Flea-bitten

2010-09-13T21:16:00.001-07:00

Elkhorn Flea Market: For Mature Adults Only

2010-08-20T05:48:00.000-07:00

It was hot and steamy at the Elkhorn Flea Market the Sunday before last, despite the huge thunderstorm, wind gusts, and suddenly cooler temperature. The weather was challenging, but it couldn't stop the hardcore vendors or shoppers that attend this flea market. There are four markets each year (May, June, August, September) which fill the entire grounds and exhibition buildings of the Walworth County Fair Grounds in Elkhorn, WI. Going to the Walworth County Fair each Labor Day weekend with my grandparents is one of my favorite childhood memories. It's where my love of corn dogs, The Zipper, and drug paraphernalia disguised as carnival game prizes was born. Now, I can enjoy a corn dog while shopping the flea market in hopes of finding that "vintage" AC/DC mirror I won back in 1981.

We arrived at 7:30am with the rumbling thunder and clouds close behind. Guy and I decided to get through as many of the outdoor booths as we could before the storm set in. There was a vague "If we split up, let's meet at the Goat barn" plan made. We lost track of one another within 10 minutes and, as the rain became heavy, I made my way into the first barn, It was there that I scored my "just for me" deal of the day: a fabulous parasol in very good shape for $10. Not a super steal, but a very stylish and practical bargain all the same.

Perfect for singing in the rain

I'd give up a lot of corn dogs
for a dress to match it

I began to notice lots of vintage items for "mature audiences" somewhere around the third barn. That's also where Guy and I were reunited just in time for me to point out a booth with many Bettie Page prints. Guy was only too happy to spend a little time getting a good look to determine whether they were truly vintage. It took a few more barns for me to realize that "For Mature Audiences" was definitely the theme of the day. That's when I saw this set of coasters which made me immediately think of my dear Twitter friend and Etsy vintage seller, @vintageeye. Cheers, dear!

The next barn of was full of prints, paintings and photos like these fine works of art:

vintage bodybuilder beefcake

Mrs. Claus doing a little ho, ho, ho-ing

Lady Godiva on LSD

Finally, the rain stopped. The outdoor vendors pulled off the tarps, emptied the water out of their collectible bowls and vases and started dealing. Guy and I ventured back outside and sloshed our way through the rest of the vendors. That's where the real deals are, of course. The folks outdoors are there to haggle, bargain and make sales (for the most part). I paid anywhere from $4-$12 for some of the tins I purchased indoors. Outside, a vendor told me, "Oh you can just that have that, dear. This just the left overs from clearing out an estate." when I asked him how much for one tin. I picked up a second one, asked how much for it and was told $1 for the both. Now that's a deal! Be sure to check my Etsy shop soon for new jewelry made from these tins and trays. Guy picked up several fountain pens, too, but I'll leave that to him to tell you all about.

My vintage tin score for the day

The Stench

2008-09-02T20:19:00.000-07:00

Today's theme is: stinky!

We travelled to the Cambridge municipal building for an estate remainders sale. I smell cat pee as we walk in. Rachael described the smell inside as ``sour cabbage''. Someonehas tried to cover up the smell with scented candles and Lysol, which only makes things worse. There are some ratty carpets and too-expensive furniture. Mouldy watercolours, too!

My chest started to hurt, perhaps because of the mould, perhaps because of the Lysol. A few minutes later, R. joined me outside. We debated whether the smell came from a backed-up sewer or from the items at the estate sale.

On to Fort Atkinson where we stop at the Five Star Antiques. The first good sign: it smells better. There were no buttons but i found a picture of an elderly couple at their 50th wedding anniversary. Both husband and wife look puzzled by the cake in front of them. ``What is this object in front of us? Why is it here?'' Pa looks a little angry, though Ma looks content.

We also discovered glasses painted with daffodils. The proprietor of the mall explained to us that the most desirable of these glasses were called Swanky Swig glasses, and that they originally held Kraft cheese. I wondered if i could ever get the image of cheese-like goo
far enough out of my head to drink out of a Swanky Swig. It's my mother's thing, not mine, so i didn't trouble myself too much over this weighty issue.

The final stop of the day is the stinky cat lady's shop in downtown Whitewater. The cat lady sells vintage clothing upstairs and runs a cat rescue shelter downstairs. The separation means nothing. The whole place smells like a cat box. As in Cambridge, the attempts at covering the smell only make it worse. Rachael braved the stench to score some Vera scarves and a top for her new job.

Phew!

April 19-20, 2008 - Columbus to Princeton

2008-04-21T06:15:00.000-07:00

It's spring in Wisconsin...
Guy and I are off on our first outdoor flea market foray of the year to Columbus, Princeton and other interesting places along the way...

Our planned itinerary was this...
1. leave early Saturday a.m. for the Columbus 151 Speedway Flea Market
2. drive to Columbus, find a good coffee, stop at the Columbus Antique Mall
3. drive north on Hwy 73 to Princeton, find a nice motel, take a nap & find a place for dinner
4. hit the Princeton Flea Market on Sunday, check out the antique shops, find a
good coffee before heading south toward home

Our weekend travels turned out like this....
We left the Vilas Road Ranch in Madison around 9am which isn't early by Midwestern flea market standards. Grandma Shirley used to have us up at 6:30am to hit the Saturday morning rummage sales when I was a kid. I thought it was cruel then. I have her to thank for my love of rummaging, though I love it at a more reasonable hour of the morning. Besides, Guy and I feel it is better to be well rested for a day of marketing rather than sleepy early birds. Don't we look well rested and ready to haggle?

We paid our $3.00 parking fee, parked the car and walked onto the speedway - someone wave the checkered flag (or whatever color flag they wave to start a race) and let's get on with the fun!

The first thing I had to snap a photo of were these "Carnie" Terrier/Cocker Spaniel mix puppies. Apparently this is a little known breed of carnival worker terriers not yet recognized by the AKC. I'm guessing they were Cairn Terriers like our dog, Zeke (looks Toto from The Wizard of Oz), but they were adorable all the same. Adorable, but no bargain at $250 each! Zeke was only $50 at the PetSmart...now that's a bargain when I was only there to buy cat food!