Seasoned With Sydney

I love flea markets.

Love them.

Love, love, love them.

But I've always been THAT person that goes to many, and never finds anything. Meanwhile, other people are finding all these rare treasures at insanely low prices, and doing it like it's the easiest thing in the world. I love flea markets, but sometimes they just don't love me.

And sometimes they do.

One of the things I love about living in Boston is the big vintage presence. There are tons of thrift stores and consignment shops to go around. There are also, in the summer (and in some cases, all-year-round) open markets. This past Sunday, I took my second trip to arguably Boston's biggest and busiest open market, SOWA, located in the South End. (A friend told me yesterday that SOWA, stands for South Washington.)

This place has it all: food trucks, handmade craft kiosks, and an entire floor dedicated to vintage clothes, silverware, instruments, furniture, housewares...You name it, it's there. And in any other setting, I might find such a huge selection to be quite daunting and overwhelming, but not at SOWA. At SOWA, you embrace it, own it, and you say "excuse me" a LOT to the millions of people clogging up the aisles like they're the only ones there.

I'm moving into a new apartment soon, which means an entirely new decor that I've planned out. Bearing this in mind, I looked for things that would go well, and BOY DID I SCORE BIG THIS TIME!

Aren't they great? The picture really doesn't do the clock's color any justice. In person, it's this very brilliant turquoise color. The owner of the shop uses chalkboard paint exclusively on all of his vintage pieces, and adds a little shabby chic flair to each one. When I saw it, I looked at the price, put it down, and said that I would think about it. Then I saw another woman come in, pick it up, then put it down. So what did I do? Yep, that's right, I picked it up and immediately took it to the register. Shopping is a battle til the end, baby.

Also a sucker for scented candles, I bought this as a trial-run for some of the vendor's bigger sizes:

It smells heavenly, and I love it even more, because buying it means that I have supported a local business.

And I'm all about local business.

All in all, it was a REALLY good day for a lover of flea markets that's usually down on her luck.

And if you're looking for other great markets in the city, my personal favorite is located in Davis, and happens every Sunday from June through October!

HAPPY MARKETING!