Two Year Extension for The Flea Market at Eastern Market! A two-year extension of its license to operate The Flea Market at Eastern Market Sundays on the 300 block of 7th Street SE on Capitol Hill, was signed this week by Michael Berman, president of Diverse Markets Management (DMM), the District-based LLC that has managed the popular flea since 2011. The signing with the D.C. Department of General Services (DGS) effectively ended an effort, announced by a DGS employee in August, to seize the flea’s business at the end of this month. Berman said, “This reversal is a direct result of a letter-writing and online petition campaign we had to launch to save the market from government control. “And I’d like to thank the hundreds of people who participated in the campaign, which stated ‘DC: DO WHAT’S RIGHT,’” Berman continued. “In particular local media interest generated for the story was very helpful as well.” Berman singled out Forest Hayes, Associate Director for Portfolio Management of DGS, who oversees Eastern Market and its license to the Flea Market, “for his quick response and support for the DGS extension.” The Flea Market at Eastern Market has been held Sundays in the Capitol Hill neighborhood outside the historic Eastern Market since 1984. It was developed by Tom Rall, a founding member in 2005 of DMM. Until mid-May it had operated for more than 20 years outside the adjacent Hine School, when it was relocated to the 7th Street location due to development. "Rather than destroy a longstanding vibrant marketplace with rich cultural and artistic diversity, we appreciate that city leadership recognized the importance of continuing our enterprise," Berman concluded.