The lure of sleeping in on a summer Sunday morning cannot keep some from the thrill of the hunt.
Half-asleep, one dresses making sure to wear comfortable shoes, never donning flip-flops for days like these, bringing along a trusty backpack, and making one's way out of the house. A stop at one's favorite coffee shop is usually the norm before hitting the road by 6:30am.
It's always a good sign when you drive around that one bend in the road and see the cars and trucks already on the hill, with a glimpse through the trees granting a small view of the wares spread out on old blankets and blue tarps. When the sellers are that far up on the hill, you know that the rest of the land is filled and you know that it's going to be a good day.. a good day for the flea market.
~~~
I've been going to flea markets since I was little. I'm turning the big 3-0 this year, if that provides any kind of perspective for the readers. My family's flea market of choice had a variety of names - Saylorsburg, Blue Ridge, and "The one where the old drive-in used to be", just to name a few. We only sold there a handful of times, largely because of the unwritten but followed rule of having dibbs on a selling spot. Long gone now, I remember that in between selling spots, there still stood the old speakers for the drive-in that once graced the land. The billboard-type movie screen, also gone, used to sit at the top of the hill. What was the projector/snack building is now a grill that provides food fuel for those at the flea. It was fun to sell, but we always found ourselves taking turns watching our stand so we could walk up and down the aisles, seeing if anything caught our eye. We decided that it was more fun to wander the flea market than sell there, and that's how it has remained.
I still go to Saylorsburg. I wake up early, have my change & dollar bills tucked in my bag (never go to a flea market without quarters!), and make my usual stop at Dunkin Donuts to get tea. I never take the highway to Saylorsburg. For those familiar, Rt. 33 North can be a hit or miss, even on an early Sunday morning, so I stick with the backroads. This gives me time to think about what I'm on the search for at the flea. I've come to the market before with a list of items to be on the look-out for, but this list usually falls by the wayside once I make my way through the boxes of attic goodies.
~~~
It's always a thrill to find that item that you have been searching for for what seems like forever... to find the knick knack that completes your collection... stumble upon a vintage something-or-other that you aren't sure what it is, but you know that if you leave without it, you'll regret it for years... Whether you're a haggler or a pay the sticker price person, finding that one item can make or break your flea experience.
I've found treasure over the years amidst boxes of trash. I've come to realize the tricks and trade of the flea market experience. I've gone abroad the flea area to fields of thrift stores, barn/estate sales, Ebay, and even good ol' Craigslist.
I hope to fill this blog with the treasures I've found and the stories of the find, tips & advice about practical flea market-going, and just tales of the vintage and almost-forgetten bric-a-brac that finds its' home amidst boxes and moth-eaten blankets.
Onto the hunt...
No comments:
Post a Comment