This is one of my favorite places on Earth! No kidding! I've been going to this since I was a child and ended up living just minutes away as an adult.
The "Rogers Sale" or "The Sale" as it is referred to in Columbiana County, Ohio is located in Rogers, Ohio and was started in 1948 as a produce auction and has grown since then into a huge...and I mean, HUGE...outdoor flea market. There is no admission and parking (70 acres worth) is all free! You just pay to shop.
I will never do The Sale justice on this blog but let it suffice to say that I have found the best deals of my life at this place. In fact, I have joked for year that I furnished my first apartment in 'Early Rogers Sale' style. Besides the farm auction which includes lots of farm equipment, live animals and other junk, there are multiple buildings holding vendors who sell everything from bulk candy to car tires which they will put on while you wait. Pavilions cover other vendors whose wares would be damaged by a rain storm but many vendors just set up their tables and tents along the graveled / dirt walkways through the trees and along the stream.
Amish citizens sell the best baked goods you can buy. I HIGHLY recommend the glazed doughnuts that they hand dip for you. There is no better taste in the world in my opinion. Other folks sell antiques, vintage, specialty collections, handmade goods, handicrafts, farm equipment, yard sale fodder and food vendors are scattered throughout. An afternoon of sale shopping followed by a hot sausage sandwich and some Amish pie is what its all about for me! People come from all over Ohio and neighboring states to go to 'The Sale'.
The Sale is only open on FRIDAYS! Check out their website at http://www.rogersohio.com/open-air-market/ and is open from 7:30 a.m. until about 10:00 p.m. However, I will warn you that the mentality of the vendors has changed over the 40 years I have been visiting The Sale! You need to get their early as many vendors will call it a day and leave if the traffic flow is light and many leave before 5:oo p.m. I don't know why this is since The Sale is held on a workday and most people do not get off of work before 5:00 p.m.
Be prepared to haggle over prices. Ask for the lowest price or a discount of just about everything. Larger produce vendors will not negotiate on prices but most others will "make you a deal" if you ask. Propose a price and ask if they will honor it. I rarely pay the asking price on anything other than produce! Don't be shy, this is a business transaction and everybody wants to work out the best price.
This gets me to the point of this blog: This is a great place for vintage shopping. Many of the vendors are mid west folks who still have attics and garages full of vintage / collectible items. I have found vintage 1960's organs (musical equipment), holiday decorations (boxes of Christmas lights with original bulbs), kitchen equipment (mixers, blenders, etc.). Among my favorite all time finds were an inflatable mushroom lamp (1960's or 1970's maybe) and a 1950's 'Atomic' styled wall clock with a sun burst design and of course, my 1960's Farfisa organ!
The Sale is open ALL YEAR long but nice weather (up until late October) is the best time to make the trip and find your own treasures. Make the trip and let me know what you think and what your new favorite finds are and I will feature you in my blog.
Allan
Monday, October 10, 2011
Vintage Holiday
Vintage holiday is hot this time of year. Halloween items from your childhood and your parents childhoods are going quickly. These items are few and far between this year for some reason and are being sold very quickly once they are displayed.
Blow mold items (those hard plastic ghosts, pumpkins, etc. that you place a light bulb in the back of) are literally on display one day and sold the next at several of the Cleveland shops that I have visited this past week. According to one informed source, blow mold items are not being made anymore due to the environmentally unfriendly processes that are needed to produce them. However, I was at the world's biggest retailer the other night and found a 2 1/2 feet tall ghost blow mold with light for $19.99. That was styled like the vintage ones that we have come to love. Evidently, some company is still producing these items.
Die cuts are also few and far between. If you have any of these items from years ago, hang on to them or get them to your local vintage store and get them on the market. Do your homework to figure their worth and then ask for the best price you can get.
I found a giant zip locked bag of Halloween die cut including a jointed skeleton and some embellished cut outs a couple of years ago at a flea market. The person selling them sold them to me for $1.00. Yes, one dollar! What a great find. I've never used them yet, they are still in flat storage but I will drag them out someday and enjoy them.
When shopping remember how you decorated when you were a kid. Outdoor and window lighting was not popular for Halloween and lights weren't really made specifically for this holiday until this past decade or so. Prior to that, sometime people would put Christmas lights up with Halloween displays so don't go pay vintage prices for what you can buy at your neighborhood retailer.
I've also found a lot of children's toys or candy dispensers (no, I'm not referring to PEZ as this has it's own following) being sold with Halloween decorations. Unless you are into vintage candy wrappers or toys, I would fore go these items as they really haven't changed much over the years. Buy only if they have some nostalgic value to you.
Anything old and made of paper or similar materials are getting harder and harder to find. Mostly in the shape of pumpkins and skulls with an open top, these are highly desirable and can be costly. Anything that is made of such fragile material and that has survived decades (1930's or 1940's) is worth every penny in my opinion.
If you are buying new, for goodness sake, save the boxes and store well because one day (in about 25 years) these items will likely be sought after and the value will be higher with original packaging.
Happy Shopping!
Allan
Blow mold items (those hard plastic ghosts, pumpkins, etc. that you place a light bulb in the back of) are literally on display one day and sold the next at several of the Cleveland shops that I have visited this past week. According to one informed source, blow mold items are not being made anymore due to the environmentally unfriendly processes that are needed to produce them. However, I was at the world's biggest retailer the other night and found a 2 1/2 feet tall ghost blow mold with light for $19.99. That was styled like the vintage ones that we have come to love. Evidently, some company is still producing these items.
Die cuts are also few and far between. If you have any of these items from years ago, hang on to them or get them to your local vintage store and get them on the market. Do your homework to figure their worth and then ask for the best price you can get.
I found a giant zip locked bag of Halloween die cut including a jointed skeleton and some embellished cut outs a couple of years ago at a flea market. The person selling them sold them to me for $1.00. Yes, one dollar! What a great find. I've never used them yet, they are still in flat storage but I will drag them out someday and enjoy them.
When shopping remember how you decorated when you were a kid. Outdoor and window lighting was not popular for Halloween and lights weren't really made specifically for this holiday until this past decade or so. Prior to that, sometime people would put Christmas lights up with Halloween displays so don't go pay vintage prices for what you can buy at your neighborhood retailer.
I've also found a lot of children's toys or candy dispensers (no, I'm not referring to PEZ as this has it's own following) being sold with Halloween decorations. Unless you are into vintage candy wrappers or toys, I would fore go these items as they really haven't changed much over the years. Buy only if they have some nostalgic value to you.
Anything old and made of paper or similar materials are getting harder and harder to find. Mostly in the shape of pumpkins and skulls with an open top, these are highly desirable and can be costly. Anything that is made of such fragile material and that has survived decades (1930's or 1940's) is worth every penny in my opinion.
If you are buying new, for goodness sake, save the boxes and store well because one day (in about 25 years) these items will likely be sought after and the value will be higher with original packaging.
Happy Shopping!
Allan
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)