In 1994 John Douglas was an australian landowner who worked in London as the marketing manager of a multinational company. But a holiday in Mallorca changed his destiny; one year later he decided to leave his top executive job and settle down in Consell.

The idea of the flea market would come later. One Sunday he went to the town's industrial estate and set up six tables filled with objects which he had collected over the course of his life. He did this for three months consecutively, without anyone trying to imitate him, and with such a scarce influx of clients that he sometimes went home without having sold a single article.

The flea market now brings together more than three hundred stalls and there are many which cannot be set up there because there is not enough space. Its success has encouraged other town halls on the island to copy the initiative, with Douglas as their advisor.

At half past seven in the morning they begin to set up the stalls, after paying an entrance fee. Many of the sellers are foreigners, older couples who have settled in Mallorca and decide to get rid of some of their possessions in return for some financial profit. Others are young people who have rummaged around in attics and basements to offer all sort of unlikely objects.

Everyday articles and surprising objects

The antiquarians have become aware of the benefits of this flea market, which can bring together more than seven thousand people every Sunday. Some of them bring part of their stock here, although they maintain shop prices.

It is very pleasant and comfortable to walk around, as the stalls are lined along the length and breadth of spacious streets, which prevents crowding from occurring. The variety of articles is endless: second hand clothes, furniture, lamps, doors, tools, paintings, records, books, a screw which appears completely useless... The normal things found in a flea market.

However, you can also find some less common items, such as an antique machine used for making noodles, or an 1897 photographic camera with the name J.L. Lancaster on it. And for those who also want to take a break in the midst of such a display of curiosities, there is a food and drinks stall set up in a nearby street.

Consell Town Hall: +(34) 971 622 095. The industrial estate is at the entrance of the town, when coming from Palma along the road from Inca. It has a spacious car park. You can get there by train in under 20 minutes.