Comércio, feiras e um lugar de obsolescência em Juiz de Fora-MG: a feira informal da Avenida Brasil

Abstract

The present work aims to conduct a socio-spatial analysis of the emergence of an informal flea market that has taken hold, on Brazil Avenue, in parallel with the weekly farmers' market. On Sunday mornings, in the city of Juiz de Fora, MG, a section of Brazil Avenue is occupied simultaneously by street vendors, consumers, and vehicular traffic; since the informal open-air market is not regulated by public entities, the street is not closed for the event that takes place on this site. The merchandise offered for sale are mostly secondhand articles. Much of the material for sale comes from waste pickers. Thus, we observe the presence of the lower circuit of the economy, covered by Milton Santos in his work, O espaço dividido (2008) [The divided space], where he asserts that the geographical area is divided into two subsystems: the upper and the lower. Basically, the activities of the lower circuit are composed of small-scale commerce, non-modern services targeted at retail trade, and especially of consumption by the poorest segment of the population; and the upper circuit has characteristics such as capital intensive, global market, and advertising. The two are interdependent, but the upper is linked to global acceleration, and the lower is adapted to the time and form of the place. Regarding the concept of place, there is relevance in analyzing the informal market under this appraisal, with emphasis on the work of Yi-fu Tuan, in order to perceive the dimension of social relations that are built there. According to the author, "place" is where we enter into contact with the other, with human emotions that are built from the power of symbols.