Flea Market Regrets
Happy birthday Ben!
While I paid $5 for 5 enamel cups at the flea market yesterday and thought I had got a good bargain, it’s nothing on the $5 well spent at a thrift store by Teri Horton in 1992. She found what could well be a Jackson Pollock original.
Yesterday we braved the freezing cold air and armed with scarves, hats, gloves and hot chocolates we rummaged like wild things. Big-P was looking for anything that would make a profit on ebay, Jen was looking for a typewriter, Erin was looking for some very specific knitting needles and Kylie was hankering after a shag… (ah ha!) a shag rug that is.
I always have this faint hope that I might stumble across some great find at the flea market. About a year ago I found a Lomo camera – brand new and still in the box with film and booklets etc. for $10 and was pretty excited. But I am yet to find that amazing thing that forces me to keep my blood pressure down to ensure the vendor doesn’t see my glee and jack the price up accordingly.
I found a cute little 1940s reamer at one stall yesterday. It was in the shape of a chicken (or a duck according to Big-P) and the freshly squeezed juice would pour from it’s beak. I thought it was really cute, but it was $65. I turned it down after holding on to it for about five minutes, but then I proceeded to whinge on about all morning. “I’m going to regret it, I know I’m going to regret it!”. Finally, an exasperated Big-P took Kylie back to get her opinion on it and the price was, in her words, “insane”. I had to agree at the time, plus Big-P and I had set a $20 spending limit. But now that I have looked up similar things up on google and ebay I am keen to go back and find it next week and haggle her down a little. I might become a reamer collector! Or maybe just one will do me.
The main problem with the flea markets at Camberwell is that they are generally not cheap. Most of the stalls seem to be run by folks who seem to be way too canny and know how much their items are really worth. The other problem is that by the time you get there any time after 8 the place has been picked over by the professionals who line their shops with their finds… and that’s no fun! Does anyone know of any similar such markets in Victoria (Australia that is) that are anything like Camberwell?
Lots of “season’s greetings” cards are in the works. If all goes to plan they will be online and for sale in October. Hooray!
Have a look at Alicia Paulson’s studio painted pink and then there’s the Edward Gorey studio 360 degree tour. I love looking at other people’s studios. It gives me studio-envy.
And not that I’m watching or anything – but I am so pleased that Reggie and Chrissie are the last two remaining contestants on Big Brother. Two girls! It will make a nice change from the usual all-australian, footy-playing, beer-drinkin’, slow-mo male taking out the prize money. Go Chrissie!
Thanks Claire!! Its been a great day starting with toasted brioche, mascarpone and strawberries with bubbly and 1.8kg of parmesan for lunch.
I think the people at Camberwell Market have to charge heaps for their items because it’s so expensive to get a stall there.
That said, I don’t know of any better markets, so I guess all I’m offering is problems with no solutions.
You can thank me later.
Toasted brioche? There is nothing I like better! Mmm. Where do you guys find good brioche?
Have you tried the trash and treasure markets at the old drive-ins at Wantirna or Coburg? They are a bit hit and miss but way cheaper than camberwell market. It’s been a few years since i visited, so worth double checking if they are still running before taking the hike out to either of those suburbs.
thanks Sam — I will definitely look into it.
Arghhh! You found a brand new Lomo Camera for ten dollars!?!? Wahhh!!(Tears at hair feverishly)
We got the brioche from Laurent, but it’s always a bit dry I think – although not if you smother it with mascarpone! We’ve also got it from Regal De France, but that is also a bit dry, so I’d love to know where to get really good brioche in the eastern suburbs. What’s it like from Le Croissant? (I’m presuming you’ve tried it from there!)
Well I thought ‘reamer’ was a bit of a wierd word…an insult in my youth…But on their web site they had the ultimateamearicanism:
‘Reproductible’.
That alone is reason enough not to have bpuchasedteh 65.00 ‘reamer’.
You wouldn’t want to own a ‘reproductible’.
Can’t wait to see the cards! (I loved the little snippet you showed us!) I’m finally getting mine printed for real and will be rolling them out this autumn as well.
I know what you mean about the post holiday slump. I went through a similar experience on my return from 10 days in NSW. But some good lovin’ from the parentals ( and the homemade vegie soup, of course) always seems to help get me back on track. Aswell as the company of good friends, and loads of chocolate.
reggie won, disapointed?
not really… if any of the last three won I would have been happy. They were all pretty cool.
not that I watch it of course! 😀
You found a lomo for $10?!! You lucky thing!
While we’re on the topic, anyone know of any good markets in Brisbane? (aside from the Riverside & Southbank ones)
Do they have Rummage or Yard or garage sales there?Always a treasure or two to be found rooting through Estate sales found in the paper here.
St Andrews market is good, but more hippy stuff than junk. there is a great market in daylesford. It is a fair hike, I know, but they had great plants and other things as well last time I was there.
You can follow it with a scrummage around some of the secondhand/ antique shops as well.
A spa goes down a treat also 🙂
Geez Louise, I should get a job with the Daylesford tourist board or something.
oooh Daylesford – I had forgotten about that market. I have never checked it out but drove by one day and it looked pretty cool. I like Daylesford’s cafes and bookshops… now I am dreaming of a Daylesford weekend…
Claire, cool studio links. I love looking at what others do with their studio too. I am setting my own right now… and I am trying to get ideas. Thanks!
Hey Claire – I love the St.Andrew’s market, too, but I agree…more hippy than junk. It’s just beautiful to go up there into the hills and spend the arvo in the pub. Mmm.Stalls at the Cambie only cost $40, so there is no excuse for the prices. I’ve had a few stalls there…but people wouldn’t even buy my old junk for $1 a piece. What you should try is the opp. shop just down the road on a Monday – most of the stuff not sold at the Cambie gets carted to their back door after the market and a heck of a lot of it is on their shelves for heavily reduced prices by early the next week. Not as much fun, but still…well…fun.
My mother is addicted to markets… so I can verify that Coburg (drive-in, Newlands Road on Sundays) is still alive and well; as they say, quite hit and miss but with a good dash of Middle Easternflavour. Good for ye olde vinyl records. Greensborough Market (off Grimshaw / Flintoff Street on Sundays) is a bit more upmarket, but very good for plants and for people who really are just clearing out the spare room.
Oooh – thanks for the advice Eliza and Sonia. I am definitely going to check out the second hand shop next Monday and make plans to venture out to Greensborough and Coburg on some sundays coming.
Head out to Daylesford! Definitely! The Sunday market there is small, but you can find some beauties and you can HAGGLE! Fun. I managed to get myself a limited edition 1960s polaroid camera. For $40 (it’s worth about a hundred times more than that much and it was in perfect nick!).
Then there’s the monthly market at Werribee Racecourse (second saturday of every month from 7.30am to 1pm)… not so much for antiques but crafty goods and great food and stuff… REALLY nice..
i also want to know if there are similar markets to the one in camberwell. i was finally able to book for a stall on sun 3rd aug.. they said they were booked out till end of september. craziness! hope this rainy weather will go by next wkend..
can’t believe u scored a lomo for $10!
Claire,There is fantastic brioche – plain and fruit, the raspberry is magnificent – at a shop called (funnily enough) Brioche opposite Prahran Market on Commercial Road.