• There is a parking lot at the high school where the fair is, and there are usually spaces if you get there early enough. Neighborhood parking is not permit, but usually very crowded. There are also meters along Lincoln Boulevard.
• This is a small outdoor market, and is not held rain or shine.
• The entry fee is $1, until people start packing up around 2.
• The nearest ATM is diagonally across the street at Albertson’s (Bank of America), or grab a cup of “coffee” at their Starbucks – you can get up to $100 cash back.
• This is a good market for furniture, vintage dresses, glassware, and other household oddities. Prices are more than reasonable and I often find myself forgetting to haggle.

• There is no entry fee for this market.
• This is, without question, my favorite Los Angeles flea market that I have to drive to (John Muir still wins because it’s so close, and sometimes I like small). I have gotten such amazing bargains here that I sort of felt bad cheating the vendors who didn’t know as much about their goods as I did. Not only does this market take up two outdoor parking lots, but an indoor parking garage as well, where the top floor is reserved for the record swap. Plan to spend an entire morning here, if not longer.
• There is reportedly free parking at the parking garage on Del Mar Blvd. or on the east side of campus at the Bonnie Avenue parking lot.

• While the parking is free here (if there are no other events going on at the airport), the admission is unnecessarily pricey and complicated: it can run anywhere from $3 (seniors, or admission with flyer from another month’s market) to $8 (regular last Sunday admission). I’ve also heard that the first Sunday’s admission is $4, while the last Sunday’s admission is $7, unless you get there between 6am and 8am, when it’s $8. I don’t remember what I’ve actually paid to get in, but it was probably too much.
• Don’t expect to find a lot of bargains here. Some of the same vendors were at the high school the day before, and their prices rise for this high-end market. Still, it’s a market with good stuff, and if you can’t make it out to Pasadena and you’ve got the itch, it’ll do.

• Admission is $2 ($1 for students): “The Melrose Trading Post is the most successful ongoing fund-raiser in the history of the Los Angeles Unified School District!”
• Because I’m so deeply entrenched in the west side, I’ve never been here. But here is a fabulous account of this market, from Losanjealous – a must-read.

• There is no entry fee for this market.
• Parking is difficult here if you arrive later in the day or if there is another event going on at the school, so get there early and pull into the school parking lot. You should be able to wedge yourself in somewhere.
• This is a very small market but three of my favorite vendors sell here, so it’s usually worth it to go. There’s really only one or two furniture vendors (and one that has nice stuff but totally outrageous prices); mostly this is a good market for odds and ends, as well as records and jewelry.

A table of things at the Venice flea market

• The Rose Bowl also has a tiered entry fee system. From 9-3, adult admission is $8 (children are free). From 8-9, admission is $10, from 7-8, admission is $15, and from 5-7, admission is $20.
• This is an outdoor market, but it is held rain or shine.
• Parking is plentiful and free, albeit pretty far away. Don’t be put off from buying that sofa though; you can pull your car round to the loading area long enough to pack it full.
• Do bring plenty of cash with you, especially if you’re looking for something specific, because you’re likely to find it. There is an ATM here, but the lines are long and the fees are very high (I think something like $6 per transaction?)
• The food here is delicious, but also very expensive ($12 for a hot dog? something like that). Plan on spending a fair amount on lunch or eating elsewhere.

If Long Beach weren’t so far away, I would go there all the time. But the prices would also be higher. Long Beach is a collector’s mecca, and at reasonable prices. They have some of the best thrift and vintage stores in Southern California, and this market is no exception. Make a day of this one, you won’t be disappointed.

BGCV has a lot of glasses and dishware, some lamps, a lot of heavy wood furniture (dressers and such) from the 80’s, a lot of chairs, and other assorted knickknacks and furniture. Their prices range from being outrageously over the top for a thrift store (in line with vintage store prices) to being totally normal, and it seems sort of arbitrary. Still, you can find a good deal here every once in a while.