Flea Markets

I may stop by for a particular item that can't be found elsewhere, but haven't had much luck. We have way to many professionals sellling new, imported junk, cheaper than the good stuff but quite high for the quality they are displaying. Anyway, I don't like to shop that much.

We do a lot of shopping at flea markets, thrift stores, consignment stores and garage sales. Almost every week I'll go hunting, and often find something or other that sets my heart on fire. When the children were small, and our income much more modest, I got in the habit of filling my wardrobe with second-hand finds. I have some sports coats retailing for five hundred dollars, that I paid forty for. Now I can afford just about any price, but hardly ever wear anything more formal than chinos. I have a closet full of sports coats, suits, dress shirts and shoes, and ties beyond counting. Still, I prefer buying from the Thrift stores and garages. How sweet it is to find a deal.

Albuquerque is home to many retired military officers, and when they hold garage sales there is almost always neat stuff than can be had for a song. Even though there is snow on the Sandias, and the garage sale season is long past, there are still garage sales to be found every Friday, Saturday and Sunday here.

Next year we hope to get up to the Indian Market in Santa Fe. The Albuquerque flea market has a lot of stuff our guests like to look at, but generally I just buy fresh roasted chili at it.

There are some great flea markets in Fort Worth and nothing is more fun. I have picked up a lot of great things for a song and a dance.

Now who on Earth wants to buy a flea?

I LOVE flea markets! It is like treasure hunting to go sort through that stuff and come up with a find and a buy! Soooooo satisfactory!

Never know what you will learn at a market, either--I was at a small one near Taos one time, and learned how wonderful posole is! I chonked down a good bit of posole that day, all homemade by little Spanish ladies from the area. Got my first ristra there as well, and hung it and used it until it was very tattered.

We don't lack for tons of flea markets, used good stores, people having garage sales, etc. Whenever I want a piece of furniture or something else that usually has a hefty price, I look around at the used stuff first to see if I can find one of those DEALS!

We don't have flea markets here, the way I've seen them in the U.S. I literally can't spend enough time at them - so i have to be very restrained when i go. They're almost too much fun!

ooooooh, I loved the santa fe flea market! There were always loads of deology tables. I got a great olive suede jacket there and a guatamalan quilt. Lots of little rocks. And the view!

My all-time favorite flea market is the one in Wellfleet, MA (cape cod). It's in an old drive-in theater parking lot (still have shows there, too!). In the summer it's gigantic, but t-giving weekend I went to find only about 8-10 tables. But, per capita, they had the most interesting stuff to sell. I bought some cast-iron skillets and some chocolate chip cookies.

My favourite (i used to try to get there every year) was the Labour Day flea market in Chincoteague Virginia - i found so many great things there over the years - one of the best little finds was a small collection of souvenir fire department water glasses - all from fire departments on the Delmarva. Sweet.

We love them and maximom is the "Queen of the Fleas" as well as yard and garage sales.
Her keen eye for a "diamond in the rough" the unique and valuable items keeps me in a constant state of awe.

How does she KNOW that they are valuable?!?!?!

There are too numerous items to mention, suffice it to say, she is a "Horse trader" of the highest order.

Phoenix -- I know exactly which flea market you are talking about. We used to go there often when I was in college (at Hofstra). Did the majority of my holiday shopping there during that time!

I've been to others that were similar in Florida and Hawaii too, gosh, that was a long time ago. I don't go often myself to the ones here. My parents are starting to venture out to the ones that specialize in antiques and collectables, as well as the local yard sales. They often have little finds, for both new and vintage items, usually depression and milk glass and vintage jewelry -- It depends.

edithdoll- Glad to see ya postin'. I got my master's at Hofstra!

Maxwell Street in Chicago was the "Daddy of them All" in these parts.

Though closed down now, it was a true slice of urban Americana.

Too bad about Maxwell Street. I'd love to do that.

I DID live for three years within a mile or so of the granddaddy of 'em all, the Rose Bowl flea market. A fair amount of celebrity sighting, too. My best find was prolly 2 really nice wool oriental rugs for $100 -- needed to be cleaned, but they were good quality, and have been great after the $10 cleaning.

We have dubed them swap meets around So Cal and one of the best is at the Orange County Fairgrounds every weekend plus a vegetable market on Thursdays. There's another at Orange Coast College (home of KOCE, the local PBS station), another at the Rose Bowl on most weekends and one at Lake Elsinor which is really a true flea market. The Fairgrounds has become fairly commercial with a lot of "outlet" spaces where owners of the spaces have deals with companies to liquidate out-dated or seconds merchandise. Our warehouse store locations are so competitive -- both Sam's Club and Costco within minutes of my house that I rarely go to swap meets because of the parking and miles of walking. The garage sales really thrive in this area and can take up and entire weekend, though. Have had a few of those myself.

I have this picture in my mind of a flea pushing an itty bitty little shopping cart with several itty bitty little bags of flea groceries.

Wiz, the Rose Bowl is once a month. It's a rotating thing -- Pasadena City College (much smaller but not bad), someplace else, someplace else, and the Rose Bowl. PCC was 1st Sunday, Rose bowl was 2nd Sunday, I think.

I go to the 25th street flea markets in NYC and to the one on 67th btwn York and Ist avenue, I love going to flea markets and when we travel in the USA I always make the family stop at those huge antiques malls. I go to flea markets in Europe when we are there but I think American ones are better: but perhaps it's me, maybe I'm not quite so attuned there. Also I live in the middle of the thrift shop neighborhood...ah me, our poor closets!

I used to go to the Rose Bowl swap meet in the 70's with a friend I would visit in L.A. at Mt. Olympus (I was living in Laguna Beach).
We'd also haunt the Antique Guild at the old Helm's Bakery and virtually furnished his house from both places with antiques. I knew it had probably gone from ever other week to monthly as I haven't been back since. The Lake Elsinor is really fun and the drive is pleasant if one goes over the mountains out of San Juan Capistrano--spectacular overlook on the Lake Elsinor side. I had a friend in the early 80's who would have a space there so we'd go out and stay the weekend with his relatives who live out there. Fun times.