There’s nothing like spending a weekend morning wandering the aisles of a flea market and letting your imagination wander with ideas about where these items and treasures came from and how you can use them in your own home.
We have at least 7 items that we look for almost every time we go Flea Marketing:
Brass: Carson started collecting brass when we first started flea marketing and it has paid off. You can find all kinds of brass that is very inexpensive to resell or start a collection. You’ll know it’s brass by checking it with a heavy-duty magnet. It’s magnetic but very slight. Copper and bronze are not magnetic at all.
You can also tell brass by its color. Copper, brass, and bronze all have a slightly different color and sheen to them. Copper has a brown, somewhat rustic finish. Brass has a lighter finish with a bright sheen, comparable to the look of gold. Bronze has a much darker finish and does not have much of a sheen.
Tools: We have found some of the best tools at flea markets and some that we can no longer find in big box stores. We have found small crescent wrenches that are very useful when you have a small project. They also fit in my purse! 😊 We have also found a nail puller that is very old but still in excellent shape and several other miscellaneous tools. I have even found some tools that are perfect for crafting even though they weren’t meant for that.
Holiday/Seasonal Decor: We don’t generally look for holiday decor every time we go to flea markets but we like to pick at least one item with every holiday. We also look for unique items to decorate with during different seasons. They are usually so much cheaper and easier to sell if you decide to later.
Furniture: When looking for furniture, don’t necessarily look at the outside appearance. Look for pieces that have a unique shape and the wood is still good and sturdy. We have found some that are not so sturdy but a little glue goes a long way. Tables and side tables are especially nice to find because they can be repurposed and used for anything.
Unconventional Furniture: By unconventional, I mean using a chicken crate for a side table like we did in this post HERE or using an old washtub for additional seating or storage like we did in the post HERE. With a little imagination, anything can be repurposed into a usable item for your home.
Cast Iron Anything: Cast iron pans are very valuable and usable if you can find them. But I also love to look for cast iron handles, cast iron benches, trivets, keys, pulleys, anything that can be repurposed.
Vintage Books: This one is very Joanna Gaines but I do love the look of a bookshelf filled with vintage books. If you find one that you are willing to rip apart, you can also use it for pages in an old typewriter or frame them for prints on your wall.
Those are the top 7 items that we look for when we go to the flea markets but they are definitely not the only things.
Treasures can be found everywhere!
What are some things that you look for when you go to the flea market?
Tell us in the comments below!! 👇
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Usually look at things for project working on like when I was making the flowers from glass dishes. Or if something really catches my eye. I always look at cast iron pots but can’t ever afford them.
I like to do the same thing. Cast iron pots are expensive unless you stumble across a great deal. Sometimes it happens!!!