Adventures of a Wayfarer

Flea markets are great for clothes and accessories depending on the type of market. I’ve seen some cool bags, used, but still functional. I have come across clothes that if it were in my size, would most likely become a staple in my wardrobe. Being unique and wearing things with confidence is all you need to pull off a flea market find. I watched a couple find an awesome textured dress. The boyfriend immediately bought it before his girlfriend could object. We talked about how cool it would look with different accessories. Places like these are great for meeting new people and exchanging ideas.

The best part about the thriftiness of a flea market: Bargaining and CHEAP! First off, you can bargain with the seller. I mean come on who doesn’t love that weird high you get when saying “I’ll give you 10$ after the seller says it’s 15$.” Plus, most of the stuff there is dirt cheap. I came across a table of books that were $1 each. I snagged the Complete Works of William Shakespeare Vol. 3: Tragedies for the magnificently low price of one dollar. Seriously where else would you snag a book for a dollar? Other than perhaps a Goodwill or Sally’s (which will be in a future installment of the Thrift Series).

Not only did I snag a cool book, I also paid 20$ for a globe and 6 vintage Philadelphia postcards. Why would I buy such random items you may ask? Well first off who doesn’t want a kick ass globe for a cool decoration for their home? Exactly! Anyway, I have been searching for a cheap globe for a while now for both a decoration and for an art project I have been thinking of. I have been to antique shops and the prices are a bit too high for my liking (60$ for a used globe that’s dirty and has markings is a bit out of my grad school price range and absurd). At the flea market, I came across a few globes and spotted one that was perfect for what I had been imagining. In my mind I said I wouldn’t pay more than 20$. I went to the girl selling and asked how much? She said 15$. I said you have yourself a deal {I probably could have asked for lower but oh well}.

At one point, I found myself at a table of random items revolving around Philly. My friend, Anna who invited me to join her in rummaging through the market, snagged a sweet book of Romances of Philadelphia. Can’t wait to find out what scandal and dirt she finds about the wealthy past of Philly. Next to the books was a box of old postcards with different historic pictures of the City of Brotherly Love depicted on them. As I was going through them, I had an epiphany. How cool would it be to go around the city and take a picture holding the postcard up to the present day place? I was stoked. So I sifted through the postcards and came across 6 that I truly love. Managed to pay 3$ for them and set out on my merry way. {These postcards will be in future posts dedicated entirely to their stories, so stay tuned}

Flea Markets are treasure chests. You just have to look deep and use your creative imagination for what you may accomplish with someone else’s used goods. I give the Philly Flea markets my two thumbs up for providing me with some good finds and a good afternoon of sunshine and friendship.