While the economy has left most of the retail world reeling, Kobey’s Swap Meet at the San Diego Sports Arena has seen a boost in both the number of sellers and shoppers over the past year. From bargain hunters to business owners, the swap meet has seemingly provided a bit of economic relief. “Everybody was looking to generate money because people weren’t spending,” said Kimberly Kobey-Pretto, president of The Kobey Corp. “People were losing their jobs, losing their homes and now everybody feels they have to come up with another source of income. The swap meet is a great place to do that.” As compared with figures for the same time last year, Kobey-Pretto said Kobey’s is up 15 percent this summer and currently up 10 percent in both shoppers and revenue. She said the increase in sellers is due in part to the economic downturn, as both individuals and stores are looking to add income. “People need to get a second job and this is a great way to invest just a little bit,” Kobey-Pretto said. “We’re finding a lot of storage-unit people going to storage units and buying them and they’re setting up 10 to 15 booths out here, so that’s a used business.” Some sellers are small business owners setting up shop on the weekends. One example is Carlton Charbonnet of Oceanside, who started selling at Kobey’s a year ago as a second source of income. “It’s been working out pretty good so I’ve been coming every week,” Charbonnet said. Charbonnet works as a general contractor during the week and has been selling wholesale-bought sports clothes and accessories at the swap meet on Saturdays and Sundays. His apparel ranges in cost from $10 to $100. Charbonnet said traffic at Kobey’s has been pretty consistent during his time selling outside the sports arena. He is one of many vendors selling brand-new items at the swap meet. “It’s definitely a good place to incubate a business and we do provide that,” Kobey-Pretto said. Another seller whose small business operates out of the swap meet is John Oswalt, a San Diegan who owns West Coast Import and Manufacturing Co. Oswalt makes and sells futons and has been at Kobey’s for nearly three decades. “I have a built-in clientele after 28 years,” Oswalt said. “There are people that drive all the way from Sacramento and Fresno. I’m as steady as you can get because of the years I’ve been doing this.” Kobey-Pretto said non-vendors such as health insurance and mortgage companies are also using Kobey’s to generate leads for their businesses. Even large companies such as Cricket Wireless have established a booth to gain exposure. Other sellers are coming to the swap meet to unload their old junk. Plenty of booths feature antiques and used items such as sporting equipment and electronics. “We all keep too much junk in our homes and it’s a great place to have a garage sale, a safer place to have a garage sale than at home,” Kobey-Pretto said. A study last month by financial website Mint.com that measured discretionary spending in 2008 versus 2009 found San Diego the fifth-most-frugal city in the nation, with San Diegans spending 23 percent less this year than they did the year before. Based on that study, it may come as little surprise that Kobey’s has seen a boost in shoppers. During a recent weekend, the swap meet had a combined attendance for 15,747 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The Sunday crowd of 7,733 people was the biggest of the weekend. The biggest demographics boost has come from high school and college students. “It’s definitely re-birthed itself from years back,” Kobey-Pretto said. The cost to rent a 16-by-18-foot space at Kobey’s is $10 on Fridays and $30 on Saturdays and Sundays. Kobey-Pretto said space at the sports arena parking lot is not an issue. “We have plenty of space in this parking lot. We have the ability to expand based on demand. We’ve always had that,” Kobey-Pretto said. Kobey’s is located at 3500 Sports Arena Blvd. in the parking lot of the San Diego Sports Arena. The swap meet is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is 50 cents Friday and $1 on the weekends. For more information, visit www.kobeyswap.com or follow Kobeys on Twitter. Kobeys is also on Facebook and Myspace.