Flea Markets

Mark and Cindy Evans make the rounds of Southern California flea markets early, before most shoppers have gotten out of bed. Their favorite stops: The Groves Antique Market Held the first Sunday of the month from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Irvine Valley College, 5500 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine. Admission and parking are free. Dogs allowed. (949) 786-5277. Pasadena City College Flea Market Also held on the first Sunday of every month, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Due to a scheduling change, the market happens to be open this Sunday.

Los Angeles County supervisors agreed Tuesday to explore ways to restrict illegal vending and lawn sales, a move that could give sheriff's deputies more power to seize goods and issue fines. Selling used clothes or fruit from front yards or carts on busy streets has been common in Los Angeles for years. But Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas and law enforcement officials say the tradition has evolved into a problem, especially in communities around Watts, where informal flea markets have developed on some blocks . Ridley-Thomas and some residents say the illegal vendors hurt legitimate businesses, dodge sales tax laws and increase traffic in residential neighborhoods.

Among heaps of antiques, collectibles and vintage clothing, frugal shoppers are rediscovering a recession-friendly place where prices are low and haggling is welcome. In growing numbers since the recession began 18 months ago, they are heading to one of about 135 flea markets and swap meets in California, including those at the Rose Bowl and in Long Beach and San Bernardino.

By some accounts, most Americans have done it. They've repacked, rewrapped and resent unwanted presents to a new recipient. A survey in October 2011 by home fashion retailer HomeGoods found that more than half of the 1,000-plus respondents had regifted, 65% suspected they had received a regift and more than one-third were repeat regifters. An American Express survey in December 2011 found that 79% of people believe regifting is acceptable. "Due to the Great Recession we have become increasingly more thoughtful about overspending," says Dana Holmes, editor in chief of the website Gifts.com.

Every second Sunday of the month, bargain hunters and antiques collectors gather in Pasadena for the mother of all flea markets. With more than 2,500 vendors, it's easy to get lost in the sea of vintage lamps and Levis, so first-timers may want to find a seasoned shopper to show you around (in my case: thanks, Geoff Clark!). Heading there this weekend? Set a budget, wear comfortable shoes and get there early -- you'll pay a higher entrance fee ($20 between 5 and 7 a.m. versus $8 after 9 a.m.

If you're serious about collecting, consider a pilgrimage to Indiana, where 1,300 dealers line interlocking highways along Richmond's Antique Alley. Otherwise, there are more than 2,500 flea markets in the U.S., with an average of about 200 vendors per market. The beauty in flea-market finds is that they don't have to be put to their original use. A lidless teapot can become a flowerpot, an old window a mirror frame. A picnic basket can be used for storage.

Los Angeles' most unlikely new scene happens to be a circuit of flea markets. So much so that devotees actually compare it to the roving, after-hours nightclubs they used to frequent. Count the fashion crowd in on this. Designers, retailers, photographers, hair and makeup artists are out there in full force, rummaging through the trash and treasures Sunday mornings at 6 a.m.

Although they've been around forever, Southern California flea markets and swap meets have been all the rage of late. Even celebrities--Diane Keaton, James Spader, Madonna--go at dawn and swap 'til they drop. The variety of new merchandise at most swap meets is so vast that it's as if someone has simply ripped the ceiling off a mall. At flea markets specializing in collectibles, shopping is the equivalent of visiting 150 small antique stores at once.

Thieves seem to be embarking on an anti-grime spree, some media outlets are reporting, saying thousands of dollars in Tide detergent is being swiped from shelves across the country. One Minnesota man stole about $25,000 worth of the liquid laundry detergent from a West St. Paul Wal-Mart over 15 months, authorities there say. Some stores, including a CVS in Prince George's County, Md., have taken to wrapping anti-theft devices around the handles of the orange bottles. Several publications have described the thefts as a widespread crime wave, even calling the detergent "liquid gold," but law enforcement authorities and some retail operators aren't so sure.

Actress Kay Tornborg is usually back from the Sunday flea markets by the time most people are setting out for them. She gets home at about 11 a.m. Early birds catch worms, at flea markets. The first Sunday of each month finds Tornborg at the Pasadena City College market; the second Sunday, at the Rose Bowl; the third Sunday, at Long Beach. On the fourth Sunday she stays in bed.

