Alternative to mall shopping: Swap meet

Shoppers from all over the country head to fairgrounds for last-minute deals and gifts.FAIRGROUNDS -- The shopping rush is almost over.

Sure, large numbers of Newport-Mesans of will likely flood local malls Monday in search of after-Christmas bargains, but with today marking Christmas and the first night of Hanukkah, many locals can finally take a break from the crowds and long lines.

Many people spent the past month or so hunting for gifts and parking spaces at malls and other shopping centers. But shoppers’ quests for the perfect present could sometimes lead them to an alternative place of commerce. One such place would be the Orange County Market Place, the swap meet that is held weekends at the Orange County Fairgrounds.

“I was just looking for stuff for my daughter, and it’s a lot cheaper here than the mall,” said shopper Kathy Garaldin of Ladera Ranch, who came to the marketplace on Saturday. “I’d rather be outside.”

The marketplace was also open Friday to give shoppers an extra day to find gifts. Richard Harp, who lives in Hacienda Heights, said he made a trek to the fairgrounds Friday since some marketplace vendors sell wares that cannot be found in mainstream stores.

“You have choices that exceed Target,” Harp said.

Not everything sold at the swap meet qualifies as a rarity. Walking by the several booths, a shopper visiting the marketplace can expect to see a fair amount of sports memorabilia, “Star Wars” toys and T-shirts.

Another sight at the swap meet Friday and Saturday was that of vendors’ tables covered with socks -- the least favorite present of children everywhere.

One unique booth at the swap meet belongs to Frontier Gourmet. The creation of brothers Blake and Kevan Stone, Frontier Gourmet’s product line consists of jerky made with the meats of animals such as elk, alligator and kangaroo.

“You can imagine the reactions we get: ‘Is that real alligator?’ ‘I didn’t know you can eat kangaroo,’ ” Blake Stone said.

Artist William Stell is another vendor at the marketplace who sells a distinct product. At his booth, Windshield Art Glass, Stell displays works that are made using -- surprise, surprise -- recycled windshields. He uses the glass, which is often cracked and riddled with web-liked fractures, to cover colored backgrounds to create abstract works or designs like green palm trees or a blue dolphin.

Stell uses a tack hammer to pound cracks into the discarded windshields that he uses for his art. He likes the way light reflects off his designs.

“Whatever lighting is on them, you get a different effect,” he said.

December is a busy month for many retailers, but merchants at the outdoor marketplace also need good weather to do well, marketplace president Jeff Teller said. Shoppers were able to come to the swap meet under clear skies Friday and Saturday, and Teller is hopeful this winter will not turn out to be as drenched as the last.

“Hopefully, the good Lord will cooperate with the weather,” Teller said.

* ANDREW EDWARDS covers business and the environment. He can be reached at (714) 966-4624 or by e-mail at [email protected].