Flea Market Fallout (2017, Part 2)

The junker hunt for treasure continues! After a solid Saturday of NJ's finest offerings, the next day Jess and I decided to visit another local flea market - the Dover Flea Market. The website made the place look ridiculously hokey, like it was designed by a retired 1950s circus clown. The market was hailed as one of the better Sunday fleas in the area. The silly website, enticing reviews, and its location by a train station was making the spot seem legendary.

We obediently followed the GPS to the flea's location. As we approached, I expected to see the livelihood of market moving about like a well-oiled machine. But, there was nothing. No vendors. No shoppers. No flea market at all. After looking at the (hilarious) website once again, we realized it was dated from 2016. Flea market fail! Our mission for more junk was crashing and burning. We were annoyed, slightly embarrassed, but most of all, completely bummed.

With our plan scrapped, we parked the car and brainstormed how to salvage this adventure. None of our ideas mustered up much excitement. We were about to call it quits, but a block away we spotted something that perked us up - a dinky sign for an antique store! One measly shop can't compare to the grandeur of a flea market, but it was enough to raise our spirits from defeat.

Flea Market Fallout (2017, Part 1)

Are you starting to sweat? Is that summer heat sneaking its way into your life, making your body uncomfortably warm? That can only mean one thing...flea market season is upon us! It's that joyous time of year where we comb endless aisles of junk in the blistering heat. It's a sad, yet glorious, search for something "special." Your quest might be specific, but with a flea market, you never know what you'll walk away with. Each visit is a trip into the unknown, a trip into a Twilight Zone of secondhand goods. My 2017 flea market season kicked off like no other.

Since moving out of NYC, I found myself in uncharted flea market waters. My new home in Kinnelon, NJ presented a promising batch of new places to explore. NYC was a flea market wasteland with high-end, hipster-fueled markets making up the majority of the scene. Don't get me wrong, I love a good artisanal donut, but I love dirty junk for cheap prices much more. It's safe to say my new NJ home has opportunity everywhere for junk exploration. But an experienced explorer knows better than to make his maiden voyage alone. Luckily, my fiancé (Jess) and my buddy Simon (aka @NecroticDoctor) were willing to navigate the new flea market scene with me.

I'm not the biggest football fan. I enjoy a game here and there, but if you really want to lure me to the stadium it's best to have a flea market there. And that's just what MetLife Stadium has done with the New Meadowlands Flea Market. Every Saturday in the summer, the parking lot of the Giants & Jets' home becomes alive with bustling vendors. The gigantic stadium idly watches over the action as the aroma of savory street foods pull you through the maze of concrete paths.