Dudley done right

Flea Market season is still going strong down-Dudley, where the Do Right Flea Market is in swing.

 

Don't get too excited about the size of the mill building on the website -- it is a beautiful granite structure, but it is not full.  Still, allow yourself a few hours, especially if you are looking for items that require rummage.  Hand sanitizer is provided. Smurph and I replenished 2 or 3 times.

The geography is pretty simple: front room for old stuff, back room for new stuff.

The dealers do specialize, but there is a wide breadth of category.  You can see some of the highlights on their website photos, but let me entice you with

Elvis in Lights - this may not actually be for sale, as it is elaborately rigged to the ceiling.  It may not actually be this sign, but this is what I am talking about.  

Amish Buggy - where would I put it? you ask.  Next to the surrey, and yes there is fringe.

Toys Toys Toys - if you are looking for collectibles, there are plenty to be had behind cases you'll need to have access to.  If you just need a Partridge Family game, you can get that too, for a few bucks.  I considered the Partridge Family Game, but to be honest, the game itself was not very interesting -- just throwing dice and reading cards.

On the other hand, Video Village was so complicated, I couldn't even understand it reading the inside-box instructions.  It seemed like a mix of Life, Careers, and Monopoly.  I had never heard of this game, or the television show it was based on.  I just loved the box art.

Home electronics - we found a reel-to-reel hi-fi with flip-down turntable.  So bachelorific, I wanted to cry.  Most things here are not priced, so be ready to haggle.  I could not risk finding out I might have carried this out for under $100, so I didn't look for a dealer.

You do have to look for the dealers, and most of them cover a wide territory.  They are so difficult to spot that I was mistaken for one.  The customer asked me "How much for the 3 Stooges photographs?"  Is there a better opening line?

I shot Smurph with an 8mm Bell and Howell camera; he activated the "electronic Roladex."   He appreciates my throwback telephone collection, and pointed out a beige AT&T desk model that has a "redial" button, which my own model is not modern enough to possess.  We could not find a set with hold buttons, which is just as well, because I happen to know they are rarely wired for the contemporary home.

Furniture - yes.  Not much, and not breathtaking, but easily had if you can convince the seller to remove all the Ty Beanie babies - registered trademark - from the shelves.

Records -  too many to manage.  And in a place like this, I no longer flip through record racks, unless I am waiting for my shopping companion to finish looking at something else nearby.  It's just too easy to come home with technology I have to convert.  I treasure my many flea market vinyl finds, but I can't keep that going.  And rifling through the boxes of them just becomes overwhelming.

Coins and Cards - we were not interested in these, but you might be, so I'll mention quite a few sports cards and coin opportunities.  Once guy just sells rolls of wheat pennies.

Video and 8-Track - flea market staples these days.  Stock up.  Don't fall for the DVDs in the front room, though, because in the back, it appears someone raided the Netflix distribution warehouse, and everything is $2.  You are all getting DVDs for Christmas.  Act surprised.

Books - everywhere.  Take your time.
Comics - some, but mostly recent

Colorful junk vendors - in spades

In the back room, find the discount greeting cards, off-brand dry goods, crafty items, Oriental Trading bulk buys, holiday decorations, and the aforementioned DVDs.
 

There were plenty of "what the hell is this" moments, "no way" moments, and "did you need....?" moments.  I tried on far more hats than made Smurph comfortable, and there were several boxes we wouldn't reach into for fear of tetanus.  He said no to chaps; I said no to the psychedelic cat suit.


I am happy enough to simply see a Dukakis 88 button, an intact Steven Austin doll, a steel gray Royal typewriter, and a laser disc machine with discs out in the open, where the world can admit they happened.

In the end, I bought a coffee mug for the office, choosing an old company logo over the 1984 Figure Skating team logo, because anything that makes me look like I am bridging the gaps within Aquireon while making me laugh is worth the $2.

For your lunch after, try Michaels Place - just what in a local pub, where special orders did not upset them.



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