Flea Markets - Metro Area... List the good ones! (Atlanta: appointed, sale)

[ARTHANSEN]

I would like to know the best flea markets in the atlanta area

[atlantagreg30127]

In metro Atlanta the largest would be the Pendergrass Flea Market in Gwinnett County.

Link: Pendergrass Flea Market

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

In metro Atlanta the largest would be the Pendergrass Flea Market in Gwinnett County.

We've been up there a few times. An interesting place. It's the first time I've ever seen a flea market with a permanent food court, though. :-)

[atlantagreg30127]

NOTICE/UPDATE: 8/25/2012

I'm reviving this thread folks, as we're in the peak flea market season for some, and it's been a few years since this was updated.

Please toss in your votes here for current metro area flea markets that you like to go to. Try to give some information as to what types of things you typically find at the particular ones you list, etc.

[ATLTJL]

Wow, thanks for reviving it!

I love flea markets. Well, I should say, I love the IDEA of flea markets. I'm usually disappointed to go and see people selling cheap plastic garbage that looks like it fell off a truck or "antique" Coke bottles. I still can't figure out why some people think old dusty bottles have value to anybody, it's got to be an indiagnosed psychiatric disorder, but I digress.

I think I'm going to have to go check this place out. They have accupuncture and exotic animals, so no telling what treasures it may house. When you said it was Gwinnett county, I figured it would be close....I forget what a mammouth county Gwinnett is! This place is pretty far out there.

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

Wow, thanks for reviving it!

I think I'm going to have to go check this place out. They have accupuncture and exotic animals, so no telling what treasures it may house. When you said it was Gwinnett county, I figured it would be close....I forget what a mammouth county Gwinnett is! This place is pretty far out there.

If it's a hike for you, make note that just North of there in Commerce are the Tanger outlet stores if you're into that. If you're really into it all, then a further hike up I-85 and just across the SC border into Anderson will take you to the Anderson flea market - about 1500 or so vendors (varies). Some people just plan on a weekend and will start at Anderson, and work their way back to Atlanta stopping at Tanger and Pendergrass on the way.

A word of warning though - the "exotic animals" they're talking about that you can find at Pendergrass many times winds up being really cute little Pot Bellied Pigs, that wind up growing into 400 lb Hogs. LOL. In another forum some time ago, someone had that happen to them at Pendergrass - they were told the pigs were "Miniature" Pot Bellied Pigs that would grow to about 5-8 lbs and they wound up with something that was about the size of an upholstered chair that had to find a home on a farm. Lesson = you may wish to avoid the exotic animals and pets at a flea market.

[berkeleylake]

I don't go to flea markets that often, maybe once every few years or so. I like the big one in Gwinnett but haven't visited recently. Usually I find some deals at Goodwill that I used to find at flea markets.

On the southside in McDonough, there is Peachtree Peddlers right off I-75. Just a few exits down on 75 there is a Tangers Outlet mall in Locust Grove.

What I was looking for was some rare coins, and kitchen ware -iron skillet and pizza pans and found things at a good price at Peachtree Peddlers. They had some cool antiques and junk as well. I would call it hit or miss overall. I think some other items were totally overpriced, so it probably all depends on what you are looking for.

[roxyrn]

Once a month, there is the huge Scott's Market that is held in two large buildings (park at one and take the coach shuttle buses to the other). it is fairly close to the airport.

[Mal93]

To me "flea market" is like a pop up thrift store...there used to be one ages ago on 41 outside of Jonesboro called Sweeties where people would rent a big cable spool and sell their stuff, like a yard sale (old school GA!).

Antiques/Collectibles places: (not super high end, but not thrift store level)
A Classy Flea in Marietta (next to Williams Bros, a Goodwill, and a consignment shop in the next strip mall) has a good mix of cheaper antiques, vintage/retro furniture, and lots of small items. The Marietta Antiques Market across from White Water and the Kennesaw one by McCollum field further up 41 are more typical antiques / vintage places-- but much cheaper than Scotts (Scotts tends to have more upscale antiques/designer/fancier items). My favorite antiques places are Rust n Dust in Chamblee Row (and the more midcentury/vintage one across the street), Antiques & Beyond on Cheshire Bridge Rd (although since Cache burned that place hasn't been the same for me!), and Scotts. Also love Kudzu in Decatur.

For fine antique furniture/lighting/art, 14th street Antiques and Bennett St/Miami Circle Buckhead are good places to look.
Midcentury modern can be found at Antiques & Beyond and across the street at Decades (a new shop, but a nicely edited collection).

If you are willing to travel Dillard, Rome, and Cartersville have great stores all in walking distance in their downtowns. Southern Antiques Gallery is also nice and there are several other shops like that in the Woodstock/canton/Roswell area. These tend to be a mix of average mid 1800s-mid 20th century antiques and collectibles.

If you are looking for hardcore, sift through the junk, need to buy a cheap vacuum or tool type flea market, there is the one at the Starlight drive-in on the weekends (although, lots and lots of clothes/shady looking wholesale lots of drugstore goods probably from salvage auctions), and the Oakland City market off Lee St. just before you get to Avon.

I miss the old Lakewood Antiques fair...it was like the perfect cross between Scotts and a yard sale! I know they are up 400 but not as big or worth the drive for me from downtown unless I know they have something in particular. They do have lots of yard art/ironwork.

[atlantagreg30127]

I've always considered the indoor "Antique Market" style places different than a "Flea Market", even though there are some crossover types of items, and even some flea markets have indoors spaces as well.

Flea Markets to me are more varied. You can find antiques and things to collect in them, but then you can also find produce, food, socks, etc. From very low end to higher end stuff. Typically the Antique places are more higher dollar stuff, though you might find some deals in some. A new one called Treasure Hunt just opened in Powder Springs a few weeks ago and it's somewhat interesting. They have about 120 or so booths set up so far. Lots of stuff I wasn't interested in, but I did find a nice abstract painting on the cheap there, though. It's in the older strip mall on the corner of New Macland and Macedonia Road in Powder Springs. LINK. If they would let local farmers bring produce to sell in the place as a permanent farmer's market type of thing, it would make it more interesting imo. They do have one neat thing where on their site you can ask about something you might be looking for in particular and they'll try to find it among the vendors there and let you know if it's available or not.