Taking Ownership

Old photographs are something I see for sale somewhat frequently at flea markets and vintage stores. It saddens me because I cherish the family photos I have — it's like little pieces of my ancestry in tangible form.

But for one reason or another, some photos are lost or forgotten. Ancestors evolve into strangers.

At a recent flea market stop, I decided to dig through and purchase a few of these precious photos I saw in a pile beside some knick knacks. I didn't know what I'd do with them at first, but I think to look at them and to play around with them is to appreciate them. Here are the results:

There was a whole roll of pictures that came with this photo, but I thought this one in particular kind of embodied the whole story. The lady looking at the camera is a bride on her wedding day. I love how low key this all was back then: Eating wedding cake in the kitchen of someone's house, perhaps her own home.

A small group of friends and family are gathered around the kitchen table, a few paper bells as decoration. If someone truly wanted a retro wedding, they should just have the reception at a fire hall! Looking back, I kinda wish I would've done something like that.

Side note: THAT STOVE is adorable.

This one was perhaps my favorite of the bunch because of its sepia quality and the fact that it's just so cute. My guess this was taken at a county fair, and children took turns posing as little cowboys or cowgirls.

And the hashtag I added? #mixinggenerationalbehaviorsisfunny

I wish this one wasn't so overexposed, but I think vintage swimsuits are the cutest.

I played around with coloring a black and white photo just for fun. I don't know if that looks any good, but I might practice a bit more. I learned the colorizing process on Photoshop by watching this video.

Collecting old family photos might be something I add to my collection list, as if there weren't enough things already. I am kind of at a loss at what to do with them. I think I'm going to search for people doing particular things in photos, whether they're in a certain location, on roller skates, etc. and then make a collage.

I don't know. In a way buying these photos made me feel like I took ownership of their past a bit. It was more of a cathartic experience than I initially realized. I bought these photos, among dozens of others, for $1.

Have you ever thought about repurposing old photos?

My BFF Jack

Another day, another flea market.

My recent trip to Trader Jack's, a flea market in Pittsburgh's South Hills area, was more of an impromptu trip than the trek to Rogers Community Auction a few weeks ago.

Mark was at a nearby University card show satiating his hobby appetite (baseball memorabilia), so I decided check out the nearby flea market. Mark and I have been here a few other times, and it's usually pretty hit or miss. This time around, I picked up a few cool things, but nothing major. I found a vintage Hamburglar glass, a calligraphy book, an old postcard of Mt. Rainier, and a few vintage tins. Stay tuned for a few pics of the tins in a future post. Anyway, I think I spent 5 bucks total.

While the finds were mediocre, what stood out to me was the attitude, the feel of this place. The friendliness of sellers at Jack's, especially with me holding a camera, was a complete 180 from the experience I had at Rogers.

I didn't mention it in the Rogers blog post, but I had been heckled for taking photos at the flea market. At Jack's, however, people were more curious than anything else.

"Is this for a project?"

"Are you a student?"

"You can take pictures, as long as you're not with the IRS."

I told a lot of people about the blog, although I didn't mention it by name.

One guy, who was selling the glass bottles pictured above, talked to me for about 15 minutes. The royal blue bottle, he said, was for a laundry detergent called moonshine. (If you look closely, you'll see moonshine etched on the bottle.) It apparently was a blue detergent that kept white clothes white, back in the old school days. We then discussed Pittsburgh history for awhile, including the time period when Pittsburgh didn't have the H. Blasphemy, if you ask me. Ha.

I think the conversational aspect of this place is something that's kind of a regionalism. Pittsburghers are friendly. Many talk to strangers as if they're good friends. I think it's welcoming and refreshing. While it's happened to me several times in Pittsburgh, it's also something I've never experienced anywhere else I've lived.

My favorite overheard quote? (I heard some good ones, so it might be worth a dedicated post during my next flea market trip.)

A mom talking to her kids: "This is a lot better than church, isn't it?"

What have your more memorable flea market shopping experiences been like?

Fleatastic: Rogers Community Auction

It's probably going to sound strange, but flea markets make me a bit nostalgic.

On Friday, Mark and I headed to Rogers Community Auction. Located in Ohio just a few miles beyond the Pennsylvania border, it's one of the biggest flea markets in the region.

Rogers is almost like a county fair, in environment and vast space. Between the smell of fried foods permeating the air, livestock on sale, even a LIVE merry-go-round with donkeys, the place draws an interesting crowd.

Of course, it has the staples of a standard flea market: vintage postcards, tools, furniture, brick-a-brac, succulents, Amish baked goods. It's all here.

This place reminds me a lot of the flea market that was held down the road from where I grew up. There was a mix of indoor and outdoor markets, fresh produce and bizarre goods. (A friend found moon shoes there once for a dollar. Needless to say, I was very jealous.) The flea market I grew up going to almost every Sunday after church, called the Wildwood Peddler's Fair, closed four or five years ago. Rogers is the first place I've been to that actually has more variety in vendors and items.

The biggest drawback to Rogers is that the flea market is only open on Fridays, making it difficult to go very often. Mark had the day off, but I took a work comp day so we could spend the day there.

The hunt started out slow, since it looked like it could start pouring down rain at any moment. Vendors were already beginning to pack up and go when we got there. But out of nowhere, the sun came out, and we started finding goodies. I found a Peanuts mug with the Christmas scene on it for a couple bucks (I collect way too many cute and quirky mugs), mark found an old, rare bobblehead from a local minor league team for five bucks (baseball-related items are his addiction), and I got a pack of Garbage Pail Kids cards for a dollar.

Our best find though was a bar cart, with big, bicycle-like wheels for five dollars. I've been eyeing them up for awhile, and was loving the idea, since liquor takes up an embarrassing amount of our kitchen counter space. I was nearly giddy when the vendor told me the price. I'll have a future post about the cart, since there need to be a few DIY fixes before it's fully functional.

While driving an hour away to a flea market isn't the best time ever, there were some interesting roadside attractions that made the commute worthwhile, including a 20-foot tall gold statue of a muscle man, and Santa Claus. (proof below)

PS If you're wondering about the frumpy "yinzer" outfit, it's the best way to go flea market shopping. It's comfortable, but also, I tend to get better offers and have more success haggling than when I've worn something nicer to a flea market or yard sale, like a dress and boots.

Does anyone have a favorite flea market or favorite flea market find?