Oh flea markets..what a love/hate relationship I have with you, but I can't be the only person out in the world who thinks this.
Flea markets can be fun, but they can also have a major downside. I personally don't have such a great time at them, but they are a part of the thrifting world, so they must be mentioned.
For those who have never been to one, a flea market is basically a bunch of mini stores (some vintage some not) in one huge building. Some are in permanent locations that are open almost every day, and others are open on weekends or specific days of the month. If you would ever like to attend one in your local area, they usually advertise when a market event will happen, so I would look it up on your trusty search engine.
While having a dozen or more of tiny stores all in one can be a good thing, it can also be pretty tiring as well. Flea markets usually have the mini stores sectioned off into different categories during their events, such as; vintage, clothing, handmade, furniture, etc., like a thrift store. Before heading into the giant building, I would suggest having some sort of plan. If you are a type of person who can browse for hours in a store, then I say go for it. BUT if you're like me and get tired after about an hour, have a plan. At the events they usually have maps or some sort of directory on what type of merchandise is where. Sadly, they usually put the vintage items in the back :(
One of the fun parts of a flea market, you get to haggle! Yup, you read it right, you get to haggle the price of an item. It can be pretty fun if you like bargaining for an item! At the markets, vendors sometimes price their items really high with the expectation that a customer will haggle with them. Most of the time, the seller is willing to let you purchase the item for much cheaper. In their mind, they are fooling you into thinking you've gotten a great deal, when the whole time they were actually selling the item to you for that low price the whole time! Slick, right?
On the down side, because there are so many little stores, it can get very overwhelming. Another thing to look out for (especially in the vintage section) is fakes. I'm sure most of you are wise to being able to tell when an item isn't genuine, but some aren't. If you are looking for a pre-owned item, like a purse, from a designer, be sure to know all the tells of whether it's a knock off or real. I've known many people who have trusted a vendor and the item turned out to be a complete fake and worth nothing at all. Please don't let that happen to you!
I hope all of this is helpful!
The Nork's Wife
