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Swap Meets & Flea Markets
Overview: Swap Meet and Flea Market are interchangeable terms. Swap Meets are scattered throughout Los Angeles. There are not many because of other types of stores where you can purchase second hand products such as thrift stores. Swap Meets are basically markets or bizaars in parking lots, auditoriums or warehouses where vendors – one time individuals to commercial vendors – sell second-hand merchandise. The merchandise range from socks to electronics to furniture.
At the Swap Meets, you’ll find stations and tables lined with vendors. You’ll also find plenty of vendors selling food and drinks and Swap Meets usually have music playing. Swap Meets, which have been around for decades, have been notorious in the past, selling bootleg copies of dvds and other items. But the California Swap Meet Association has cleaned up the image of Swap Meets, setting guidelines and following them. Make sure to negotiate prices and walk away if the vendor doesn’t meet your price. Remember, the large vendors selling second-hand items got them for pennies and dollars at garage sales, and the like.
Of note, the Rose Bowl Flea Market is perhaps the largest swap meet/flea market in Los Angeles. The powers that be describe the Rose Bowl Flea Market as “the shopping place of the Stars” and “one of the most famous markets in the World.” Flea Markets are supposed to be a shoppers bargain but they charge $8/person. Here is a list of Swap Meets in Los Angeles:
Alameda Swap Meet: 4501 S Alameda St, Los Angeles, CA 90058, ph: (323) 233-2764
Hours: Mon – Fri, 10am – 7pm, Sat – Sun, 9am – 7pm
Lankershim Swap Meet: 7355 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91605, ph: (818) 765-8244
Los Angeles City College Swap Meet: 4133 Marathon St, Los Angeles, CA 90017, site: www.sfsswapmeet.com/lacc, ph: (323) 913-3931
Hours: Sundays from 9am – 33pm
Cost: $1 entry
Marketplace: Corner of De Soto Ave and Nordhoff St, Chatsworth, CA, ph: (818) 886-0108
Hours: Fri – Sun
Pasadena City College: T-Building, Room 110, 1570 E. Colorado Blvd. Pasadena, CA. 91106, site: www.pasadena.edu/fleamarket, (626)-585-7906
Hours: First Sunday of the month, 8am – 3pm
Rose Bowl Flea Market: 1001 Rose Bowl Drive, Pasadena, CA 91103, site: www.rgcshows.com, ph: (323) 560-7469
Hours: Second Sunday of the month, 9am – 3pm
Cost: $8/ticket, $10 – $15 for early admittance, kids under 12 are free
Roadium Open Air Market: 2500 Redondo Beach Blvd, Torrance, CA 90504, site: www.roadium.com, ph: (323) 321-3920
Hours: All week, 6am – 4pm
Slauson Indoor Swap Meet: 1600 W Slauson Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90047, ph: (323) 778-6055
Union Indoor Swapmeet: 4632 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90029, ph: (323) 913-3850
Valley Indoor Swap Meet: 6701 Variel Ave, Canoga Park, CA 91303, ph: (818) 340-9120
Hours: Every day, 10am – 6pm