Summer Fun: Rescuing the Earth by Re-evaluating Junk or The Joy of Eco-cycling Your Way Thru the Best Flea Markets in the World!
June 21, 2011 by Jan Landwehr
Filed under ECO-RECYCLING, UPCYCLING, & FREECYCLING, ECO-SHOPPING, NETWORKING, & CLASSIFIEDS, ECO-TRAVEL & TOURISM
For me, summertime means a series of flea market adventures. Numerous books have been written on the subject and others eulogize its bounty of second-hand offerings in ‘Shabby Chic’, ‘Thrifty Chic’, ‘Vintage Look Collecting’, and ‘Flea Market Decorating’ tips along with copious notes on ‘Behind-The-Scenes Treasure Hunting Secrets’. And along with the explosive growth of eco-chic outdoor flea markets across the USA, Europe, and now globally around the world comes a flood of trendy articles on ‘eco-renovating’ and ‘eco-accessorizing’ your home with old flea market finds and exotic craft work. But amongst all this ‘flea-bitten’ obsessive literature, I still have yet to find one critique that colorfully addresses the paradoxical joy of culling thru unusual time-worn objects of flea market junk in order to rescue one’s own personal junk from being thrown out – another words – the joy of being both environmentally responsible and artistically creative by combining eclectic junk materials found at flea markets with your own well-worn, imperfect junk at home. And in the process creating your own masterpiece of cultural second-hand treasure – an “eco-makeover gift”.
But what constitutes an “eco-makeover gift”, you ask? A little homework, yes, a few magazines to energize your imaginative juices, yes, but above all – a sharp shopper’s eye for discerning under-rated and over-looked junk. Hence, the best way to start is to make a list of small to mid-size objects that you currently own around you that you consider hopeless – either out-of-date or out-of-place or just badly damaged or perhaps missing a part or section. The key here is that you are hesitant to throw it out – just yet. That’s good – your instinctual knack for conserving is working fine! Next, check with your local library or your local bookstore and the internet as well for a few “Do-It-Yourself” and “Ready Made” magazine issues and ‘simple lifestyle’ type magazine issues such as “Country Living” and “Living Crafts”.
Next, whilst looking thru the many picture pages of these magazine issues, see if any of the home objects on your ‘misfit’ junk list have potential worth that you may have not considered before and then consider the range of flea market possibilities that might do well in conjunction with your own items which would give them added value. If you can make this connection, you have then made – theoretically-speaking that is – an “eco-makeover gift”.
These are but a few examples of my favorite handcrafted “eco-makeover gifts”: 1) a vintage lamp assembled of odd and end saucers and teacups accumulated from home and my local flea market 2) a ‘geeky’ serving platter and teenage table top covered with old computer keyboard buttons, typewriter keys, scrabble tiles and misplaced domino pieces collected from home and my local flea market 3) decorative paper table runners, garlands, and posters and photo frames made from discarded easy-to-recycle children’s books, science fiction novels, and old college text books found at home and used book markets and 4) curios of one-of-a-kind hats, necklaces, pillows, napkin rings, and coasters made from stitching recycled linens and woollen sweaters together with a stockpile of lost buttons, pins, earrings, key chains, cuff links, and broken wrist watches from a myriad of flea markets and my own home.
So instead of waiting to shop at the end of the year for that perfectly labeled, monogrammed and personalized holiday gift – start now, this summer, and save money, (and your own garbage disposal) and have fun creating your own gifts by eco-cycling your way thru the Best Flea Markets in the World – and don’t be surprised who you might meet next to the table full of hand-me-down toys – for Santa Claus has gone green and is now ‘flea-ing’ as well!
