Charlotte Metrolina Flea Market, Fall 2012

The official name for this show is the International Collectibles & Antiques Show, but a flea market by any other name is still a flea market.  Not that there are not nice antiques here – there are – but it’s the fleas that interest me the most.

This show has been shrinking since I  first visited it in 2003, brought on partly by the original management leaving for another venue and the vendors being divided between two shows.  And of course the recession did not help either.  Still, it is a very fun day, and nowhere nearly as exhausting as it used to be.  And I’d rather have 100 sellers with interesting stuff than 200 that are hit and miss any day.

So, what was interesting, but did not end up in my shopping bags?

If these Vera towels had even remotely gone with the decor in my house, I’d have grabbed them.  There were several bath towels, hand towels and wash cloths but I’m not going to tell you how much he was asking because I don’t want you all to be laughing at me behind my back…

So many nice handbags here.  I’ve got to say that displays like this just confuse me.  If there are just so many things to try and focus on, I have a hard time thinking of what I need, want, or even like.

There’s no denying this is one peachy bathing suit, but the condition was just too rough.

I’m not even going to try to understand the thinking behind this “project.”

So many possibilities, so many near misses.  But seriously, is there anything more exciting than a rack like this one that had oodles of  vintage clothing, just waiting for you to paw through?

This seller had some really fantastic vintage travel posters.  The lack of wall space keeps me from being more than just a window shopper.

I loved these sporty Edwardian gals.

I’ve never paid any attention to hat blocks until a friend sent me to a blog of a collector.  They really are fascinating.

These old labels were on the inside of a nondescript metal footlocker.  It pays to always look inside.