Don't flea from a deal - browse, barter, buy
By Lindsay Sauvageau JOURNAL CORRESPONDENT

It's true what they say, that one man's junk is another man's treasure. In my case however, it's more like one man's pullstring talking Freddie Krueger doll is one of my most prized possessions. It was, after all, taken off the shelves in 1989 when parents decided a horror movie serial killer didn't make much of a huggable kid's toy.

I paid $10 bucks for mine, though a starting bid on eBay can be anywhere between $45 and $60. But that's the beauty of shopping at flea markets, you can always find exactly what you were looking for - even if you didn't know you were looking for it.

Every time I've been to a flea market I've come home with something 'awesome' that I 'totally wasn't looking for' but was 'jazzed to discover' hidden beneath a pile of old Johnny Mathis records or behind an As-Seen-On-TV food chopper. And even when I wasn't buying anything, I've always enjoyed the sheer entertainment of browsing.

Browsing through a flea market is like discovering new worlds - things you never knew existed - could never have dreamed of - are available at flea markets, usually for under $5. Beatles' bottle openers in the shape of Ringo's head, gem encrusted toilet seat covers, the two-in-one duster and TV remote, floor-to-ceiling lava lamps, Donald Trump coloring books, signed photographs of Zsa-Zsa Gabor and so much more.

The thing is, a flea market is like the everyman's do-it-yourself retail store. Some people who sell in a flea market rent a table every once in a blue moon, when that box of "stuff" at the back of the closet threatens to take over more than just the shoe rack. Others do it whenever they need to make a quick profit in order to get those pricy little "wants" that crop up in our lives - the concerts, the car stereos, the PlayStation3s. And others utilize the flea market forum as a second or third source of income. They reserve a table for months at a time, sometimes for the year and display their wares whenever possible. These are also the same experienced sellers who produce items for co-op malls and antique shops.

No matter what the reasons are, flea markets are the most cost effective way for people to make money on the seller side and get the goods and gifts everyone is always looking for on the buyers side. An indication of how popular flea markets are is in the number of flea markets people can find right around our area. There's the Tilton & Cook Cooperative & Spruce Street Flea Market in Leominster, the Lancaster Flea market on Lunenburg Road in Lancaster, the Rietta Flea Market on Gardner Road in Hubbardston, the Dugout Flea Market on Electric Avenue in Fitchburg, Montuori's Flea Market on Massachusetts Avenue in Lunenburg and Jeffrey's Antique Co-Op on Chase Road, Route 13 in. Lunenburg.

And if that isn't enough, local groups and churches hold flea markets all the time, sometimes utilizing the event to raise money. By charging a small fee per table to local sellers they can then use the money for charity or for their organizations.

On Saturday, March 29, an indoor flea market will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the First Congregational Church, 138 Main St., Westminster. Coffee, lunch and baked goods will be available. Tables cost $15 and any vendors interested in reserving a table can call (978) 874-0632.

On Saturday, May 3, and Sunday, May 4, St. Joseph's Hall, 49 Woodland St., Fitchburg is having a flea Market. It's $10 per table; doors open for sellers at 6 a.m., for buyers at 7 a.m. To reserve a table call (978) 345-7997 or (978) 342-1546. And on Sunday, May 18 the Finnish Center at Saima Park, 67 Scott Road, Fitchburg is having a spring flea market.

Flea markets are a great way to spend a weekend morning and with spring in the air I suggest getting to one close to you. You might just find that pillow person you've been looking for since you were still in Weebox.