San Diego area flea markets & swap meets (Oceanside, La Mesa: sales, consignment)

[Some Guy From Mars]

What are some of the better flea markets & swap meets in the San Diego area? Specifically, I am looking for antiques, collectibles and garage sale items. I have done some research and located the following:

South Bay Drive-In Theater Swap Meet

National City Swap Meet

Spring Valley Swap Meet

Santee Drive-In Swap Meet

Oceanside Swap Meet

Has anybody visited the above markets and what is your impression? Also, what is the best day to visit? Saturday? Sunday? Any markets I might have missed that are worth seeing?

Are there any good antique shops or antiques malls as well? What are the thrift shops like? Goodwill? Savers?

Thanks,

Andy

[moved]

Don't forget about Kobey's Swap Meet in Point Loma. It's held in the parking lot of the Valley View Casino Center (Sports Arena).

[echo42]

Adams Avenue in Normal Heights, west of 30th has an antique row and Newport Ave in Ocean Beach has a large collection of antique shops.

[Jenkay]

Ok, I got this one. Vintage stuff and collectibles is my hobby and occasionally a source of income for me. Kobey's at the sports arena is the only Swap meet in town that's consistently good for antiques and collectibles. Santee is the only other one I ever bother with. There's a newish one at Qualcomm on Wednesday nights but I haven't been yet so I can't speak to that one.

Antique row in Normal heights basically doesn't exist anymore. Downtown La Mesa is rife with antique shops, OB has 3 really brilliant antique malls, and Solana Beach has a really nice one as well. There's a bunch of mid century- centric places around North Park/ University heights/ Golden Hill. Other than that your best bets are garage sales and especially estate sales, sometimes craigslist. I find stuff at thrift stores pretty frequently too, but it's taken me years to work up my mental map of what's good where

[Jenkay]

Originally Posted by echo42

Adams Avenue in Normal Heights, west of 30th has an antique row and Newport Ave in Ocean Beach has a large collection of antique shops.

There's one shop that sells only furniture on Adams West of 30th, and he's not even open every weekend. Antique row basically doesn't exist anymore despite the restaurant that bears its name.

[Some Guy From Mars]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I will be sure to check out Santee. Downtown La Mesa also sounds interesting.

I am surprised Kobey's has been mentioned. Many of the online reviews I have read state that the majority of the dealers at Kobey's sell new merchandise. I crossed it off my list as a result. And besides, the website for Kobey's lists a roster of all its dealers and only around a half dozen or so sell antiques. So perhaps I am missing something- or simply need to go there and find out first hand.

[shmoov_groovzsd]

Originally Posted by Some Guy From Mars

What are some of the better flea markets & swap meets in the San Diego area? Specifically, I am looking for antiques, collectibles and garage sale items. I have done some research and located the following:

South Bay Drive-In Theater Swap Meet

National City Swap Meet

Spring Valley Swap Meet

Santee Drive-In Swap Meet

Oceanside Swap Meet

Has anybody visited the above markets and what is your impression? Also, what is the best day to visit? Saturday? Sunday? Any markets I might have missed that are worth seeing?

Are there any good antique shops or antiques malls as well? What are the thrift shops like? Goodwill? Savers?

Thanks,

Andy

Andy,

Yup that list looks like its the meat and potatoes of the swap meets in the county. I have visited all of them a few times over the years and they are dismal (At least by comparison to some of the swap meets I have gone to on the east coast and even north of SD)

In short. I cant count on one hand where I have found any 'gems'. Its people selling absolute junk. I dont mean junk in 'whats ones mans junk is another mans treasure'. Its actual garbage that cannot even be donated in many cases based on my experience.
eg. Toy dolls missing arms, rusted and unusable golf clubs and many times just broken stuff that is simply not salvageable or useful in any capacity.

Since I have been here for a decade, SD (perhaps even across the country) just doesnt seem to be a place where there is a flea market culture to clear out the attic and sell stuff.

Craigslist and eBay have unquestionably had an impact on this.

I know this from years of going to swap meets and model train shows with my dad on the east coast. Its just a different world now. Even train shows are few and far between out here vs the northeast.

I think besides craigslist and eBay, some of the consignment shops in SD have more stuff.

Try consignment classics or the thrift stores such as goodwill, salvation army or Father Joes villages.

[oddstray]

Originally Posted by Some Guy From Mars

Thanks everyone for the replies. I will be sure to check out Santee. Downtown La Mesa also sounds interesting.

I am surprised Kobey's has been mentioned. Many of the online reviews I have read state that the majority of the dealers at Kobey's sell new merchandise. I crossed it off my list as a result. And besides, the website for Kobey's lists a roster of all its dealers and only around a half dozen or so sell antiques. So perhaps I am missing something- or simply need to go there and find out first hand.

Last time I was at Kobeys (years ago) there was quite a large section of individuals selling off their old stuff, as well as all the dealers who sell new stuff. Maybe that's why Kobey's is mentioned as a potential place for finds.

[Jenkay]

Originally Posted by Some Guy From Mars

Thanks everyone for the replies. I will be sure to check out Santee. Downtown La Mesa also sounds interesting.

I am surprised Kobey's has been mentioned. Many of the online reviews I have read state that the majority of the dealers at Kobey's sell new merchandise. I crossed it off my list as a result. And besides, the website for Kobey's lists a roster of all its dealers and only around a half dozen or so sell antiques. So perhaps I am missing something- or simply need to go there and find out first hand.

Yup, Kobey's has, hand-down, the best selection of vintage/antique/collectible stuff of any swap meet in San Diego. Period. Again, I do this a LOT, like nearly every weekend, so I actually do know what I'm talking about here. The folks around the edges are all selling their old stuff, and there's a lot that deal in specific types of stuff as well (jewelry/clothes/furniture, etc)

[shmoov_groovzsd]

Originally Posted by oddstray

Last time I was at Kobeys (years ago) there was quite a large section of individuals selling off their old stuff, as well as all the dealers who sell new stuff. Maybe that's why Kobey's is mentioned as a potential place for finds.

Yeah this ^^. Out of all of them, I found Kobey's to have the best garage sale vendors. Yes there is the whole front section where the regulars are, but the back section on the north side of the market is where all the garage sellers are.