Jim Cardell wasn't in the market for anything.
He and his wife, Jackie, were in Maine for a weekend of sightseeing and good restaurants. But the Arundel Swap Meet, a 200-dealer flea market on Route 1, caught their eye.
A few minutes after getting there, Cardell had a 60-year-old copy of the Disney book "Snow White" in his hand. It was a little beat up around the corners, so dealer Howie Ross was only asking $5. Without really thinking about it, Cardell gladly paid.
"My wife wanted it, it's from her childhood," said Cardell, of Burlington, Vt. "I don't know what we'll do with it, probably give it to the grandkids."
Ross, who has been dealing pop culture relics at flea markets for years, smiled with satisfaction.
"People want things that reflect their self-image, that says something about themselves" said Ross, 54, of Kennebunk.
Two tables over, dealer Eileen Johnson summed up the lure of flea markets more succinctly.
"It's about memories," said Johnson, 51, a nurse who lives in Saco. "It's about finding a purse like your grandmother had."
Flea markets in Maine are the last bastion of affordable collectibles for a lot of people. The poor man's antiquing, if you will. A hodgepodge of treasures and junk heaped onto tables, with a wily dealer willing to dicker over every item.
The Arundel Swap Meet's dealers regularly display an eclectic assortment of goods, such as the "Howdy Doody" lunch box from the 1950s, Bakelite jewelry and cutlery from the 1940s.
But Maine's flea markets are also places to find the stuff of everyday life. A very sturdy tricycle - a heavy metal one from the 1970s, not the plastic ones of today - went for just $7 at the Waterfront Flea Market on Maine Street in Brunswick a couple weeks ago.
Flea market dealers say the number of regular flea markets in Maine has gone down over the years to the point where there are probably fewer than a dozen statewide.
Flea markets have been hurt by the rise of "antique malls," big indoor shops where a large group of antique dealers leave their things to be sold on consignment. These tend to be pricier than flea markets and they lack the excitement of bargaining, face to face, with a dealer for the best price.
Flea markets have also been hurt, at least a little, by the rise of dollar stores. Some of the same odd-lot and retail salvage stuff found at dollar stores shows up at flea markets as well.
The city-owned Portland Exposition Building hosted a flea market every week for about 15 years. But by 2000, the building's managers started to see a steady flow of home shows, craft shows and other events. Those events made more money than the meager rent paid for tables by flea market dealers. So in 2001 the city abandoned the regular flea market altogether.
Still, very few events combine all the elements found in flea markets. There are bargains, collectible pieces of history, and the ability to while away a day browsing through bins of memories.
"If you want something under $65, the flea markets are the place to go. Those dealers know everything there is to know about things under $65," said Ed Welch, 62, a longtime antique dealer and flea market shopper from Winslow. "You could very well luck into something worth a lot more, too."
Welch thinks flea markets have dwindled because it is easier for someone to run a group antique shop. You take in some items from dealers, and keep them in the shop until they sell. With a flea market, the owner rents tables to dealers. So the owner has to hope a good number of dealers show up every day. This can be especially tricky since many flea markets, such as Arundel, are outdoor affairs and extremely dependent on the weather. Most run weekends only, though some are open every day in the summer.
Flea markets in some ways are like big group yard sales. At Arundel, for instance, dealers show up at 3 a.m. to get the table they want. The 200 or so tables are clustered in a parking lot next door to Arundel Antiques, and store owner Joanne Cacciapaglia runs the flea market. Dealers rent the tables for $3 to $8 a day, depending on the day. Sunday is the most expensive day.
On the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, dealer Howie Ross showed up in Arundel at the leisurely hour of 4:30 a.m., instead of his usual 3 a.m. starting time. Because of his tardiness, Ross lost his favorite spot, near the entrance, to another dealer.
Still, Ross got a pretty good corner spot to display his old 45 rpm records, lunch boxes and pop culture memorabilia. Like most dealers, Ross gets his wares from a variety of sources. He buys things from people's attics, he networks with collectors, he goes to other flea markets.
The price range of Ross's merchandise was huge. Ross said he paid $300 for the Howdy Doody lunch box and thought it was worth as much as $650. Other items were much less pricey. He was asking only $5 for the "Snow White" book and $5 for a framed picture of Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Ross, who was a tree pruner before hurting his back and taking up collectibles as his full-time job, has regular customers who seek him out at flea markets.
On Saturday, Jay Hamilton of Lisbon Falls showed up in Arundel because he heard Ross had an original Howdy Doody lunch box in very good condition. Before dealing directly with Ross, whom he's known for more than 10 years, Hamilton asks someone else what the lunch box is going for.
"I can't go that high, maybe he's got something else I want," said Hamilton, 35, who collects Matchbox cars, lunch boxes, records and bubble bath containers. "I collect a lot of stuff, I'll find something else I'm interested in."
Hamilton and other Arundel regulars say their other favorite flea markets in the area include Montsweag Flea Market, an open-air spot on Route 1 in Woolwich, and Waterfront Flea Market, an indoor flea market in a giant mill building on Maine Street in Brunswick.
Norma Scopino, owner of Montsweag, says she's having a very good year. She's seen the crowds at her flea market increase over the years whenever the economy goes a little slack. People start hunting for bargains, as well as valuables they might make some money off of.
Scopino, 71, started the flea market 27 years ago when she found herself unemployed. She was living in the family farmhouse, on a big field just off Route 1, and a neighbor suggested she use the choice spot for a flea market. The place attracts 85 to 100 dealers every weekend.
"Some people just come here to have their yard sales, and some have nice antiques," said Scopino.
The Waterfront Flea Market in Brunswick bridges the two extremes of flea markets. Some of the items for sale there on a recent rainy Saturday included:
A late 18th century wicker baby carriage, labeled "The Cadillac of Prams," $300;
An early 20th Century Royal manual typewriter, $75;
A porcelain zebra, of recent vintage, $20;
A Radio Flyer wagon, probably 20 years old, $70;
"300 Ways To Prepare Eggs," a paperback cookbook from 1954, $3;
A 1970s blue tricycle with chrome fender and solid tires, good condition, $7; and
Hot Wheels cars, new, $1 to $2.
There were also recent paperback books, such as "The Perfect Storm," mingling with 18th century silverware sets with asking prices of several hundred dollars.
At Arundel, many dealers don't mark their collectibles with prices. So you have to ask. And asking is the first step toward bargaining.
China Manku, who came from London, England, to vacation in Maine, was strolling through the Arundel flea market last Saturday when a wooden camera from the 1890s caught his eye. The camera had a folding accordion lens and used a glass slide instead of film. The asking price was $75 and Manku, a camera collector, asked dealer Chuck Dorion if $70 would be enough. Manku might have made a tactical error: He showed a lot of interest and pretty much said he wanted to buy it before asking for a lower price. Dorion wouldn't lower the price.
Dorion, 52, of Waterville, was dealing from a table that included cameras, pens, jewelry and all sorts of old household items. He was asking $5 for an aspirin tablet tin, circa 1910.
"When people ask me if there's anything nobody collects yet, I say Styrofoam cups," said Dorion. "But who knows, somebody will probably start."
And if somebody does, a flea market will be the place to sell them.
Staff Writer Ray Routhier can be contacted at 791-6454 or at:
rrouthier@pressherald.com
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