I spent my childhood waking up at the crack of dawn every summer Sunday morning. My family and I would be the early birds at our local flea market called the Elephant’s Trunk. First in line. No excuses. After we passed the gate and had our hands stamped for paying the low fee of one dollar, all bets were off. This was the time to find everything you wanted before anyone else did. At any flea market the customer has to be aggressive. Whether bargaining with a vendor or snatching an item before anyone else, the key is to have your voice heard. At the Lynnway Flea Market, it is no different. The customers are haggling as soon as the doors open. The savvy vendors need to remember to be strong and not always lower the price.
As I pulled into the parking lot overflowing with cars, I knew I was at the right place. Lynnway Flea Market in Lynn, Massachusetts is where the city spends Saturday and Sunday mornings. The drivers in the parking lot fight to find an open spot to park their vehicles. Twenty feet up in the air is a huge sign flashing in red, “Shop at Lynnway Flea Market.” The sign is nearly impossible to miss. The aroma in the air reeks of cigarette smoke and smoked sausages. The dust from the gravel parking lot whips around the vendors selling their used items. The smells become more potent as I walk closer to the scene. The noise of customers haggling and chatting fills the flea market. I noticed the tents set up over the tables. When the vendors call out prices, it reels the customers in to look at the items. When talking to a regular seller that comes every Saturday and Sunday, she told me that it is $35 to have a spot each weekend. She went on to say that the price will be raised to $40 in April because the flea market becomes a lot more popular as the weather becomes warmer.
Lynnway Flea Market is different from the Elephant’s Trunk, my hometown flea market. It has an indoor portion which I had never seen at any other flea market and the bargain hunters that attend are quite different. At Elephant’s Trunk, the shoppers consisted of elderly Caucasian people and families of four. The demographic of the Lynnway Flea Market is diverse. The flea market’s diversity provides a window into many cultures.
While walking through the market, I felt a little bit out of place. I come from a suburban town in Connecticut and going to Lynnway was a different experience. The diversity of the individuals and the ages had a very wide range, which contributes to the success of this flea market. On the Lynnway Flea Market website, the user is able to translate the site into any language.
There are two parts to the flea market: an indoor portion and an outdoor portion. The indoor section seemed to have the majority of Hispanic vendors. Various forms of Hispanic music come through the cheap speakers at each booth. At one booth, Daddy Yankee, a popular Hispanic musician, played through the speakers and then it transitioned into sounds of a mariachi band. It was interesting to observe the dynamic of a certain culture. It became more exciting to see what the next vendor’s song would be. The music created a cheerful element to the flea market and helped avoid any unnecessary awkward silence while shopping. It allowed the customers to feel comfortable and continue to make noise. Spanish was heard at every corner, as the young children ran around the soccer memorabilia. The items for sale were a combination of used television sets, souvenirs and used CD’s. The buyers consisted of primarily Hispanic individuals; it felt like a cultural experience while walking through the many aisles.
One of the vendors inside appeared extremely disorganized. If you’ve seen the show "Hoarding: Buried Alive" on TLC, it was a spitting image of a participant on that show. Piles of items stacked on top of one another consumed this woman’s booth. There were suitcases on top of appliances and the whole section was overflowing with this woman’s belongings. There is always someone at the flea market that cannot leave a thing behind. Unfortunately, this doesn’t help their business, but it was fascinating to look at her pile of wares and figure out how it all got there. There are many wonders of a flea market and this was something to think about.
The "hoarding" vendor
This Flea Market is something everyone should visit. They may not have all of the designer labels and high-end items, but you will find a diamond in the rough. Lynn, MA is a city where all are welcome. Customers will want to attend this Flea Market because of its originality and unique people. The outside flea market consists of 148 booths of vendors trying to sell their items. The outdoor part has the traditional flea market feel; whereas the inside was set up more like a retail shop. The outdoor section has a greater variety of goods. The selection is endless. From vintage books to old record players, the list goes on and on. The place is like a maze; once you’re in, it is difficult to get out. The customers do not want to miss a thing so they take their time going up and down each aisle. When looking around, you really never know what you are going to find. One woman I met who comes with her mom every Saturday and Sunday filled me in on some details. “I bought a sterling cup, I didn’t think it was sterling but my mom and I had someone look at it and it was sterling and we made good money off of it. Sometimes people don’t know what they have,” said Brianna. One of the perks of the flea market is to find items for very little and then make a profit from it. This is exactly what Brianna has done and she told me how excited she was after that experience.
Brianna
There were a million different things going on at this flea market. The noises that emerged consisted of children running, items being excitedly purchased and carried back to the new owners cars, various types of music, the flipping of sausages, and most importantly, the sounds of haggling. Haggling and bargaining are the stars of this flea market. This is the reason people come here. There is no other place where haggling is accepted as much as it is here. It allows the consumers to develop their negotiating skills and bargaining skills because we need to utilize those in the real world. The art of bargaining teaches us to not settle for less.
On a hot day like Saturday, the vendors spend most of their time parked in a fold-out chair watching as customers sift through their items. As a customer picks up an item, the sellers will jump up and say how much it is. Many sellers would just keep shouting out numbers, “Five dollar! Ten dollar! One dollar!” to grab the attention of the consumers. They know what they are doing. This works when the sellers shout out these numbers because that means their booth has very low prices. Saying the low prices draws the consumer in.
In some instances, the collections the sellers have obtained over the years were one of a kind. Some collections consisted of vintage clothing while others had antiques and used dining sets. A few vendors have what appear to be hundreds of cords for computers, television sets, headphones, and any other electronic device that requires a cord. Someone else had a table filled with shoes that went for miles. One of the vendors just had tools - from the biggest wrench to the smallest wrench, it looks like he has every tool known to man. There is a wide variety at this flea market and something that appeals to everyone. Tables are piled with an assortment of items. There are old cameras and piles of clothing priced at one dollar per item. Everyone can walk out of there with an amazing deal by stopping in on a Sunday or Saturday morning. It becomes a great event to bring your families to as there is so much excitement going on.
The puzzle collection at one station is tremendous. There is at least 40 puzzles spread across one woman’s booth. The puzzles were a variety of sorts containing scenes with a family and a house or just a cat and dog. I ask her, “Why are you selling so many puzzles?” She answers with a smile across her face saying, “Well, the thing is that TV shows are short and commercials are long. So when there are commercials, I do puzzles and play cards so that’s why I have such an assortment!” The best part about searching through flea markets is listening to the regular sellers that come every Saturday and Sunday rain or shine. The individuals all have stories to tell and there is history behind every item and person.
Why go to an expensive store when an item could be waiting at the flea market? When we shop at retail stores, there is a chance of buyers remorse after spending all that money. However, when it comes to flea markets, the excitement doesn’t stop. Any flea market shopper has a sense of pride after buying something for so little that means so much.
As I got back into the car there was someone already waiting for my parking spot. The person about to pull into the newly opened space is in for a treat. They will go into that flea market and sift through one of a kind items that they will get enjoyment out of. The answer to having the best flea market experience is getting there early, make sure you bring cash, and be aggressive. There are many items at Lynnway Flea Market and you will need to know which to avoid and which to purchase. The deals that you will find at this flea market are not available anywhere else. Take advantage of this local flea market and splurge while you save.
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