What is a monkeybox?

When I was a little girl, we had a pet monkey named Amanda. My Dad worked in the produce business, so each night he brought home that days culls in a big box - spotty cucumbers, pithy apples, limp celery, moldy oranges and the like. We called it a monkeybox. It was really just trash, but my Mom would take each piece of fruit and trim it, pare it and cut it up to make a beautiful fruit platter for Amanda. Even though it was deemed trash by one, it still had life left in it and was good for the purpose we needed it. That's how I live my life - thrifting, yard saling, looking for another's trash to be my treasure.

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Flea Market Tour

Today I took another carload of stuff out to the Booth.  There were a lot of people shopping, so it took me longer to work than normal.  I am off schedule setting this new booth up, so I have been going in and working on Saturday's.  After this week, I will start going in on Thursdays when it isn't so busy. 

This Flea market is in a town known for Antique Shops, Flea Markets and junk in general.  The old downtown is one block long and is still comprised of the old buildings that were originally built there.
Obligatory Ghost Signs - the Coca-Cola was restored a while ago.  There some lighter ones above it.

Small town USA - little shops on each side of the street. There are big parking lots on the back of both sides, so most people enter from the back and then go up and down the block.
This store is huge and chock full of antiques.  I haven't been in there for years due to a very, very bad case of sticker shock I got last time.  :)

Here's "our" store.  The owners sold window booths, which I think I would have left open for displays, but I don't own it, so that's not my business.  I just hope that eveyone doesn't see ONLY little girl rompers and Hillbilly Wine Glasses (Mason jars glued on glass candlesticks.....) and think that is all there is inside.  Business has been good and we aren't offically even "OPEN" yet, so that is good.!  Grand Opening and Holiday Open House is December 10th.  You are all invited!   

I took photos of the some of the other booths just for YOU!  Ready?
There are a lot of unique booths in this Flea Market.  Some people painted and set up their areas like rooms.  This one is by the back entrance.

This back wall is filled with handmade windchimes.  The neat thing about these is that the man that makes them goes to thrift stores and finds bits and bobs and odds and ends and makes each one individually.  It is all recycled stuff. (See that Christmas wreath to the right?  It is made of new plastic ornaments and it is $70.00!!!!! I don't feel so bad about my $50.00's on the all vintage wreath now..)

A booth filled with more upscale house decor.

This booth and new, old and handmade mixed togther.  They probably have the most stuff in their booth - except for mine.  You know me, I pack those shelves. :)

This booth has lots of painted things, pillows and other upcycled items.  (I do NOT see that sock monkey, I do NOT see that sock monkey.....).

The people that have this booth covered the walls in reclaimed barnwood and even painted the column that contains the heating unit into a chimney.  They make neat things out of old bedsprings. 
This booth has a lot of painted items as well., I call it the "Red and Aqua Booth" and I am sure you can see why.  I had my eye on that old green Bread box in the back, but it wasn't priced today.

This is the "Man Cave".  The owner didn't really want these type of items, but then again, you do need to give the men something to look at while the wives shop. That space age looking thing in the middle on the floor is an air compressor from the 1930's.  I'm sure you've all heard a air compressor - they are LOUD.  They fired this one up the other day and it sounds like a 1930's car - pbt..pbt..pbt...pbt...it is awesome.  I think it is a piece of art!

This booth is directly across from my booth.  "Four Funky Friends" - lots of bright pastel colored items.  (The Bean swears that signs says LIVER.)

Here's my neighbor to the right.  Hand painted signs and some miscellaneous stuff.
More home decor stuff, painted furniture, etc.

Wow.  This booth has a lot of stuff in it.  :D  Yep, that's mine.  I've really concentrated on ONLY vintage or handmade items at this booth.  That big white shelf in the back was a $5.00 Yard Sale find.  It is huge and weighs a ton.  It was holding my now non existent Etsy store items on it in the garage.  I put a lot out today.  My next trip out will be to rearrange and group things better. 

Here's my hutch that I love so much.  It had glass doors on it until today, but I decided to take them off so they would get broken and things are easier to take out now too. It holds my vintage Christmas items for now.
Here's my Christmas vignette on top of the cabinet.  Flocked bottle brush trees, an angel topper, putz church, glittery church, an old tin and a pop crate thrown in for good measure with my wreath above it.  I hope people will buy the vintage Christmas stuff after this week.  I have sold some of it already.

That old cubby thing was something I bought years ago for 50¢.  I intended to put The Bean's Beanie Babies (I know, I know, Beanie Babies!) in it, but he decided to store them under his bed instead.  it's been outside by the storage shed for years.  It just occurred to me that I looks really COOL now - all weathered and patina'ed up.  It holds a ton of smalls.

This wall is a work in progress - I like the way it looks now, but I am on the hunt for a set of short thin bookshelves that will go on that wall instead of my homemade individual shelves. Also, that huge basket full of linens is super fun for people to root through like savage dogs.  Fun for me to straighten out each time - not so much.
Here the the glittered cookie cutter ornaments and some other handmade ornaments on a little tree. I set it on an old crate and added some antique baskets around it to give it a rustic feel.  It's fun making little vignettes and giving my booth personality.  I sold the very first item in the whole Flea market, so that dollar is hanging my the register. I have sold a lot more than anyone else, but I think that is because I have so many different things that everyone is bound to like something in there.

 Well, I hope you enjoyed your tour.  I promise not to become an all Booth yakkity yak blog.  I hate those......  Back to my finds on Monday.  I found some GREAT old stuff this morning at a few yard sales.

13 comments:

  1. Your stall is wonderful I just love them when they are full to the brim! like yours is.....wish I could be there to take a close look around.

    hugs from Australia

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  3. Your booth looks awesome - I'm sure people just go in and then spend time looking at everything little thing - I know I would.

    And I'm also sure you will have vintage Christmas buyers until the very day - some people, I'm just sayin' - don't have enough of it already!

    Thanks for giving us a tour of the store - I loved seeing it!

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  4. Oh I loved the tour. And I love your booth filled to the brim. I think most people are like us thrifters...they like the fun of finding something.
    I'm with The Bean, I thought it said liver too!

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  5. Very nice, & I LOVE that Charlie Brown!

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  6. Your booth is GREAT!!! I would be there every weekend if I lived closer!!

    Looks like "Liver" to me too! :)

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  7. OMG! Your booth is amazing. I would so shop there if you were closer. Fabulous.

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  8. Love the booth! You've got a great eye for displays. And all the more fun for you to keep shopping to keep it stocked up ;)

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  9. I just knew a booth from you would hold tons of wonderful vintage items. Looks like a good store and your booth should be a big hit! hugs Linda

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  10. Your booth looks GREAT! The whole store looks GREAT! The town looks like a FUN stop! I want to come visit!!

    Do you think AR would be J's idea of a vacation???

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  11. I also saw LIVER!
    Love the booth:)

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  12. Wow, what a lot of hard work went into your booth! You have a great eye. Sure wish I lived closer...I'd be there every day! Good luck w/your new venture. It must be mind boggling after seeing it all displayed. (Like, "wow, I had THIS much stuff!?") Have fun!

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  13. I had to wait until I got home to post so I could enlarge all the photos. Looking at them on a screen the size of a deck of cards just wasn't doing it for me! LOL

    The booth looks great! I would totally go in. It's the perfect balance between having lots of things to explore, but not so much that you can't see anything. I hope you sell tons!

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