We protect what we care for and we care for what we understand. This website should help you better understand the functions, importance, and variety of street markets and merchants as well as the larger social context in which they are found. This knowledge should be useful to merchants, shoppers, travelers, policy makers and academics of all types, law, business, social science, consumer researchers, historians and anyone else with an interest in this age-old form of trade.

Steve Balkin originally envisioned and created the html version of this webpage, he invited Alfonso Morales in 1995, and together their original wish was simple  – “We hope you can join with us to learn about and celebrate this important economic and social institution. We invite you to contribute to this website.”

Later Alfonso asked Gregg Kettles and Mike Rosenkrantz to join and contribute and we invite anyone interested to do the same.

Register and contribute!

Anyone can visit this website without the need to register. But if you want to add content such as a link or post in a discussion forum or if you wish to make a comment on a blog, you will need to register (found in the menu on the left). Those who want more involvement with OPENAIR such as uploading files, creating a node website for a market, writing a blog, adding images, etc. should go through ‘Contact Us’ to email a request to take on editorial responsibilities (appropriate to your interests and time).

We welcome your comments and suggestions regarding this, the new version of Openair. Those interested in content from the old page can access it below. Please be patient with our new page, register and work with us to make it the most useful in the world.
Thanks!

Alfonso Morales Gregg Kettles

Also visit our ‘sister’ websites: