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Management Updates

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July 31st, 2019

We are excited to announce that the demo work is well underway in the Annex building. Many thanks to all of the vendors who came and cleaned out their booths. We are focused on creating an even better space for all of our buyers and sellers. We don’t have an estimated completion date yet but are working hard to get the space reopened. 

 

Thanks to everyone for their help and support.

 

Check back here for more details.

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July 17th, 2019

The new HVAC units for the main building have been ordered, lead time is estimated at 10 days with install directly following. A number of sellers from the LMN building have been granted access over the last week and a half.  We are currently awaiting the engineers report in order to safely allow in the sellers located in the SE section of the annex building to access their merchandise.  Once all merchandise is removed from the annex building we will begin cleaning out the interior debris. We have begun discussions with architects and construction teams to begin the rebuilding of the annex. As we are just now defining the scope of the rebuild we do not have an estimated time frame for completion. We look forward to building a new and improved space.

 

As always, we thank each and everyone of you for your patience and your commitment to Cooks.

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July 9th, 2019

We wanted to update you on the progress we have been making on the access and rebuilding plan for the annex building. Over the last few days, our construction company has been focused on creating safe passage for our vendors to gain access to rows L, M and N. Unfortunately, not all areas are accessible at this time. Cooks management has and will continue reaching out to vendors to schedule visit times. Once vendors have been granted access and have removed their property, we will begin the clean up an rebuilding process. We do not yet have an estimated time of completion as we are just beginning to define the scope of work necessary to restore the building to it’s previous condition.

 

In the main building, we have just approved the replacement of five large volume HVAC units that were damaged in the fire. The replacement units are on order with an expected deliver date of ten days from today with install shortly following. We expect the install of these new high volume units will have a material effect on the airflow in the main selling area.

 

Thanks again for your patience and everyone’s willingness to help each other during these times.

 

We will continue to keep you updated.

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July 9, 2019

We are a member of the National Flea Market Association and our friends at the NFMA are raising funds to help out the vendors who were impacted by the fire. All funds raised will go straight to the vendors!

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The NFMA will match funds donated up to $5000. Every little bit helps. You can donate here to help out!

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July 1, 2019

After a busy weekend, we began the next step of the rebuilding process earlier today by meeting with all of the trade professionals and insurance company. The primary focus was gaining access to the annex building (L,M and N) and repairing/replacing the HVAC units impacted by the fire. We have been granted limited access to the annex building and will be scheduling appointments beginning early next week for sellers to visit their booths. There are a number of booths which will remain inaccessible for now. We will be reaching out to sellers to schedule. We expect to replace a number of HVAC units within the next few weeks.

 

Thanks again for your patience.

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June 21, 2019​

We were happy to see LOTS of vendors out at the market today prepping their spaces for THIS weekend (6/22 & 5/23) .  The market will be OPEN starting at 9am tomorrow, Saturday, June 22 and Sunday the 23rd.  Thank you all so much for your patience.  We look forward to seeing everyone out here this weekend for shopping and family fun at the flea!

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June 20th, 2019
We are pleased to announce that we will be reopening the main area of the flea market to sellers in rows A-K at 10 am tomorrow Friday, the 21st. Buyers will be welcomed starting at 9 am on Saturday  the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd. We thank all of you for your patience.

Sellers in rows L, M and N please contact the office to discuss a temporary location in the main building.

We look forward to seeing everyone this weekend.

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June 19th, 2019

Building A-K

The restoration company is finishing up the cleaning process in the main building (A-K), we expect this work to be completed by end of day tomorrow. Pending a final walk through and approval of the main building by the Winston Salem Fire Department, we expect to open for business on Saturday morning at 9am. We hope to grant access to the sellers in the main building sometime on Friday mid-day. We will text you and post updates on our FB page and Website.

 

Building L, M and N

We are still waiting to gain access to the building. Our insurance agency is working hard to get a structural engineer out as soon as possible to determine the integrity of that portion of the building. We know how frustrating it is to wait, we cannot thank you enough for your patience. Gaining access to the building is a top priority. We will be arranging for additional table selling space in building A-K for vendors in rows L, M and N.

 

We consider this first weekend as a soft opening which we hope will allow sellers to organize their booths with a hard opening on the 29th and 30th. We will be supporting the hard re-opening with a full blown marketing and public relations campaign focused on getting buyers to the market.

 

Thank you again and we look forward to sharing additional updates as we receive them.

