What Is the Deal?
The concrete underfoot is already hot, and it’s not yet 8 a.m. on a Sunday morning. That the day is shaping up to be a scorcher doesn’t faze dozens of people waiting to get into Veterans Stadium in Long Beach for the monthly flea market. Mostly hard-core shoppers, they slathered on sunscreen before they left home and packed bottled water along with their cash. Before the day is over, they will all walk away with something--treasure, trash or just a good time.
The flea market lies somewhere between cultural ritual and amusing distraction, an open-air adventure at which the price of anything from junk to kitsch to collectibles is up for negotiation. Think of a flea market as a sort of archeological tour of yesterday’s trends: cowboy chic, stonewashed denims, milk glass, velvet paintings, poodle skirts. It’s also the perfect spot to study the contemporary hunter-gatherer.
As an entertainment franchise, a flea market is as undemanding as it is unexpected. You can spend a lot or a little, meet someone whose obsession for antique fishing gear rivals your own, see the occasional celebrity, meander aimlessly for hours. And around here, the treasure-hunting, bargain-snagging, people-watching experience that is a flea market can be had for a few bucks any weekend of the year.
They used to be glorified yard sales, where people sold years of accumulated junk off the tailgates of their cars to those determined enough to root through it, hoping to find a Michelangelo hidden in a trunk.
The Southern California flea market, circa 2002, doesn’t look anything like that anymore, and for that you can thank television, EBay, Martha Stewart and a legion of cloned decorating mavens.
“Antiques Roadshow” has, in effect, given flea markets a PBS stamp of approval by establishing just what the dusty old contents of grandma’s attic are worth. And while EBay has become the selling venue of choice for rare and high-end items, it’s also become an ongoing gauge for what people are willing to pay for Pez dispensers, pedal cars and Vargas pinups.
Stewart and those who have followed her home decor lead have spurred interest in everything from architectural salvage to refinish-it-yourself projects. “There are no dummies anymore,” said Jeff Remy, a Torrance-based dealer who sells antique furniture and Lionel trains. “People know what they have and what things are worth.”
Although some buyers complain that the truly fine items are gone, others say the glut of information has brought long-hidden goodies out of mothballs and put them back into circulation.
“The merchandise is still out there, and plenty of it,” said Harry L. Rinker, an antiques and collectibles expert based in Emmaus, Pa., and author of “Official Guide to Flea Market Prices.” “Prices have gone up, especially when a category gets hot. But they come back down. Runs don’t last that long.”
Although open-air markets trace their roots to medieval Europe, with clothing and goods sold and traded (thus the fleas) in town squares, they began in the States with the postwar boom of the ‘50s. To put it simply, people bought stuff. Lots of it.
But by the ‘60s and ‘70s, they started to purge. Yard sales became communal ones, which ultimately grew into full-scale events. The legendary monster that is the Rose Bowl flea market has been around since the mid-’60s.
What people seek out at flea markets reflects where they came from, with many trying to buy back their childhoods, Rinker says. That doesn’t necessarily mean Depression glass. Chrome kitchen canisters, sectional sofas and Flintstones tumblers are the current flavors of the month.
Business is brisk these days. At least one local market estimates a 14% increase in attendance, and all the larger local markets have long waiting lists for vendor spots. The National Flea Market Assn. says there are a few key reasons for the current boom. When economic times are tough, people are more apt to look for bargains. On the other end of the social spectrum, shoppers with deep pockets want something solid to invest in, and antiques can seem like a much better bet than stocks.
Whatever you’re in the market for, here’s a look at the landscape.
Rose Bowl
The granddaddy of Los Angeles flea markets, with a staggering 2,200 vendors, is in Pasadena. “People trot out the serious stuff for the Rose Bowl,” said Virginia Murray, a Hollywood Hills-based antiques dealer who frequently sells there.
Money changes hands more consistently and quickly at the Rose Bowl than at any other flea market in town, dealers say. Buying can be so frenzied that dealers, pouncing on their fellow vendors’ booths between 6 and 7 a.m., turn the same items around for sale that day. While people go to browse at many other markets, they go to the Rose Bowl to buy.
And with some haggling, you’ll pay reasonably.
