I think flea markets are the epicenter of American culture. Successful flea markets carry the necessities along with the latest trendy items. Because goods are sold in a very basic manner (no showroom, little to no advertising, no nice displays, poor lighting, crowds, poor temperature control, etc) these businesses can meet customer demand with agility. Something to think about in today's economy.
Mark and I visited the Oldsmar Flea Market recently. While I was searching for something (a wooden expandable hat rack for the wall which apparently aren't made any longer), the search was secondary to the exploration into the depths of 'flea marketism'.
Walking from the sunny parking lot, we entered a shady (so to speak)and dimly lit series of hallways lined in stalls. We soon realized that these hallways were somewhat endless and the challenge of walking each of them became a goal. The items fall into several general categories: cheap stuff from china - which can be found in any dollar store, or on the streets of any major metropolitan city, or actually in china; garage sale items - which likely came from all of our garage sales so that we could go and buy them back when we realized we missed our velvet dog painting or mismatched coffee cups; manly items - hunting knives, camouflaged clothing, binoculars, ammo, posters of hard rockers or nearly bare breasted women; womenly items - cheap underwear, cheap perfume, wigs, makeup; furniture and plants - what you see is what you get; fruits and vegetables - maybe from the farm, or were tossed out by Publix; and oddities - fill in the blank.
My shopping senses were on overload, but the stalls were only part of the reason. At each major hallway intersection, there were several food stalls that filled the air with the scent of fried foods. Memories of the county fair hit me hard. The only sense left was sound and that was assaulted as well with a constant dialogue over the ever present loud speakers. '...you can get all your smoking needs at Nick's Smokeshop on isle D23. We have your hookahs, your pipes, your tobaccos and other smoking items you cant find anywhere else. isle D23....come to Sue's exotic lingerie on isle G8. We have your bras in all sizes up to quadruple F. We have your name brand underwear and sexy nightgowns in time for Valentines Day. isle G8...Mary's Makeup and Incense shop is having a buy 1 get 1 free sale today in isle B14. We have your name brand makeup, and incense in all flavors. Get your favorite incense in time for Valentines Day. isle B14.... " You get the idea...unending... It kind of reminded me of Clockwork Orange torture.
We escaped the adventure with some green beans and a new fishing hat for Mark. And a deeper understanding of the core of American capitalism.
