We recently took a trip to Kentucky for a family reunion, which is good news in my eyes. It means that we pass at least four flea markets on the way home, and I can find some new goodies along the way. Unfortunately, this year's trip was something of a bust.
One of the flea markets that we usually stop at is almost always full. This year, it was down to just a handful of people. The parking lot was dead, and there were so few booths that we decided to skip it. The next flea market was full, but the prices were just insane! If you want to pay $10 for a jar of "homemade" apple butter or jelly that looks like it just came from the store, this is the place for you. We also counted at least six booths selling adult magazines and DVDs, eight booths devoted to guns and weapons, and more new items than we could count.
The new items were especially disappointing. We usually manage to find some great stuff at this flea market, but between three people, we spent less than $20, and that includes the $5 bracelet my boyfriend sneakily bought for me when I wasn't looking.
The third flea market ended up with us running into my great uncle on his way home from the reunion. The boyfriend picked up some random Pink Floyd wall hanging and a $10 video game to replace one of mine he let a friend borrow. Yes, he let his friend borrow one of my games, one of the few games that I actually played. She's now had it for over two years, so he finally decided to just replace it.
The last flea market had a nicer mixture of new and old things, but I couldn't get over the prices. I've been looking for a vintage Superman peanut butter jar for a few years now, and I finally saw one in person, but the seller wanted $20 for it. We also came across a DVD dealer that had hundreds of movies for $2. I picked up a few movies from another table, which he said were his "expensive" movies. Turns out that he cherry picks the best titles and sells those for $5 each.
I was a little hesitant, but I decided to bite the bullet and buy the one I wanted. My best friend and my boyfriend each picked up an "expensive" movie too. The best friend's turned out to be one you can pick up new for $7, the boyfriend's sells new for $10, and mine is out of print and actually sells for $20 used. Go me!
All in all, it was a disappointing trip. Most of the flea markets charged outrageous prices and had a lot of newer stuff versus the older stuff. That seems to be the way of the world though. My parents closed down their flea market booth after 15+ years due to poor sales a few months ago, and most of the flea market people I know either downsized or quit altogether. Here's hoping the future looks a little better.
