Star-Bulletin
Hubcabs are offered for sale at the Aloha
Stadium swap meet, circa 1984.
The urge to sell, to buy, to create an economy based on the abstract concept of "money," goes back as far as civilization itself. Human economic history has been one of artisans, shopkeepers and traders. Until this century. Today’s swap meets
have roots in
our peddler pastThe industrial revolution created "products," and the payroll system created an economy in which directly working for a purchase became a thing of the past.
This century, the ease of mass transportation and the glut of products has transformed the corner store into a big-box discount barn many miles from home.
But the urge to deal directly is deep in the human psyche, and the later half of the 20th century has seen the parallel and exponential rise of the exact opposite of the big-box experience -- the swap meet.
The swap meet is marketing the way it occured in the dim reaches of history, and everyone who shops there is a historical reenacter, like those who refight Civil War battles.
"Everyday Life" is a photo feature that examines the 20th Century. Send snapshots and a description to EVERYDAY LIFE, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu HI 96813, or email JPEGs or TIFFs to features@starbulletin.com.
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