The Rose Bowl market, which began in 1968, has become a regular destination for L.A.’s interior designers, studio set dressers and celebrities. This keeps prices up but also draws out unique items.
Serious shoppers proceed directly to the “orange” section of the Bowl’s parking lot, where the choicest antiques are sold. The “white” section, on the west side of the bridges, sports loads of used Levi’s, sneakers, vintage clothes and collectibles. Some shoppers wear out before hitting that last lot and, unknowingly, miss out on some of the best deals and some of the weirdest and wackiest doodads.
Among the shopping-with-a-mission crowd on a recent Sunday were Robin and Robert Gonzales, who just bought a Craftsman bungalow in Pomona. Their haul included a dining room set, a coffee table, end tables and a Chippendale chair with ottoman. How much had they spent?
“We gave ourselves a budget, but that was gone in the first 15 minutes,” said Robin Gonzales.
* Rose Bowl Flea Market, Rose Bowl, Rose Bowl Drive off of North Arroyo Boulevard, Pasadena. Second Sunday of each month. Admission, 6 a.m.-7:30 a.m., $20; 7:30 a.m.-9 a.m., $10; 9 a.m.-3 p.m., $7. Parking is free.
Long Beach Outdoor Antique and Collectibles Market
This 800-vendor flea market answers the masochistic question, “Why do we trudge around on hot concrete, picking through booth after dusty booth, until we’re thoroughly sun-stroked, exhausted and broke?” For the deal. Long Beach has embedded itself in the local landscape as the best deal-making flea market around.
“The customers demand it,” said Craig Armenta, a dealer whose booth is regularly stocked with antique light fixtures, toys and pottery. “There are all price levels, but you’ll find that people are really willing to deal here.”
Value is relative. What’s a particular item worth, you might ask a dealer. “What’s it worth to you?” is likely to be the reply.
Everything starts at 5:30 a.m., and if you’re a hard-core private collector or a professional dealer, you’ll be there at the kickoff.
Those who’d rather sleep in, though, needn’t fret. The end of the day--when dealers start to dread hauling back everything they haven’t sold--can be as fruitful as the start. Pickin’s could be slim by then, but that, too, is relative. Everyone else overlooked that rather strange taxidermy mammal, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be fabulous in your living room.
Be aware, though, that most people pack up between 1 and 2 p.m., even though the market technically is open until 3.
David Sokolowski of Hermosa Beach indulged his passion for antique toys and gadgets on a recent Long Beach trip. He bought a two-seater antique kids’ wagon, a 1920s cigarette machine and some tin oil cans and other car memorabilia to decorate his Corvette restoration business. His tab: about $500.
* Long Beach Outdoor Antique and Collectibles Market, Veterans Stadium, Lakewood Boulevard and Conant Street. Third Sunday of each month. Occasional special sale days, including Sept. 29. Early admission: 5:30-6:30 a.m., $10; general admission, 6:30 a.m.-3 p.m., $5; children younger than 12 are free. Parking is free.
The Outdoor Antique and Collectibles Market at Santa Monica Airport
It’s a shabby-chic paradise, if you like that kind of thing, and many shoppers at the Santa Monica Flea Market do. Rachel Ashwell, TV host, author, founder of Shabby Chic stores, has been known to stalk these aisles. People are willing to pay top dollar for their finds, too. Exhibitors estimate they can command anywhere from 10% to 20% more for items at this market than at any other market in town.
“Very little dickering goes on,” Remy said. “It’s an affluent crowd.”
Market owner Eleanor Hedge handpicks the vendors, operating counter to the prevailing pay-your-money-and-get-a-space philosophy. “You can’t just get a space if you have some old stuff to sell,” Hedge said. “It’s an edited market.” There is a waiting list to sell there, but some dealers need not hold their breath. Said Hedge: “In a hundred years, I’d never call some of these people.” Ahem.
Not so incidentally, it’s the most expensive market space in town at $100 for a standard 15-by-20-foot plot. A second parking lot recently opened to accommodate more dealers (there are about 250 now), though Santa Monica could still fit into the pocket of behemoths like Long Beach and the Rose Bowl.
