The origins of the term are disputed,but some have observed that buyers and sellers may be as active as fleas, or that the original people and goods were infested. According to Word and Phrase Origins, the term was derived from the "Vallie Market" of Manhattan.

The original flea market may be the Marché aux puces ("market with fleas" in French) of Saint-Ouen, Seine-Saint-Denis, in the northern suburbs of Paris. It is a large, long-established outdoor bazaar, one of four in Paris. From the late 17th century, the makeshift open-air market in the town of Saint-Ouen began as temporary stalls and benches among the fields and market gardens where ragpickers exchanged their findings for a small sum.

and you darlings that goes to our JUNK SALES...am not fleas at alll!!... (^_^)

lovelove,

YC