eveninghour

Ever since I was a kid I’ve been taught the value of thrift, and despite my sometime dalliances with overspending, I am generally a fiscally responsible person—I baulk at the idea of paying $100 for a pair of jeans or the brand name of an ordinary-looking shoe when I can get something similar for far less, and I am wary of blindly following stocktake sales’ supposed slashed prices. So, it comes as no surprise that we loves teh flea markets! Not just for the bargains, but for all the quirky, weird things that you encounter! It’s brilliant for those days when you’re having creativity drought. I love retro kitsch, and there is no better place to find it than at a flea market (or a car boot sale, or a trash and treasure, or a second hand market, or the Sunday market or a thrift market, or whatever you like to call it). Apparently the world’s largest flea market, not counting eBay (hah!) is in the US, spanning from Kentucky to Alabama, 450 miles wide (about 724km, that’s almost the distance from Melbourne to Sydney!). God I would love to travel along there. It’d be like a road trip plus a shopping spree at the same time.

I got these craft supplies at the Coburg Trash and Treasure Market (the one with the still existing Village movie drive-in, which is probably the closest to my house, and has a bit of variety) last Sunday. Haggled them down to $5 for all, but the savings are still huge since I’m always going to Lincraft and Spotlight. At least I’ll have enough eyelets and clips to last me a while!

My frequent market haunts on Sunday:

• Coburg Trash and Treasure Market
  Coburg Drive-In, Newlands Road, Coburg
  8am - 2pm
  New and used goods for sale.
• Rubble and Riches Market
  Leakes Road, Laverton
  Trash and treasure stalls
• Pipeworks Market
  400 Mahoneys Rd, Campbellfield
  Open 9am-5pm
  Fresh produce, aquarium, pet shop, plants, furniture, carpets and rugs, homewares, giftware, technology, memorabilia, pictures and frames, mens, ladies and childrens wear.
• Queen Victoria Market
  Cnr Elizabeth and Victoria Streets, Melbourne
  Closed Mondays and Wednesdays, opens at 6am
  Melbourne’s famous fresh produce market. On Sundays becomes a huge general goods market.
  * The Suzuki Night Market is also worth checking out if only for the lovely summery atmosphere! Begins 26 November 2008–25 February 2009!

There are plenty of other worthy markets, especially in the eastern side for more exotic riches, like Prahran Market or South Melbourne Market but I don’t go beyond my home in the north-west that often. There’s a comprehensive list of flea/art/craft markets in Melbourne here.

Have I introduced my newest tenant in my bedroom/studio/study/library?

Super hot action figure, no? If you remember, I bought it at Armageddon. I find myself staring at the extremely well defined muscles quite frequently, kudoes to the designer. Speaking of Batman, I cannot wait for Detective Comics #850, which technically should be released today, but we are always a day ahead of the United States. Damn.