Flea Marketing

I love to get rid of things. Love. To. Get. Rid. Of. Things. It’s become a once or twice monthly ritual to take a small bag to the donation bin at Thrift Smart. I’ve learned over the years that “maybe I’ll need (or wear) this one day” means that I do not like it, will not use it, and should relinquish it to the world of savvy second-hand shoppers. It’s a freeing feeling to let go of s-t-u-f-f. (Though I’m constantly trying to find a balance of the sentimentality I feel for objects equated with memories, with the desire I feel to purge the extra and live clutter-free). The irony is that I also love to buy stuff. Love to buy stuff. Not buying for the sake of just owning more, but for the joy of finding a needed item or a special treasure at a bargain price. So I search the end-of-the-isle sales at Target, the reduced prices at TJ Maxx, and my favorite, the Nashville Flea Market.

Flea Markets are likely best loved by those who can both see potential in the not-yet-beautiful, AND who have the skill, artistry and patience to bring out that beauty. I did find an old dresser this year that I painted silver, (and felt very resourceful in reviving it!), but am admittedly not a DIY person. I see possibilities, but also fully appreciate the DIT (did it themselves), ready-to-purchase pieces. But I love that the broken can be made useful and the unloved can be made lovely in the right hands. Something about the vast array of the before-and-afters displayed by the various vendors serves as a visible analogy to me of the grander scale picture of beauty for ashes.

The Flea Market truly is the perfect mixture of the unfinished and the finished, the old and the made new, the mass produced and the one of a kind. Each month holds the possibility of finding something so unique, that I would likely be the only one to own it—something that would be a small reflection of who I am purely because I love it. But I’m also amused each month by pondering the extreme peculiarity of some items and wondering about the story of the person who would actually be interested in purchasing them. Who needs a 3-D, 6-foot metal bear? Who will be delighted to find the bench with car doors for sides? The assorted variety of goods, oddities and collectables offered for sale all endear me somehow to the individuality of the potential buyers I’m squeezing past and trying not to bump in to.

I own two dressers, a corner cabinet, a made-to-order couch, a ladder, and wood and metal decorative signs, all from Nashville’s Flea Market. I’ve also found new children’s books for presents, reduced-priced hygiene products, discounted perfume, local honey, handmade notecards and artisan jewelry. But as much as I love the home décor, gifts, and money-saving necessities I’ve bought, it is the experience of going and being there that I value the most. It’s you and hundreds of others, and yet you’re all there together, enduring the oppressive Tennessee heat or the chilly early winter winds, all searching the fairgrounds with anticipation of what might be found. I love seeing the walking-weary headed back to their cars with their purchases in hand, each with a look of accomplishment and satisfaction on their sunburnt faces—the $5 parking fee, the time, the hunting, the creative imagination—it all paid off. They now have a newly discovered treasure that will help them express to others, however simply or boldly, a little more clearly who they uniquely are.

Author: iloveallyallnashville

I know life is far from perfect, but I love living it. Our lives are often a mixture of beauty and pain, but I want to be intentional about experiencing what makes life beautiful. I love being from and living in Nashville; and in this season of life, I'm finding a lot of beauty in my own hometown--and I just love to share about it all :) View all posts by iloveallyallnashville