A Genuine Flea Market

Dirty, but interesting

I  snooped around in the J & J Produce and Flea Market this morning. It's located at 7th and Campbell in a big building that used to be a lumber yard. The showroom area is full of fruits, vegetables, and dozens of resin figurines. Most of the flea market merchandise is kept in the adjoining warehouse that used to be the lumber barn.

The proprietor (one of the J's?) is a thin, white-haired gentleman who appears to be about 70 years old. He stocks the flea market by going to garage sales at closing time and making a bid for everything that has not sold. When not hauling in new merchandise, he spends his days in the store. He has a TV and an easy chair, and he sits and smokes when he's not busy.


These photos give an idea of the state of the warehouse, but not the scope of it! It is a huge room, and it is packed with miscellaneous household items -- everything from sofas to silverware. Some stuff has been roughly sorted, and some of it is still sitting in the boxes in which it was packed out of someone's garage sale.

The place is dirty and dark and I always have a feeling that mice are lurking about, but I have found some useful things there. The price is always very cheap. Today, I bought a leather belt, a basket, and a piece of white satin fabric. These items cost $1.50.

After I had put my bags into the car, I used a wet wipe on my hands and removed a piece of gold pipecleaner that was stuck to one of my shoelaces.