scooters."

Sylvia Van Tassell - R & S Tropicals
"Everybody's called me 'The Bird Lady' forever," says Sylvia Van Tassell, who opened R & S Tropicals with tropical fish and birds soon after the Red Barn opened. "I never had a bird on our Ruskin farm, but started with cockatiels and we now have lovebirds, parakeets, finches and Quaker parrots, some that I raised from chicks. Carl got us started with one outside booth for our fish, and a month later we moved inside and now we've had our upfront store over four years. We'll always miss Carl but we have all the respect in the world for how his three kids have carried on. We really feel we're sort of, kind of, part of the Red Barn family."

Darlene McCormick - The Pearled Nautilus
Darlene McCormick moved from Chattanooga to Jacksonville where she grew up, and arrived in Bradenton with husband George about 24 years ago. Starting in the wholesale shell business over 35 years ago, "We were one of the first exhibitors," she recalls, opening The Pearled Nautilus in a tiny shop. We now have a three-wide upfront store and sell exotic shells from around the world." George spends a month each year in the Philippines, Thailand, Taiwan and India looking for new finds. Her most expensive sale was a $1,000 Glory of India some years ago. "We've grown with the Red Barn and there's no place else to be," she exclaims. "You're your own person, but the kids are doing everything that Carl did, only bigger and better for all of us."

Steve Sward - The Pickle Man
"I've always been in the deli business," notes Steve Sward, better known as "The Pickle Man" for his 9 to 10 pickle and up to 18 olive choices at his "edible" stand. Coming from his native New Jersey, at age nine he recalls going to a flea market on Roosevelt Island off Manhattan and buying a dill pickle. "I was hooked," he says, "and my deli restaurants always had a showcase of pickles in jars or barrels so it was an easy transition to the Red Barn about six years ago. Garlic dills are still my big seller, but I listen to my customers and when one recommended a horseradish dill from his Boston deli, I called the owner and got the recipe. Stuffed olives are also big, and we have things you can't get anywhere else.