It's Always Sunny in LA: #45: The Rose Bowl Flea Market

I have become a recent fan of flea markets, in particular the weekly one near my neighborhood called the Melrose Trading Post. I've been about 7 times and have always come home with new treasures. But you can't become a flea market fan without eventually hearing about the Mother of all the flea markets - the Rose Bowl Flea Market, held once a month in the giant parking lot of the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Loyal and die hard flea marketers have been flocking there for over 40 years!

The market only comes around once a month on the 2nd Sunday, so Barbara, Lana, Dan and I planned a trip for February. Lana and Dan are getting married in May and wanted to find inspiring vintage accents for their wedding decor. Barb and I were looking for cowboy boots for our impending trip to Nashville, as well as a few other things. And of course, we were all open to uncovering any of the many treasures the flea market had to offer!

After suffering through 30 minutes of traffic just to park, we walked through the gates, paid the $8 entrance fee, and headed into the sea of vendors. There are over 2,500 vendors that come monthly to the market, and tens of thousands of patrons. It was overwhelming to say the least! We veered to the left as we had heard that was towards the vintage vendors. To the right was apparently all the new and hand-made crafts vendors, but we didn't have time to even peek at that side.

It took us a while to get going. The place was a maze of booth after booth of mostly overpriced vintage/used goods. As it is with any flea market, you have to hunt for the good stuff. I made the first purchase of the day when I saw a table covered in a massive tangle of gold jewelry, and some hipster girls digging through it trying on different bracelets. I noticed a very thin gold bangle, and fell in love. I began to dig through the pile and found 9 bangles, all about 2 millimeters thick, and all with different etchings in them. They are now my new favorite accessory, and all together cost $10. I had to hunt, but I found a treasure!

After my initial find, we were on a roll. Barbara found a berry-picking bucket (adorable), Lana and Dan found three fantastic shabby-chic frames (I'm going to help them make chalkboards), I found a gold-filegree mirrored tray for $5, then Barb and I found our biggest prize. We wanted to find the perfect vintage boot for our Nashville trip, so as to not look like tourist posers in brand new boots. After trying on boot after boot that didn't come close to fitting (apparently cowboy boot sizing is different than normal shoes and is completely incomprehensible) I found the perfect pair. A warm shade of reddish brown, with a slight heel, they fit like they were made for me! I was ready to drop some cash on the boots, and the seller told me they were $15. I could hardly believe it! Barb found her own camel colored beauties only a few minutes later, for $20.

By that time, the market had gotten super crowded, we were hungry, and our shopping bags were full. We meandered towards the exit, and were out of the Rose Bowl in minutes.

The Rose Bowl Flea Market was a BLAST. It was overwhelming, sensory overload, inspiration galore, and overall a fairly inexpensive way to find beautiful vintage found objects. I can't wait to go back - and to go earlier! Admission is more expensive in the morning, but the crowds will be lighter and the goods will be even better!

They give $2 bills as change!

Lana and me - showing off our flea market fashion!

#1 most over-priced items at the flea market - vintage books. You can find these at thrift shops for $1. The cheapest ones we found at the flea market were around $10. Ridiculous.