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June 17th, 2019

Building A-K: The cleaning crews continue to work around the clock with 50 plus dedicated professionals focused on removing the soot and smell from the fire. That part is aprox 80% completed. The HVAC company is on site now cleaning and servicing all duct works and mechanical services so we can restore the air conditioning. As the week progresses, we will have an update on reopening this area. 

 

Building L, M and N: Given this was the area where the fire started, we have not yet been granted full access by the insurance company to begin determining the next steps. We must first confirm the structural integrity of the building and roof before we allow access to anyone. For those vendors in that area, we know how anxious you are.  Please know, we are working day in and day out to move things along as quickly as possible. While we have not been given full access we are working behind the scenes to find selling spaces within the main market for those vendors displaced. We have been meeting to discuss the rebuild focus and timeline so when we are granted full access we can begin reconstruction immediately.

 

Thank you again for your patience and understanding. We are anxious to reopen as quickly as possible. Please check back here throughout the week for additional updates.

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June 12, 2019

Since Monday’s post we have been working crews around the clock and have been able to accomplish the following: All HVAC units in the main building have been cleaned and serviced and are ready for our first market day. Electricity, phones and internet service has been restored in addition to the alarm and camera systems. Aprox 50% of the main building has been cleaned and treated to remove fire related remnants. The majority of vendors have been granted access to the main building to check their spaces. We are scheduling additional visit times for those vendors that were not able to visit during their appointed times.  We have not been able to access the annex building (rows L, M and N) yet, as soon as we are able to provide an update we will. We are working hard to identify any open spaces in A-K for sellers in rows L, M and N. Stay tuned for additional details. 

 

While we have been working around the clock, we are still not prepared to open this weekend (6/15 and 6/16). Please know, we are working hard to get vendors back in business as soon as possible. Vendors who paid rent for this upcoming weekend will receive rent credit for 6/15 and 6/16.

 

Thank you again for your understanding.

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June 10, 2019

Over the weekend we were able to grant access to a number of sellers for a limited time to inspect their booths, that process is continuing today. For those sellers not able to make it, there will be additional sessions for you to come inspect your booth. We want to thank everyone for the heartfelt concern you expressed for each other especially the sellers in rows L, M and N. Our restoration company has pulled remediation specialists from numerous states to work on the repair and cleanup running crews 24 hours a day. That process will continue until the work is complete. As this week progresses, we hope to have an expected reopen date. Stay tuned for additional updates and thank you again for your patience and understanding. 

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June 8th, 2019 6pm ET

The restoration team is on site and will be working in two 12 hour shifts per day with Cooks management until the main building (Rows A through K) is cleaned and services restored. Sellers will be receiving a text notification today with their scheduled visit times beginning tomorrow am. PLEASE DO NOT COME TO THE MARKET OUTSIDE OF YOUR APPOINTED DAY AND TIME.  You can bring two additional workers with you. You will have access for two hours to clean and prepare for the upcoming re-opening. WE DO NOT KNOW WHEN WE WILL BE ABLE TO RE-OPEN but we are working around the clock to get open sooner than later. For safety reasons, you will only have access to your selling space during your visit. We appreciate your understanding during this time. Rest assured, we are dedicating all of the resources available to re-open. For sellers in rows L, M and N we ask for your patience as we work to gain access to that area. Please keep checking back for updates.

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June 8, 2019

The Fire Department has turned over possession of the premises to Cooks management. We are currently working with trade professionals to begin the clean-up and restoration of the property. Part of the process involves reestablishing electricity, water, sewer and gas to the portion of the market that was less impacted. Concurrently, we are developing and implementing the restoration plan for aisles A-K which were less effected. Aisles L, M and N will require a more in depth recovery plan which will take additional time. Our goals is to grant access to vendors sooner than later followed by a reopening date for a portion of the market.  We understand how challenging this is for everyone and ask for your continued patience as we work expeditiously to fully reopen.

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June 7, 2019

In an effort to keep everyone informed about the most recent events at Cooks Flea Market, we have created an active update page.  Please click on the button below (MARKET UPDATES) for up to date information on Cooks. It continues to be our goal to keep everyone informed on the most recent updates. We will continue to update the flea market website and Facebook page as developments occur. If you need to reach us directly, please email us at info@cooksfleamarket.com

– Cooks Flea Market Management

– Cooks Flea Market Management

June 6, 2019

As of this morning we have not been granted access to the building - fire investigators are continuing their work. We are not able to determine how much of the building has been impacted and therefore will not be able to open this weekend. We will continue to update the flea market website and Facebook page and you are welcome to send specific questions to info@cooksfleamarket.com.

