"They like the hunt for bargains," says Janice Winkel, De Anza College's media relations editorial coordinator, who is a De Anza market shopper herself.

Spring is on the horizon, and that means crowds at the market will swell. And so will booths of flowers and plants. There are some 850 spaces in the De Anza parking lots left empty by faculty and students on the weekend. The first Saturday of every month, those spaces come alive with bustling crowds and venders eager to sell their wares. And now, as construction at De Anza is winding down, the flea market is returning to its former glory.

De Anza students began the market nearly 30 years ago as a way to raise funds, and now it draws vendors from all over California.

The students' profits exceed $300,000 annually, which does not include the student-run food booths. The money benefits students--not the college--by supporting scholarships, grants, athletic programs and student clubs, as well as any causes the students decide to champion.

For Casey Dick, special events coordinator for the student body, market day officially begins at 5:30 a.m. That's when 500 to 600 vendors start arriving to set out their wares. By the time the market closes at 4 p.m., some 15,000 people will have meandered through the market.

For the past 13 years, Dick has been responsible for all market-related decisions, except for food and parking. And he has a staff of 12 students assisting him during each market.

He says the market is busiest in April, May and December, depending on the weather. However, serious shoppers know that a rainy day can result in super-sized bargains. During all his years at the market, Dick has had to cancel the event on only two days, both due to storms.

A couple of other times, he's had to close part of the market because of human factors, which at times have been pretty crazy.

"We had people actually drive into the flea market with their vehicle on fire," Dick says. "They knew it was on fire, but they came in anyway. I've got pictures of the cars burned to the ground. One guy admitted to the police that he knew his car was on fire but told them if he didn't get his things in then he wouldn't be able to sell them."

No one was injured, and the car didn't explode, but nearby merchandise was ruined and lots of furious vendors got refunds.

Vendors pay $30 for single spaces and $60 for double spaces on monthly contracts. Six-month contracts cost nearly double those amounts but guarantee the vendor the same space each month. With few exceptions, sellers must provide Dick with a California resale number, which authenticates them as businesses. He enforces the rules--including a prohibition on the sale of medicine, alcohol, weapons, endangered animal parts and pornography.

But vendors offer up a profusion of just about everything else--redwood trees, orchids, bird houses, jewelry, household items, clothes, furniture, pottery, knick knacks and CDs. The list goes on and on, as do the booths.

Many vendors are passionate about their products and know them down to the tiniest detail.

Tim Pfister, a vendor who specializes in maple trees, including Japanese maples, says the April 2 market will be the perfect time to buy maples since they will be starting to sprout their new growth. Elaine Knight, owner of Nursery in the Wild in Santa Cruz, offers up a new incentive to buy plants. She says NASA research has identified air-purifying plants, which she says can clean the air.

"Boston ferns are terrific for removing toxins," Knight says. "The trick to keep them from browning is to put them in the shower twice a week and keep them out of sunlight."

There are vendors who work full-time jobs, and the flea market offers them a way to become more deeply involved in their passion.

Donna Gatson is a UPS driver but when it comes to southwest Native American stones and history, she's a walking encyclopedia. Her booth carries all kinds of Native American jewelry. She's got a sterling silver cuff bracelet with an Anasazi tribe design and a peach-colored necklace made from a spiny oyster shell found in 80 feet of water. It was made by a New Mexico artist from the Santo Domingo tribe, one of the most traditional of the Pueblo Indians.

Gatson says the jewelry feeds her soul--she says that years after she sells a piece of jewelry, she remembers its details and the buyer.

Karen Johnson's love for cats has her selling everything from cat-designed t-shirts, mugs, barrettes, socks, handbags and jewelry to her specialty, the catnip mice she's made for 15 years.

On her website, www.johnsonpet products.com, she says, "One sniff is worth a thousand purrs." Johnson estimates that she has personally made about a half-million catnip mice.

She says she can do the final seaming at the rate of about 300 mice per hour. Her employees can only do about 100 in that time. She also makes large catnip pillows for cats, so she now has catnip planted on five acres just for her creations. It's delivered in 200-pound lots, and her own cats are so used to it that they've become immune to its effects.

"This is my life," Johnson laughs. "I am chained to my sewing machine."

When she does get out, Johnson travels to cat shows.

The market is a social event for some vendors and others. "They come out and don't buy anything but just wander around and talk to people and have something to eat," Dick says.

Jodi Richardson-Christ and her husband used to come each month when they lived within walking distance. They now live in Capitola with their two young sons but just can't stay away. They come to eat, walk and buy tools.

For 20 years Francine Correll and her mother, Jennie, have driven from San Francisco to sell at the market each month. They bring a variety of household items they find through friends, relatives and garage sales, including dishes, crystal, blue glassware and Delph china pieces.

"It's fun, and it gets us out," Francine says. "I don't come here to become a millionaire or I'd be gone."

One of their longtime customers, San José State University student Brittany Snyder, remembers seeing lots of toys when her parents used to bring her and her sister to the market. She first met Francine and Jennie when they sold her parents Breyer model horses, which she received as a present.

"I remember the market used to go way back there," she says, pointing to the new parking structure. "People are finally starting to come back. When they were redoing everything, [the market] was so small. Now it's expanded and a lot better to come back to."

Her purchases at the March market included a necklace, a calendar, a glass statue of a fox for a friend and a VHS tape of Dragonheart. It's her favorite movie, but she couldn't find it anywhere else. She bought it for the bargain price of $3.

The next De Anza College Flea Market will be held Saturday, April 2, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. For direction, and a list of vendors and their space numbers, visit www.deanza.fhda.edu/fleamarket/index.html. Note that the list is made final the day before the market. The locations of individual vendors are also available at the information booth near the food stands.