is far more bead-rich than California! I sigh with bead envy, Stefany, reading about all the choices of different antique markets and car boot sales you have in just a week! Here, it used to be a little better....

For more than 30 years a market thrived, called the Marin City Flea Market. It had antiques and every kind of junk imaginable. David and I met there in 1994. It so happened that I was selling there at the time. From that point on, until it closed in 1995, we went there together, mostly to shop but sometimes to sell, every Sunday morning, weather permitting.

Nostalgia! Also met Tiger-Tiger and Kamol there for the first time ever. And Juliet, who sells many Czech beads at our Nor Cal bead society show used to set up at Marin City as well.
Kamol set up on a tarp on the ground in those days. This was a very large market with hundreds of vendors, including food concessions.

Indeed, times have changed. The flea market was a living for many vendors. Owners of the land sold to a developer, and an ordinary mall was built...most businesses have not lasted there for more than 5 years at a time. I never go there.

There is a huge wonderful antique and collectibles flea market in the East Bay here in Northern Ca. at Alameda Point once a month. It's 100 miles round trip for us so we don't go often, but it's grand for sure.

In our immediate area these days, there are a few regular flea markets. But they are changing. In my opinion, partly due to the convenience of the internet. There are fewer and fewer beads to be found, and the flea market selections seem to be less and less interesting. At least to me. There's fishing gear, books, record albums, used cooking utensils, used clothes and shoes......I'm falling asleep just thinking about it. I go less and less. Sellers AND shoppers of beads and bead jewelry go less and less, and I think they are spending more of their time and money toward bead craft and collectibles on the internet. The last few times I set up with a table of beads at these local markets it was a waste of time better spent tossing a few items up on the BCN classifieds!

Speaking of the BCN classifieds.....the more the merrier, it's free, and much less of a hassle than most any venue!