Saturday, February 23, 2013

California Antique Faires & Flea Markets

Do you find antiques and vintage fascinating? If so, you must be an avid antiques and vintage treasure hunter! I often get asked which Flea Market or Antique Faires are the best ones to go to. Having to live in the wonderful Bay Area all my life, I myself sometimes find it difficult to make a decision. While there are no good or bad Flea Markets or Antique Faires, there’s definitely a matter of preference. With so many choices to choose from—Northern and Southern California, it’s a great idea to learn from others about their experiences, favorites, and preferences. Below are some of the most popular Antique Faires and Flea Markets in California where you can hunt for unbelievable bargains and possibly take home that piece you didn't know you were searching for. You can view our calendar of events for dates, times, location, and additional information on any upcoming event.

I hope you find this guide helpful and share any comments or experiences you've had with any Antique Faires and Flea Markets you've been to.

Northern California
Alameda Point Antique Faire Alameda Point Antiques Faire
Located at the former Alameda Naval Air Station, the Alameda Point Antiques Faire is the largest antique shows in Northern California. Eat breakfast and lunch from one of the many Food Truck selections while you hunt for bargains ranging from antiques and vintage home decorations, clothing, furniture, jewelry, art, and collectibles from over 800 dealers and steal some treasures from over 10,000 shoppers while you enjoy the San Francisco Skyline.

Schedule: First Sunday of every month

Treasure Island Flea Treasure Island Flea
Located on the historic Treasure Island of San Francisco, this open-air urban market features local Bay Area talents as well as antiques and vintage. Shop an assortment of repurposed and handmade items for your home.

Schedule: Last weekend of every month


Petaluma Spring and Fall Antique Faire
Known as “The Bay Area’s Premier Antique Center”, the historic downtown of Petaluma transforms into an antique marketplace twice a year. Enjoy your day amid the beautiful historic buildings, one of a kind stores, an incredible array of restaurants and cafes, and find an incomparable selection of antiques and vintage things that suit your budget. Hunt from a variety of estate jewelry, furniture’s, art, vintage décor, and many more from over 180 dealers.

Schedule: Occurs twice a year—Spring and Fall
Alameda Point Vintage Fashion Faire Alameda Point Vintage Fashion Faire
If Vintage Fashion is your kryptonite, then come and experience this fashion extravaganza with top dealers featuring timeless fashion from every decade including the Victorian and Deco eras, the fabulous 40’s and 50’s, and the glitzy 60’s, 70’s and 80’s inspiring today’s fashion designers showcasing a wide array of women’s and men’s clothing, couture, jewelry, accessories and more.

Schedule: Occurs twice a year—Spring and Fall

Southern California
Rose Bowl Flea Market Rose Bowl Flea Market
Shop with the stars at Rose Bowl Flea Market located at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. With over 2,500 vendors and 15,000-20,000 shoppers every month, the Rose Bowl Flea Market is one of the most famous and largest markets in the world. Be prepared to spend your entire Sunday and enjoy!

Schedule: Second Sunday of every month


Melrose Trading Post Melrose Trading Post
Described as a cool, eclectic gem of a place to find treasures and rare goodies, the Melrose Trading Post is a great Sunday destination. You can expect to find something to make you say “wow” every single time you visit. Enjoy the food court in the beautifully landscaped upper quad. Relax to the live jazz band’s melodic vibes. Treat yourself to a different kind of day.

Held every Sunday in the parking lot of Fairfax High School, the weekly antiques and collectibles market is home to nearly 250 vendors. With 3000 to 5000 customers a week, it’s the perfect place to people watch and shop!

Schedule: Every Sunday of every month

Long Beach Antique Market
Located at the Long Beach Veterans Stadium, this year-round outdoor market is held on the third Sunday of each month with more than 800 sellers. Every item must be an antique or collectible and there are no new merchandise permitted.

Schedule: Every third Sunday of every month

3 comments:

  1. Chabot College Flea Market Review: We recently attended the Chabot College Flea Market since we had not been there before with the intent to carefully review our experience. Our impression is that if you are looking for antiques and collectibles then this event may not be the best one to attend. While it is always possible that attendance varies month to month, it does not look like there are any antiques or collectible dealers. There is a lot of new merchandise such as clothing, plants, and home needs. There are also many people selling the same sort of things you may find at garage sales, so if you enjoy going to garage sales this would be an ideal market since you can visit so many such vendors all in one place. Our advise is that unless you are looking for other things such as household products and you like the prices at flea markets, then you may save your trip for another venue if you are truly looking for an antique, vintage, or collectible items.

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  2. Pasadena City College Flea Market Review: We attended the Pasadena City College Market in 2012 and it was fairly well attended market. We think there were at least 400-500 vendors and most of them were setup at the parking garage, spanning about 3-4 floors and an outdoor parking lot. We hardly saw any new merchandise or household products like you would find at a typical flea market. We saw mostly antiques, vintage, collectibles, furniture, tons of old records, clothes and much more. We found this flea market to have a great mix of vendors which kept it interesting and prices weren't too bad as well. If you're hunting for records, this flea market might be worth a shot as there are may vendors selling them located in the garage. If nothing else, it's a great place to spend your morning while you sip your coffee and hunt for a treasure. This market is worth your time, especially if you're seriously looking for items.

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  3. Santa Monica Antique and Collectible Market Review: The Santa Monica Antique and Collectible market may be worth a visit if you are in the Santa Monica area. This event is focused with a rule that items being sold must be antiques, vintage, or collectibles. This rule, ideally, places items to be at least 20 years old. This was a small market, possibly 150-175 vendors, however there were a lot of great and nice things. The only complaint we had was the prices tended to be above average compared to similar markets. That being said, if you don't mind paying a slightly higher price for the perfect decoration, then this is a good place for you because the selection is worth the time.

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