By Herb Edson
I don’t think I have written any articles about flea markets. So, it’s about time that I do, because they can be very interesting.
You may not know that some of the best classes of people attend these places regularly. It used to be a place to unload some of the junk around the house. Not anymore! The vendors of today have some very nice new products to offer. They spend a lot of their time going around the country buying up merchandise from stores and wholesalers who are overstocked or going out of business. Then they can offer it to their customers at good discount prices. Everybody is happy!
When Alice was still here, we would travel around a lot. Sometimes we didn’t have any place in particular to go to, we may get up one morning, pack a couple of bags and leave home. I still do that. No destination in mind, we drove on any road that looked interesting.
You may be surprised at some of the things you could see that way, especially antique malls and flea markets. They seemed to be our favorite places and we seldom missed one. And, we found some real bargains too!
There are some nice flea markets around over the country, but I think one of the biggest and best is in Prairieville, La. That’s about halfway between Baton Rouge and Gonzales on Airline Highway (Highway 61). There are 400 booths, stretching nearly a quarter-mile down the lot. Each booth has from one to three vendors, giving them nearly a thousand people working there; a sizable industry!
It is open every Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., the year-round, and all under one long roof, out of foul weather.
Remember when folks used to go up on the “Square” on Saturday night and visit and sit in the car and watch other people walk by? The Greater Baton Rouge Flea Market is very much like that. It’s a fun place to be and just enjoy yourself. And, there’s always a steady flow of people.
They often have good, free entertainment where one can perform on a stage and sing or dance, for all to watch and enjoy.
But, best of all, you can buy just about anything you want or need.
Many of the vendors have their own successful business during the week, and go to the flea market on weekends. Some are very talented in arts and crafts, from painting to jewelry and all kinds of trinkets, to high quality hand-made furniture.
They come from all sections of that area, as much as 200 or 250 miles to sell their wares.
You can even buy a large travel trailer, motor scooter or dirt bike. There is a garage where one can have minor repairs made or a flat tire taken care of.
The people get along well together, visiting and helping one another, like one big, happy family. They are some of the nicest people in the world!
The customers come from all over North America, including Mexico and Canada and from foreign countries such as England and the Far East and from all walks of life. I have met movie stars, authors and artists who have been there visiting.
They also have the best food court that I know of and the best flea team — teenage boys and girls — that keep everything clean and in order and helping everyone needing assistance in any way.
The food court has a variety of good food and soft drinks and specializing in gourmet seafood. There are plenty of good benches where one can sit and eat in comfort and visit under the overhead fans.
I have been going there for a while now, on weekends, selling the books that I write. People seem to like them and keep wanting more. I just hope I can continue going there. I have met some wonderful people and made some good friends from as far away as the Philippine Islands and Lebanon.
I still go to the stores for book signings, but it’s much more fun in the flea market!
