MARKET VALUES

DALLAS - Two men push swivel chairs with computers on them down the street. Nearby, people rummage through boxes and carry large bags full of DVDs. Everybody seems to have a flashlight. A lot of people are yawning.

It's an odd scene for downtown Dallas at midnight.

But it all makes sense on the first Saturday of each month, when a high-tech flea market draws thousands of bargain hunters in search of cheap motherboards, hard drives, software and anything else.

"A lot of the appeal is that it's like a garage sale," said Dennis Redmon, an executive at a nearby computer store. "You come out and somebody wants $100 for something. You offer them $50 and they take $75. We're bartering and trading and horse-trading."

The 1st Saturday SideWalk Sale started about 30 years ago and usually draws about 5,000 shoppers to downtown parking lots, said Ron Ivey, one of the lot operators. The next sale is Aug. 7.

John Chism, president of the National Flea Market Association, said the Dallas sale is more of a promotional event than a flea market because it's concentrated on computers but that it's "a little more unusual because of the hours. I guess in Dallas the weather allows that."

Sellers open up shop in the back of pickups and small travel trailers, or spread out tables under awnings.

"If you know what you're looking for, you can get a really good deal," said Chris Hightower, 29, of Dallas, who had computer cable draped over his shoulder as he shopped.

And though business can be good, staying awake can be tough.

Terry Koffel, 55, of Hurst, who sells karaoke equipment and other odds and ends, plays the harmonica to stay awake.

"These guys out here, they're weekend warriors," he said. "Staying up all night, I've just about had it, but I enjoy it."

The sale has evolved over the decades, starting as a swap meet for ham radio operators who would meet early Saturday mornings. As the years went on, the flea market became more high-tech, and vendors began staking out spots earlier each Saturday. Finally, it was pushed all the way back to midnight on Friday nights.

Though it's still popular, it hasn't been attracting people as it did in its heyday about a decade ago, said Redmon, whose store sells surplus computer equipment at the flea markets. Affordable home computers have hurt sales, he said.

"Plus there's eBay," he said. "Who wants to load up their truck and come down here in the middle of the night when they could sit at home in their underwear on eBay?"

Most vendors are legitimate, but occasionally people selling copyright or stolen merchandise have made their way to the market, Redmon said.

In addition to computer equipment, shoppers can find a variety of other items: tools, jewelry, candy, CDs, videos, televisions, gloves and scarves.

For many, though, it's not so much the bargains as the friendships they've forged over the years that keep them coming back.

"For me it's mostly a social thing," Redmon said. "I see the same people come. I see the hard-core people every time I'm out here."