The show has an abundance of jewelry, both new and antique, architectural salvage items, European linens, furniture and paintings. No sneakers, no jeans, no used appliances.
William Berg, whose home and antiques shop is in Benicia, Calif., makes the 700-mile round trip once a month to sell at Santa Monica because “it has panache that other shows in L.A. don’t have,” he said. On a recent weekend, Berg sold two pieces of antique French furniture, his specialty, at about $4,000 each.
* Santa Monica Airport Antiques and Collectibles Market, Airport Avenue off South Bundy Drive. Fourth Sunday of each month. 6-8 a.m., early admission $7; 8 a.m.-3 p.m., $5. Parking is free.
Pasadena City College
There’s a bargain within a bargain at the college, and it’s in the lower-level parking lot, where more than 70 record vendors (records, as in vinyl) hold court. Because many of the shoppers in this section are looking only for vinyl, the antiques and collectibles dealers are a more bargaining bunch than their counterparts on the upper two parking lots (at Hill Avenue and Colorado Boulevard). Must move that product, after all.
Many dealers fight tooth and nail to get space in the upper lots, believing that the lower one (on Bonnie Avenue) is akin to Siberia for their goods. Truth is, the college has a lot of ground to cover, and some shoppers run out of steam before getting to the lower level; some don’t even know it’s there.
This market, with 450 vendors, is strong on modern furniture and accessories, products from the ‘50s and ’60 especially. Ron Mabee, a dealer from Covina who specializes in that period, was selling briskly on a Sunday, with half his booth’s furniture gone by noon.
Perfection isn’t always important. Lawrence Patino, who lives in Temple City, snatched up a pair of ‘70s chairs--one cushion missing--for $35. “I’m taking an upholstery class, and I’m going to reupholster them,” Patino explained. “Replacing that cushion will only cost about five bucks.”
* Pasadena City College Flea Market, 1570 E. Colorado Blvd. First Sunday of each month. 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Free. (Lower level: at Hill Street and Bonnie Avenue.) Free parking in the structure on Del Mar Boulevard or on the east side of the campus at Bonnie Avenue.
Roadium Open-Air Swap Meet in Gardena
This Gardena market is heavily frequented by dealers, who cram the place by 7 a.m. on Mondays. That’s the best day of the week for potential quality finds because the small-time vendors who sell used goods there have been out picking and scavenging all weekend.
Go during the early morning hours or don’t bother, if you’re looking for antiques, oddities and collectibles. And if you’re going to play with that take-no-prisoners crowd, there’s no room for indecision. See it, grab it, own it. You will have paid only 50 cents to get in; part with a few bucks and leave with an awesome gewgaw.
The used-goods vendors take up only about one-third of the Roadium’s 15 acres. The other space is filled with new products--fresh fruit and groceries, luggage, car accessories, bedding, shoes, tools, kitchen appliances, CDs, jewelry, pots and pans, cell phones and cosmetics.
It’s truly an international marketplace, with Latino, Asian, Eastern European and Caribbean vendors (36 countries are represented) who buy in volume and sell at wholesale.
“You can come here and open a bank account, get a second mortgage, get all your household goods,” said John Schoen, who has run the market for a decade and is president of the National Flea Market Assn. “It’s the ultimate outdoor mall.”
South Bay residents Brian Miller and Ian Baronofsky regularly troll for video game consoles and software, and on a recent Tuesday morning, they were adding some select pieces to their collections.
“We like to shop,” said Baronofsky, who lives in Long Beach and has a serious Atari habit. “And we have patience.” Enough patience to detangle a mess of cords to get to one joystick and enough savvy to use their effort to get the price dropped to $1.
The Roadium, operating at a former drive-in theater, aims to be a one-stop shopping area for low-income families and for those who want to skirt retail. (The top-selling items are women’s clothes.) There’s live music on most holidays and activities for kids. Like many swap meets in town, it’s part utility, part community.
* Roadium Open-Air Market, 2500 W. Redondo Beach Blvd., Gardena. Daily except Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. 7 a.m.-4 p.m. Admission: 50 cents on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays; $1.25 on Wednesdays; $1.50 on Saturdays and Sundays. Parking is free.
