At the time it felt fairly safe. Safer than in Republika Srpska, specifically Banja Luka. I don’t know about now, but then the town was run by a gangster clique that operated by plunder and intimidation.

If I recall, Arizona Market initially sprung up as a secondary market for building materials, usually salvaged from (new) rubble and reused in new construction or fix-ups. Then it grew with the introduction of “fell of the truck” kinds of items like appliances, along with whatever knockoffs were circulating throughout the regional economy at the time. I also recall lots of stalls selling military/camping knives and crossbows.

It was a weird place, very on-the-edge locus of economic activity. I was told that you could buy nearly anything there, including — if you had the contacts and cash — serious weaponry that Bosnian and RS soldiers and who knows who else were unloading. They accepted all sorts of currency, but preferred deutsche marks, as with every other place in ex-Yugoslavia.

Surely you guys can come up with a “preview post” option?

Tyler Cowen is skeptical, and the rest of the comments section is dubious to say the least. I suggest denizens of LATNB leave some comments over there.