Woodruff Flea

Thanks to getting up ridiculously early this morning I managed to hit all three Drives at the annual Woodruff Place Flea Market before the rain started. Here is a brief recap:

East Drive: A fellow with some great architectural antiques like doorknobs, light fixtures and such is in the 900 block. He also had some excellent news, a marketplace for antiques of all sorts will be opening the first of July on 16th Street at the Monon.

Middle Drive: A fellow with several purchase-worthy lamps is set up on the 800 block. I am kicking myself in the ass for not the buying the mint condition MCM lamp shade he had for sale. Across the street is a sale with a few rough, and therefore pretty gross and creepy, taxidermied animals, pretty sure the same ones I have seen in years past.

West Drive: 800ish block there is a gentleman with a good collection of very old vintage, mostly dresses, but also some underclothes and hats. A lot of it was stained or too old to actually wear, but there were a few gems that probably will not last.

So out of all of this, what did I buy? Only this Napier necklace. In addition to being huge and having a lion, I loved its '70s take on regality and filigree.

Steal, I Mean, Deal

An important lesson learned from my mother- when you see a yard sale sign, go for it!

Browsing others no longer desired belongings spread out on their lawn or on card tables in the garage was my mother's choice way to kill a Saturday morning during the summers months. Unlike her, I rarely go out with the plan to spend a day going to yard sales, but once I hazardously make that last-minute turn towards the first one, it is pretty much guaranteed my next several hours will be spent following neon poster-board signs from one sale to another.

Although the encounter with the item's former owner is brief, I find an odd satisfaction in knowing exactly where my purchase came from. Plus, you never know what you may find.

Today I could have purchased live chickens at $6 each. "Now there is a lady who would love a couple chickens!" the elderly gentleman trying to make the sale shouted out at me as I browsed his merchandise. Knowing our neighbors would not be thrilled to have city chickens next door, I restrained myself, but he sure had me pegged.

What I did buy- a few records for my husband and a dress form, which I have been wanting for awhile now. Today, I paid a whopping $5 for one, and the woman threw a vintage purse that she caught me eyeing into the steal, I mean, deal.