Paper short abstract:

This paper considers how informal, used-goods markets can serve as platforms for fledgling formal businesses and as refuges for failed ones.

Paper long abstract:

From September, 2013 to August, 2014, I conducted field research at a merchant's cooperative and a flea market in Halifax, Nova Scotia. At both venues, used-goods sellers were the predominant type of vendor. Such venues have long been considered informal marketplaces by academics and politicians who see used-goods economies as rife with underground or illegal economic activity. This is compounded by the stigmatization that such vendors face from governments in cities such as Halifax. And yet, the goals of some vendors run counter to these expectations and stigmatizations. While at these two venues, I examined the many reasons why people enter the used-goods trade. Many vendors were moonlighting or participating to take advantage of the social atmosphere of said venues. But, for a small number of collectibles vendors, two justifications stood out: (a) using such venues in order to "platform" into opening brick and mortar stores, or (b) using such venues as a refuge after a brick and mortar store had failed. In platforming or seeking refuge, vendors had to navigate the informal expectations of the venue, while engaging the formal regulations around taxation and business registration (or de-registration), as well as city bylaws targeting used-goods. As a result, for this subset of vendors, informality and formality became blurred in the pursuit of building a business or saving it from utter failure. This paper will examine how such informal venues can act as springboards for fledgling formal businesses and salvation for failed ones.