Vintage-lovers, treasure hunters and bargain browsers, hang on to your bowlers: Downtown Victoria is getting a weekly old-timey flea market this spring.

“The time is right,” said Janet McLean, marketing manager for Market Square. “We wanted something with an atmosphere where people can come downtown, browse and find a treasure.”

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The flea market will take place in Market Square, at 560 Johnson St., every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., running May 4 until September — possibly longer, depending on how it goes.

“This is kind of a dream come true,” said organizer Valerie Rawlings, who operates a weekly flea market, ending in April, at the Leonardo Da Vinci Centre in Vic West.

“I feel like this is exactly what downtown needs,” Rawlings said. “So many people live there in apartments but there is not much for community space.”

Rawlings is planning an authentic flea market, with a focus on second-hand items, collectibles, locally made goods and lots of vintage clothing. The tables will be $20 to rent for the day and she estimates there will be 40 to 60 vendors each week.

“There’s a summer flea market at Western Speedway [in Langford] but a lot of the stuff is new, imported items. That’s not what I’m interested in,” Rawlings said.

It won’t be a craft fair, either, she said: “There will be some crafty items but there [are] already a lot of fairs like that.”

She hopes to attract collectors and the many nearby apartment dwellers who might want to clear out some of their quality used goods.

“I think of girls selling stuff on Used Victoria, inviting people to their apartments. Is that really safe?” she said. “Also, there are many people downtown who don’t have a car so a local flea market might help keep their lifestyle affordable.”

Rawlings said she ran a downtown flea market in Victoria in the 1990s and witnessed a renaissance of the area’s businesses at the time.

“A lot of businesses were shuttered and struggling in a tough economy,” she said. “But what happened was rents went down and that gave an opportunity for young entrepreneurs to come in and the whole area came alive.”

She said she hopes the new flea market brings a similar energy to Market Square and its surrounding businesses.

spetrescu@timescolonist.com