By HAYLEY HARMON
6 News Anchor/Reporter
KNOXVILLE (WATE) - The Turkey Creek Public Market has officially shut down.
Staff members and the nearly 200 vendors who sell their products at the market were notified last weekend that Sunday would be the final day open to the public.
The market, located off of Outlet Drive in Farragut, opened just last year.
Many shoppers and vendors alike are not happy to see the market close its doors for the last time. For vendors who have been here since the market opened last August, it's tough to say goodbye.
"It's a shame. It's really a shame. We've really enjoyed it. Made great friends and great customers and had a lot of traffic come through here," said Donna Faulkner, a vendor who owns Southern Finds Jewelry.
But after this weekend, vendors say they focusing on the future.
"Nobody else is going out of business. Just the market. So everybody is looking for new homes for their stuff. Different malls and shops and malls for this fall," said Faulkner.
This weekend, many of the vendors have been slashing prices, trying to sell everything.
"Very short notice for sure, and a lot of people, like myself, had just invested in merchandise," said Faulkner.
They've been glad to see a lot of shoppers over the last few days.
"Yesterday we had a huge, the biggest crowd I've ever seen here. Friday was a really big day too," she said.
They've been given no official reason yet for the shutdown.
"This building needed to be full to capacity for the owners to actually make money," said Faulkner.
But a lot of the vendors have already cleared out. Their booths are sitting empty over the weekend, as they look for new places to set up shop.
"My little sister came down here a lot and she was down here yesterday and told me 'Don't make a trip down there because they're already packed up and gone.' We came anyway," said shopper Mary Williams, of South Knoxville.
Sunday was also a tough day for shoppers who make regular trips to this location.
"Everybody's sad they're going. That's why we drove all the way from almost Sevierville to come down here before it closed," said Williams.
It's especially hard for the ones who showed up today for the first time.
"Aggravated. We just moved to Farragut. We were looking for a flea market. We came here and found this and all the sudden it's an empty building, as you can see," said Daniel Ipsale, of Farragut.
A lot of the vendors still set up on Sunday told 6 News that the management of the Turkey Creek Public Market has already helped many of them scout out new locations for their businesses.
Vendors have until August 5 to have their booths cleaned out. A number of the vendors told 6 News they will be moving to other locations, like the Great Smokies Flea Market or the Sweetwater Flea Market.
It's unclear what will happen to the Public Market property.
Shoppers look for last-minute bargains on the day of closing.
Donna Faulkner (right), a vendor who owns Southern Finds Jewelry, said the turnout was good for their last weekend.
