Visit to flea market, a unique experience

By Garret Schuelke
Western Herald

On April 21 I visited the Kalamazoo Indoor Flea and Farmers Market in the Kalamazoo County Expo Center.

The last time I was at the Center was to cover the MODA fashion show.

Big change of atmosphere, that’s for sure.

Walking in, the first thing I noticed was a stack of concert T-shirts for the classic rock band KISS going for $10 each.

Seeing old, cheesy items like this fills me with anticipation for all of the junk I knew I would encounter.

The market started on Tuesday, and I regret that I missed out on first days shopping.

The room was half empty, with the middle of the room vacant except for some empty tables, and the remaining vendors staying close to the walls.

Nothing stood out to distinguish this farmers market from the ones before it (or any farmers markets, for that matter).

The usual staple items, such as toys, movies, books, typewriters, and various household trinkets, were available to purchase for a buck or two.

The vendors, from what I observed, looked bored out of their skulls. Whether this was due to low item sales or the fact that the market was a few customers shy of a ghost town, I never figured out.

This is not to say that there are not any items or vendors worth mentioning.

The first item I bought, in fact, was not even for me.

For $4, I purchased a plaque with a portrait of famous actor John Wayne. It should look good at my families hunting camp, next to the busted Big Mouth Billy Bass.

The second item was all for me. A polite senior citizen was selling some old editions of Playboy, all from the early 1990s, for $0.50 each.

I gave him two dollars and took four issues that I found most interesting because the covers claimed that interviews with Kurt Vonnegut, Jonathan Kozol, Alex Haley and Dr. Jack Kevorkian could be found within.

“I tell you,” the senior citizen said, “I have a whole stack of those things at home.”

A weapons vender has never failed to show up at a flea market, and that tradition did not end that day.

A man was selling an assortment of knives, swords, crossbows and, as awkward as it may seem, jewelry that looked like he spent two handfuls of quarters acquiring.

On my way out the door, I stopped to look at the various vegetables, syrups, honeys and eggs that a farmer was selling.

This table impressed me the most, mainly because the veggies looked delicious and fresh, and actual duck eggs could be purchased.

I was tempted to buy some for dinner, but my empty wallet denied me the opportunity.

I left the market satisfied with my purchases, but disappointed with the lack of customers (and the thoughts of items that I possibly missed out on buying the day before).

The senior citizen who sold me the Playboys mentioned that there will be another market next week, April 27-28, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. both days. He even said that they were taking the market outside.

I might be there, with plenty of quarters in my pockets.

Short URL: http://www.westernherald.com/?p=16952

Posted by bbohlen on Apr 21 2010. Filed under A & E, Weekend Scene. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

Bethany Bohlen
Bethany Bohlen is the Photo and Art Editor for the Western Herald, Western Michigan University's student newspaper, in Kalamazoo, Michigan. She has worked for the Western Herald photography department since 2009, and was promoted to an editorial position. She also worked for the Alpena Community College Crosscut from 2008-2009. http://www.westernherald.com