These fleas don't bite!

Heading out to the flea market today at the Kentucky Fairgrounds. I totally love the Stewart Promotions shows. I've been going since I was a kid. I remember going one time with my dad and being too sick to handle more than a couple rows of vendors. After that, I threw in the towel and went home to bed. The joke in the family was that I must have been really sick to have left the flea market before seeing the whole thing!

My flea marketing started early. In my hometown, there was a weekly flea market on Wednesdays at the stockyards. It grew out of the days when Wednesday was the day farmers took their livestock into sell. The flea market evolved as a way for them to buy tools and such on the spot. By the time I came along, you could find anything there. In the summer, my best friend Thomas and I used to head there and look for old comics. Once there was an article in a local paper about the flea market and it mentioned a boy searching through a pile of comics. I've always been convinced it was referring to one of us.

A lot of the small town roadside flea markets have gone away, but the one I went to as a kid is still there and still going. I think that's pretty cool.

Before she got sick, my mom and I would get together once or twice a year to go to this flea market. I went to the one on July 4 weekend, which was one of the ones we would go to. It was part of our celebration for her birthday, which was July 6. I really felt like I needed to go as a way to remember her. It felt strange being without her, but it also made me remember some of the fun we had going together.

My targets have gotten broader than comics these days, although I'll still look for those as well. I'll also be searching for merch, of course. The flea market has become the place where I pick up bags, stands and other supplies I need for the booth. I can find them there at a reasonable price.

There's also a special antique section this weekend. I always love to spend time in those. I usually can't afford anything (and there's definitely not much for resale), but the stuff is cool to look at. It's also a good place to learn about things I might want to know for my own reselling ventures.

I'm supposedly all grown up now, but I still love the flea market as much as I did when I was younger. Above all else, it's a fun way to spend the day. If I find anything cool or fun, I'll post about it later.