A Major Stop on Flea-Market Hop

Few things have the power to get Southern Californians out of bed on a weekend before the sun rises and Starbucks opens. But the Rose Bowl Flea Market, held on the second Sunday of each month, is one of those local fixtures that compels intrepid bargain hunters to wipe the sleep from their eyes and go searching for deals.

It’s one of SoCal’s best-known flea markets, attracting antiquers, collectors, trash-to-treasure-ites and junk lovers to its aisles of furniture, clothing, kitchen appliances, pottery, linens, lamps, luggage, glassware, artwork and jewelry.

They’re there for the thrill of the chase. It could be an embroidered ecru tea towel for a few dollars or a Roseville vase for a few hundred that they’re after--and if the chase takes all day, so be it. Donald Trump wannabes live to deal for a lower price, while the more timid just pay what the tag says and move along. And always there is the hope of bagging a true gem for a song.

Of course, there are those who just stroll for the sake of strolling. For them, it’s enough just to be in the presence of a tradition.