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June 5, 2019

At approximately 3:30 p.m. ET today a fire started on the property. The building was cleared and all staff, vendors and guests are confirmed safe. The fire has been contained and we are working closely with the fire inspector. We do not have specific information on when the flea market will reopen but will share that information on our Facebook page and website as soon as we have additional information.

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Dear Valued Buyers and Sellers,

 

By now, you have learned that on Wednesday, June 5, at approximately 3:15 pm ET, a fire broke out in a section of Cooks Flea Market. The market was closed at the time, though a few employees and vendors were on site. Once the fire alarm sounded, employees worked hard to clear the premises. One individual was transported to the hospital and we ask that you keep this person in your thoughts. We have no further detail on this at the present time.  

 

We understand how upsetting this news is to all of you. The beauty of Cooks Flea Market is the family environment created by our buyers, sellers and employees. When one of us suffers, we all do. And in this case, we are all affected.

 

Please know, we immediately contracted with one of the country’s largest fire restoration firms to begin the clean-up process. They arrived on site a few hours after the fire was contained to begin securing the premises and assessing the extent of the damage. We are working closely with them and will begin the rebuilding process as soon as possible and once we have the restoration firm's go-ahead to do so.

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We cannot thank you enough for your support during this time. We understand the value of our relationship with each of you and will work hard to return Cooks to its former glory.

 

Please visit our website or Facebook page for the latest updates.

 

Thank you,

 

Cooks Flea Market Management

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Q&A 

Will the flea market open this weekend?

While re-opening for business remains a top priority, we must wait until we receive an all clear from the fire department and insurance company which will not happen before the weekend. Cooks will be closed to all buyers and sellers this upcoming weekend. Rest assured we are working hard to re-open as soon as possible.

 

How will I know when the market does re-open?

Keeping you informed and up to date on our progress is very important to us. In order to communicate updates efficiently we encourage you to access the following resources for the latest news.

Cooks Flea Market Website

Cooks Flea Market Facebook

Registered vendors will continue to receive text updates on your mobile phones (if you opted in to receive and your mobile number is current). For specific questions please e-mail us at info@cooksfleamarket.com

You can also leave a message in the general mailbox at Cooks Flea Market at 336-661-0999. We will try to respond to your questions within 24 hours.

 

Do you know what happened? 

At aprox 3:15 pm on Wednesday, June 5th a fire broke out in a section of the flea market. The area most heavily impacted were selling rows L, M and N. The fire was contained to that area and did not spread to selling rows A-K. The building was evacuated and all individuals have been accounted for. Right now, we are working closely with the fire inspectors to ensure they are able to do their job. Immediately after the fire was extinguished, Cooks contracted with one of the country’s largest fire recovery companies to secure the property and begin the remediation process. At this time, we do not know how long the cleanup will take.

 

How much damage did the flea market sustain?

We presently do not know as we are just now beginning to gain access to the property. We have been informed that the automatic fire doors deployed sparing the main selling area which contains a larger population of sellers.

 

I’m a vendor. Can I visit to check on my selling booth?

Unfortunately, not at this time. Out of an abundance of caution, we are not able to grant access to the building. As soon as we receive approval we will reach out to schedule a time for you to visit your space. We understand how unsettling this is for everyone. It is our goal to grant access sooner than later but only when we can provide a safe environment for everyone.

 

I’m a vendor and have questions specific to my business. Who can I talk to?

The most efficient way to contact Cooks is via e-mail at info@cooksfleamarket.com. If you are unable to e-mail, please leave a message in the general mailbox at the flea market 336-661-0999 one of our guest service managers will contact you.

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How does the fire effect the future of Cooks Flea Market?

Cooks Flea Market has and will remain a local institution. We will be quickly developing a plan to return Cooks to it’s former glory. We are committed to you and the business and have every intention of continuing to own and operate the flea market in its current location.

 

Am I responsible for paying my rent during the time the market is closed?

Our Vendors are part of our family, when one of us suffers, we all do. We are well aware that many of you rely upon Cooks for your living. Until further notice, beginning this upcoming weekend (June 8-9, 2019) you will receive credit for the days/weekends you have already paid for but are not able to open.

 

What will happen to Tanika and all of the Team Members while the market is closed?

All Team Members will remain employed during this disruption. The core of our business revolves around our buyers, sellers and Team Members. We honor and respect the contributions of all and will do our best to minimize the impact of the fire on each other’s lives.