Shopping Flea Markets Like a Pro

When I was younger, and I’m talking pre-braceface period young, my parents used to take me to a local flea market in Ottawa. I’ve accumulated some fond memories from the times perusing vintage goods as well as home made products, but I’ve also curated the skill of becoming a hoarder. With the mountain of cute, quaint and unique things that you can find at flea markets, it can be tempting to buy everything. The fear of missing out on a good deal makes it too easy to throw over the cash for everything that catches your eye. Cue the “take my money” meme.

Ever since I’ve moved out, I’ve become quite the nostalgic and anything that I’ve been able to do that reminds me of my childhood instantly has my seal of approval. It’s been quite awhile since I’ve been to the flea market in Ottawa (granted I think it’s since been shut down), so you can only imagine how excited I was to find out that there was one in Toronto too.

Set Aside a Budget and Bring Cash

Regardless of how technologically inclined you are, you’re guaranteed to come across a vendor that only acccepts cash. Always make sure to bring some cash with you so that you’re not stuck sadly walking away from something that you love.

But before you can even know how much cash to bring, it’s important to set aside a budget. Too often I’ve come across both situations where I’ve either run out of money and have had to walk away, or spend too much money and go home with things that I don’t need.

Go as Early as You Can and Wear Comfortable Shoes

Showing up early can almost always guarantee you the best selection and access to the best deals. Obviously as the day wears on, the selection slims, so arrive early to guarantee yourself your pick of the goodies.

Be prepared for a lot of walking around. Make sure that you’re wearing comfortable shoes that will give your feet the love that they need to let you walk around for a couple of hours.

Bring Your Own Trolley/Bag

You’re not going shopping at a mall, so don’t expect vendors to always have bags ready for you. If you don’t want your hands to constantly be busy balancing different things while digging into your wallet for cash, a trolley will be your saviour.

Prioritize the Vendors You Want to Visit

It can be easy to get lost in the sea of vendors and people perusing the stalls, so to make your time more efficient (and to zone in on picking up exactly what you want), it’ll probably be in your best interest to do a little bit of research by finding out which vendors will be showing a couple days in advance. That way, you can guarantee to pick up what you need before things go out of stock. Here are some of the places I plan on checking out next weekend!

Ice Pops Toronto

You’ve got to stay cool somehow, and what better way than to indulge in some pressed juice pops while perusing the stalls? My plan – to hit up their stand the minute I get there and then walk around with an ice pop in hand as a pseudo-AC (only edible).

Miche Bakery

I won’t lie, I want to stop by purely for their Homer donuts. Who can resist a solid pink-glazed-with-sprinkles donut?

SUDSATORIUM

I’m all about the packaging and SUDSATORIUM has got their’s down pat. I’m running out of bodywash, so you can bet that I’ll be stopping by to pick something up.

The Party Girl

It’s wedding season, and being in attendance of a couple means that I’ve got to find a bunch of different cute cards. Your traditional drugstore ones are all so basic, so I’m stopping by to this stall to pick up some originally designed and amazingly adorable ones!

Bring Your Pooches

But make sure to find out if your local flea market is pet friendly first! The Trinity Bellwoods Flea is completely four-legged friendly, so I plan on bringing my little one along when I go. Plus it’s a fun way for them to meet other pets, make new friends, and get some exercise at the same time while you’re shopping.

Be Aware of Promotions

There’s more to flea markets than just shopping. Sometimes fun contests and giveaways pop up, so always make sure to be on the lookout for your chances to win vendor prizes. The Trinity Bellwoods Flea themselves are actually hosting prizes each and every hour!

With all that out of the way, I hope to see some of you next weekend at the Trinity Bellwoods Flea! Let me know what you end up scoring and what some of your all-time favorite flea bargains have been. Happy hunting!