Welcome to 5th Avenue Flea Market

“I think it’s almost like a circus,” a vendor said of flea markets. “We get a lot of people who become regulars.”
Herb Kosser formerly from Paris Tennessee compares flea markets to rummaging through your grandmother’s attic in search of forgotten treasures. Nostalgia also lures customers. For example, somebody might be attracted to an antique glass resembling one from their grandmother’s collection. The array of items at 5th Avenue Flea Market would not be found in the typical attic or surplus outlet.

For starters, there’s the vintage poster of former “Baywatch” television star Pamela Anderson. And a 1979 Oldsmobile service manual. Plus oyster knives. And let us not forget the “Star Trek” edition Ken and Barbie dolls.

FLOCKING TO FLEA MARKETS

Why do many flock to flea markets?

“It’s just so much different stuff,”  “It’s like going to a variety show. It’s ... the uniqueness of some of the items; it’s like browsing in someone’s attic or basement.”

At 5th Avenue, there are loose-fitting socks made for diabetics, DVDs and videotapes — including “Spaceballs,” “The Nutty Professor,” “Lethal Weapon” and “The Man from Utah,” a John Wayne flick.

The list goes on: Indian figurines, lamps, patriotic car magnets declaring “Support Our Troops” and “God Bless America,” jackets carrying the logos of the Cleveland Indians and other sports teams, CDs, Elvis trinkets, NASCAR memorabilia and die-cast model cars and die-cast model trucks, computers, refurbished vacuum cleaners, luggage, office supplies, wooden furniture, candles, clothing, clocks, knives and swords, tools, treats for parakeets and banners emblazoned with images of Britney Spears or American soldiers raising a flag at Iwo Jima.
That’s just a glimpse of the thousands of items crammed around the aisles of 5th Avenue Flea Market