BEST FLEA MARKET DESTINATIONS BY COUNTRY
ARGENTINA
Buenos Aires – San Telmo Flea Market at Plaza Dorrego
AUSTRALIA
Sydney – The Rocks Flea Market
BELGIUM
Bruges – Bruges Flea Market
Brussels – Place du Jeu-de-Balle Flea Market
Ciney – Brocante Fair
Waterloo – Waterloo Flea Market
CANADA
Ottawa – ByWard Market
Saint Eustace (near Montreal) – St. Eustace Flea Market
Toronto – Dr. Flea’s Flea Market
Vancouver – Vancouver Flea Market
CHINA
Beijing – A) Panjiayuan Weekend Flea Market
B) Hongqiao Market
DENMARK
Copenhagen – A) Norrebro Flea Market B) Israels Plads Flea Market C) Gammel Strand Flea Market D) Fredericksberg Flea Market E) Lyngby Flea Market F) Kongens Nytorv Arts-and-Crafts Flea Market
ENGLAND
London – A) Portobello Road Market B) Camden Lock Market C) Camden Passage Market D) Petticoat Lane Market E) New Calendonian Market or Bermondsey Market
ESTONIA
Tallinn – Balti Jaama Turg
FRANCE
Lille – La Grande Braderie de Lille Flea Market
Nice- Cours Saleya Flea Market
Paris – A) Marche aux Puces de St.-Ouen Porte de Clignancourt B) Le Jules Valles Market C) Le Marche Serpette D) Porte de Vanves
GERMANY
Berlin – A) Die Nolle @ Nollendorfplatz B) Museum Island Flea Market C) Mauer Park Flea Market D) Moritzplatz Flea Market E) Arkonaplatz Flea Market F) Strasse des 17.Juni Flea Market
Munich – A) Theresienwiese Flea Market B) Auer Dult Flea Market & Crafts Fair @ Mariahilfplatz
GREECE
Athen – Monastiraki Flea Market
HUNGARY
Budapest – Esceri Flea Market
INDIA
Goa – A) Anjuna Flea Market B) Mapusa Friday Market
IRELAND
Dublin – Blackberry Fair Flea Market
ISRAEL
Tel Aviv – Jaffa Flea Market
ITALY
Alba – Mercantino di Torino
Arezzo – Arezzo Flea Market
Florence – Mercato Delle Pulci Flea Marketd @ Piazza Del Ciompi
Lake Maggiore – Borgo D’Ale Flea Market
Milan – Cormano Flea Market
Rome – A) Porta Portese Flea Market B) The Underground
Turin – Carmagnola Flea Market
JAPAN
Tokyo – Ameya Yokocho or Ameyoko
MALAYSIA
Singapore – Sungei Road ‘Thieves Market’
MEXICO
Puerto Vallarta – Puerto Vallarta Flea Market
MOROCCO
Tangier – Casa Barata Flea Market
NETHERLANDS
Amsterdam – A) Albert Cuyp Market B) Waterlooplein Flea Market C) Noordermarkt Flea Market
POLAND
Krakow – Sunday Flea Market @ Plac Targowy Unitarg; Warsaw – Kolo Flea Market
PORTUGAL
Lisbon – Feira Da Ladra
RUSSIA
Moscow – Izmailovo Souvenir Market
SPAIN
Barcelona – A) Placa de la Seu Flea Market B) Mercantic Flea Market
Cap de Creus (Catalonia) – Cadaques Market
Madrid – El Rastro Flea Market
THAILAND
Bangkok – Chatuchak Weekend Market
TURKEY
Istanbul – A) Sahaflar Carsisi B) Grand Covered Bazaar C) The Egyptian Bazaar D) The Arasta Bazaar
URUGUAY
Montevideo – ‘La Feria de Tristan Narvaja’ Flea Market
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Dubai Flea Market
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
CA – Alemeda – Alemeda Flea Market
Long Beach – Long Beach Antique Flea Market
Pasadena – Rose Bowl Flea Market
San Francisco – Alemany Flea Market;
San Jose – San Jose Flea Market
FL – Daytona Beach – Daytona Flea & Farmers Market
IL – Chicago – Maxwell Street Market
Wheaton – All-Night Flea Market
IN – Shipshewana – Shipshewana’s Flea Marke
MA – Brimfield’s Outdoor Antique Show
NY- New York City – A) The Antiques Garage B) Hell’s Kitchen Flea Market C) Brooklyn’s Flea D) GreenFlea
TX – Austin – Austin Country Flea Market
Canton – First Monday Park
127 Corridor – Jamestown, TN – North Covington, KY – Gadsden, AL – World’s Longest Outdoor Market and Yard Sale – Covers 630 Miles and 5 states
Comments
Have you any green ideas, insights, experiences of your own to add or share?