23 March 2026
Think of it as a giant sprawling monthly garage sale, minus the prices.
On a typical Saturday when the Really Really Free Market ABQ deploys at Bennie Hargrove Park, dozens of people place tarps on the grass, set out their excess goods, and invite anybody who ambles by to carry them off. The inventory is a little bit of everything: clothing, art, books, housewares, plants, and more. There are often services on offer as well, plus both prepared food and shelf-stable pantry items.
As for the cost, the name says it all.
The market is at once a helping hand, a proudly anti-capitalist statement, a rare remaining venue where masks are (very) strongly encouraged, and a practical way for people to let go of things they don’t need while building connections.
“We have so many people in poverty and so many homeless people,” organizer Elisabeth Williams said. “The current system has it set up that if you are not able to get a job, if someone’s not helping you, you don’t have anything. You don’t have resources, you are going to be stuck on the street, you’re going to be stuck in poverty.”
The market first launched in 2015, met sporadically for several years, then more regularly beginning in 2024. Currently it is on a monthly schedule. Organizers say they chose Bennie Hargrove Park because of the large homeless population that regularly gathered in the area and at nearby Robinson Park.
But the arrangement may not last forever. In recent months, they said, the city has more aggressively swept local encampments and installed a mobile surveillance unit at the park.
“In our last meeting we discussed maybe moving the location because of our original goal of trying to help our homeless folks,” Williams said. “They’re not here anymore.”
For the time being, however, the event remains at Bennie Hargrove, where Williams said it can act like a more helpful version of a thrift store. Even at a discount, she noted, prices at the likes of Savers and Goodwill can put the items out of reach for many.
The market receives no outside funding and uses only volunteer help. Anybody can bring a tarp to the event or use the community tarp to arrange items. A group called the John Brown Breakfast Club comes to serve free meals. Matthieu-Amanda Custodio Tapia, the founder of another organization called In Gentle Hands, often attends and provides free haircuts.
Ashley Hill attended the Feb. 28 market and said she learned about the group at a UNM event.
“I cleaned out my closet and my kitchen, invited my mom to come and bring stuff as well, and we started coming every month,” she said. “It’s a nice alternative to taking it to thrift stores. I would rather give it directly to people that need it.”
Another attendee who identified herself only as Renee B. was at the market for the first time.
“I love seeing people find new treasures. And also for the people who really need it, it’s available to them,” she said. “Then I get to hang out with my best friend and talk and tell stories. I found a couple cool things, too.”
The next market is scheduled for March 28 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Find the group on Instagram here or contact the organizers via rrfmalbuquerque@gmail.com.
—By Damon Scott
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