I haven’t been to a flea market in many years. From memory, I believe the last one I visited was with some friends on a visit back to Canada a few years ago.
Like the name suggests, a flea market sells a collection of items for bargain basement prices – the size of a “flea”.
Just around the corner (literally) from where I’m staying in Jaffa is one of the biggest demonstrations of a flea market that I’ve ever seen. To me, it is more like an extremely large garage (or in the UK, car boot) sale. There are stands everywhere selling everything you can imagine. It can all be summed up in one word – randomness.
Approaching Jaffa flea market...
Today I took a bit of a break from my busy work schedule to grab a coffee nearby the market and see if I could find any hidden treasures.
The walk from my flat to the market is literally 5 minutes. Before hitting the mayhem, I decide to stroll through a small residential area that leads into some nice cafes and bars. It is really lovely and quiet – far from what I am about to experience as soon as I head into the busy and bustling market full of vendors.
After I pass the houses (which are worth quite a pretty penny I’m sure) I see a few pretty posh looking bars and cafes. I am told that there is a really good atmosphere in these bars but they are a bit pricey – I will have to save this experience for a special occasion of some sort.
I then start to see shops appearing that have a number of “collectables” of random things – books, artifacts, DVDs, etc. Ah, yes, I am approaching my destination.
Jaffa Flea Market
There is a large square in front of me with people and “stuff” everywhere. I’ve walked through here on the weekend and this square is typically empty, excluding a small bar/cafe that has some live music on a Sat afternoon. This coming weekend I actually plan on visiting the live music to take some culture in – Yaffo style 
.
Today, though, is a far cry from the relaxed atmosphere I’ve seen on Saturday. To put it bluntly – it’s a mess (balagan in Hebrew) of people, things and noise. As I said in my last post, I love the market atmosphere. This market is a bit of a shock to the system but I’m up for it. I wander around and see if I can find anything I like.
Most of the items, from what I make out, are about 5 shekels (under US$1.50) per piece. Not a bad deal if I can find something that I like. Over the years, and with my many travels, I’ve learned (the hard way) that accumulating “stuff” isn’t always the best idea. Saying that, though, I love a good bargain.
Fancy a drink?
I’m told that you can get the best buys at this market early on a Sunday morning. Since its the start of the work week, I guess the vendors have gotten a bunch of new inventory (or possibly other peoples garbage) over the weekend. It is also said that if you are the first customer on the first day of the week, the seller hopes a quick sale will bring him luck throughout the week.
Since its Tuesday I may be out of luck in finding what I want and getting a bargain (but how can you really negotiate on 5 shekels??).
If I’m honest, there is a lot of junk – as is typically normal with these types of sales. However there appears to be some treasures. There are a lot of copper items, some interesting jewelry as well as some really unique Judaica items that I could always get for myself or as a unique souvenier. Today, I’m not really interested in any of these items, though, so I decide to give it a pass and continue to have a giggle on some of the items on display.
Some of my faves -
- Old used telephones from times of yesteryore
- Slippers in the shape of one of the seven drawfs
- A zebra that is two times the size of me
- Mini bottles of booze – if this environment is too much to handle
Trade in your mobile for these beauties!
The best part of this place is that it is fun. You can wander around, take in the buzzing atmosphere, haggle to get some bargains if you want and grab a cup of coffee all at the same. Sounds lik
Gotta love the slippers!
e a cheap day out to me.
I plan to go back again this weekend as well as on Sunday to see if the old myth of getting the best deals/items is true.
If you don’t live right next door or are visiting the area, it’s really easy to get here. Just take Bus 10 or 8 from Tel Aviv Center and get off when you see the clock tower. There are signs to direct you to the flea market. For more information on the Jaffa Flea Market, click here. Enjoy, Miriam
