All Over Albany

Albany Flea / At The Warehouse

Opening Sunday at Albany Flea.

So if you've been to At The Warehouse - the salvage/ craft / flea market behind the Miss Albany Diner, you know the place is kind of a hodge-podge of interesting finds.

If you're in the market for a giant stoplight, or some handmade jewelery, some restored old chairs, a little artisan honey, or a vintage doorknob, it's a good place to look.

But last Sunday they kicked off something new - Albany Flea. It's a weekly outdoor flea market that will be open every Sunday through October.

So,what's it like?

Well, this weekend I found an eclectic mix of clothing, furniture, household goods and gourmet foods--but the selection was kind of sparse. I suspect that's because this was their first weekend. We'll have to see if it fills out a bit in future weeks.

Vendors were selling vintage clothing and costume jewelry, brass candlesticks, t-shirts, old toys, used Barbie and Ken dolls ($5), a set of chairs ($30 each or 4 for $100) a badly-peeling small church pew, a vintage crib ($5), plants, and other assorted tchotchkes.

Most of the stuff was reasonably priced. Expect to spend time browsing, since it's kind of a grab bag -- you might find something great but you might completely strike out.

 

If you're interested in scoping it out before you go, you can check out a list of vendors (including links to some of their websites). They're still looking for vendors for the rest of the summer. If you've got something to sell, here's how to contact them.

What I found inside was a bit more interesting. The indoor part of At the Warehouse is a year round weekend (and Wednesday afternoon) market also hosted by Silver Fox Enterprises (the folks who run Silver Fox Architectural Salvage). Vendors are set up among the architectural salvage materials and antiques. You'll find Dreaming Lion Tarot, fine art photography by Victor Grant, Sundaes Best Hot Fudge, and Meg Savoy's Vintage Snow Folk (glass bottles filled with marbles, dice, and other found items topped by adorable snowman faces, $10-16).



There are also lots of quirky pieces like a salvaged door with doorknobs for hanging things attached to a small storage bench ($295), piano keys ($2 each) and window frames, doors, sconces, doorknob plates, decorative pieces of wood and more. Some of the pieces are in slight disrepair. For example, there was a set of four chairs ($280), but two of them clearly needed a lot of restorative work, with lumpy and misshapen seat cushions, stained and torn fabric. It seems more likely that you'll find a hidden gem among the salvaged pieces if you're handy and really know what you're looking for and what you're looking at. Make sure you see the kids' book section indoors (a pretty big selection in decent condition, priced $0.75-5.00).

Albany Flea is open Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Parking was fine -- there are some spots on the side of the building plus on-street parking. There's an ATM on site, plus a cafe.