In the spirit of Valentine's Day, an "Ex-Lover's Market" was set up in Nişantaşı, one of Istanbul's vibrant districts. Those who wanted to sell items left behind by their former lovers displayed them in stalls, often accompanied by amusing notes.
Established under the theme of "Sell what your ex left, buy a gift for your new love," the booths showcased a variety of items including clothing, books, bags, wallets, watches, combs, coffee cups and more.
Among the humorous notes attached to the sold items, phrases like "Red doesn't suit you at all" on a red sweater, "Ran out of time, our battery died" on a wristwatch, and "Pants torn from your troubles, your sorrows" on a pair of trousers caught attention.
Yiğit Sahur, who sold items left by his ex-partners at the booth, stated: "My current girlfriend and I saw this on the internet and social media. We had collected these items somehow. After talking to her, we gathered items left from our other past relationships and came here to start selling."
"Interesting dialogues are happening here; there is considerable interest. The weather was a bit cloudy today, so the turnout was low, but I believe it will be crowded," he added.
"We wrote some of the notes on the products together with my girlfriend, and some items are from our friends' past relationships. They handed them over to us with the notes, and we put them up for sale at the booth."
Sefa Gürdamar, examining the products, commented: "Quite good, I found it interesting. I saw it on social media. I also wanted to bring something, but I couldn't be sure if I could sell it right away, honestly. I have small objects left from the past, otherwise, I usually discard such things. There are a few things I couldn't throw away, like a historic item such as a lead soldier. Since I'm going for a more minimalist lifestyle, I can bring and sell them."
Özay Akar, one of the organizers of the event, stated, "People here have the opportunity to share and sell some items that would impress them if they saw them on a loved one in the market, with strangers they have never met before, at a reasonable price."
"This way, not only an economic gain is made, but also those who want to buy gifts for their loved ones on Feb. 14, who think 'What should I buy for my partner?' can get an idea," he added.
"People come here to get an idea of what their previous partners had given them, and whether they can draw inspiration from them. If they want to buy something from the Ex-Lover's Market, they can."
"There was a very high demand; quite a few people applied. Although our space is limited, we accepted about 20-25 people who wanted to sell items left by their ex-partners," Akar mentioned.
"The number of visitors is very high; people showed great interest. They came, looked at the items in the market, and made purchases," he said.
"Moreover, since this is also a socializing area, I can say that we create an opportunity for socializing and even finding a partner for those who do not have one."