Thieves seem to be embarking on an anti-grime spree, some media outlets are reporting, saying thousands of dollars in Tide detergent is being swiped from shelves across the country. One Minnesota man stole about $25,000 worth of the liquid laundry detergent from a West St. Paul Wal-Mart over 15 months, authorities there say. Some stores, including a CVS in Prince George's County, Md., have taken to wrapping anti-theft devices around the handles of the orange bottles. Several publications have described the thefts as a widespread crime wave, even calling the detergent "liquid gold," but law enforcement authorities and some retail operators aren't so sure.

At Europe's lively open-air markets and bazaars, bargaining for merchandise is the accepted and expected method of setting a price. Whether you're looking for door knockers or hand-knitted sweaters, seize the chance to bargain like a native. It's the only way to find a compromise between the wishful thinking of the seller and the souvenir-driven lust of the tourist. Bargaining can be fun if you learn how to haggle. Among many good markets where you can practice your skills are Amsterdam's Waterlooplein, London's Portobello Market, Paris' Puces de St-Ouen, Madrid's El Rastro, and the souk of Tangier in Morocco.

After more than 20 years, the queen of Shabby Chic still heads out in the dark of early morning in search of the perfect flea-market finds. "We don't do wheel barrels-into-coffee tables," Rachel Ashwell said, referring to some buyers' penchant to take old stuff and make it into something else. Rather, Ashwell, like many shoppers, chooses for items that are largely ready to roll. But how? Some insights into what makes her say "yes" to a piece — and, more important, what makes her say "no. " Function.

When it came to remake their Laguna Beach house, Mark and Cindy Evans wanted to emulate the calm of California missions they loved while celebrating their favorite pastime: shopping flea markets. "I love the peaceful feel you get whenever you walk through a mission," Mark says. "It is completely different from anywhere else. " So is his house. Mark likes to joke that he and Cindy refer to themselves as the Flea Marketeers, adding with some hyperbole, "We're collectors as long as it's cheap.

Mark and Cindy Evans make the rounds of Southern California flea markets early, before most shoppers have gotten out of bed. Their favorite stops: The Groves Antique Market Held the first Sunday of the month from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Irvine Valley College, 5500 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine. Admission and parking are free. Dogs allowed. (949) 786-5277. Pasadena City College Flea Market Also held on the first Sunday of every month, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Due to a scheduling change, the market happens to be open this Sunday.

The Christmas snowmen and toy soldiers at Holly Cleeland's small tented stand in the Rose Bowl Flea Market drew admirers Sunday, but not many buyers. It wasn't that there was a shortage of visitors to the Rose Bowl on the kind of perfect, toasty autumn afternoon that has forever drawn snowbirds to Pasadena. There were thousands of shoppers, but not enough of them were spending, several merchants said "Five or six years ago I sold $800 worth in a couple of hours ? in the rain," said Cleeland, a Burbank artist whose fingernails were a bright Christmas-y red. "It's a whole different mentality now. " Fortunately, Hanukkah starts Dec. 1 and the menorah signs at Cleeland's Lawn Cheers booth sold quickly, leaving for that holiday a few small dreidel images on stakes to stick in the lawn.

When you leave the Metro at Porte de Clignancourt to browse through Paris' Marche aux Puces, the grande mere of flea markets, your first impressions may be discouraging. Although the streets are lined with vendors, they're offering only poorly made leather bags and jackets, cheap jeans and gadgets. Aggressive hawkers, who are mostly North Africans, shout sing-song faux French that makes you think you've just arrived in Morocco, instead of a Parisian neighborhood.

After six months of searching for a home in the Hollywood Hills, Priscilla Woolworth put in an offer on a lush Spanish-style compound within hours of touring a property — in Valley Glen. "The Mediterranean architecture, the garden and the indoor-outdoor living space reminded me of my childhood in the south of France," Woolworth says, pouring water into a flea market glass. "I was looking for a home with soul. " That was in 2002, and soon after Woolworth moved in with daughters Arielle and Lucie.

On the first Thursday of every month in San Pedro, art lovers wander the streets of L.A.'s port town hunting for discoveries. If they stop by Gallery 741, proprietors Patti Kraakevik and longtime partner George Woytovich will gladly show their art, but more treasures reside upstairs in the couple's stunning two-story loft, a former 1930s Montgomery Ward. The entrance is designed to look like a movie palace lobby: vintage film posters, a neon popcorn concession stand, a grand staircase and a chandelier from Hollywood's El Capitan Theatre.