Thursday, August 16, 2012

Review: Topanga Vintage Market

A couple weekends ago I had a chance to go check out a new local event:  the Topanga Vintage Market.
It's only been going for few months, so it's still in it's growing phase...and with the hot summer weather it'll be a little rough going for a while. Come October when it cools down, though,  I definitely plan on making it a regular thing. It's held at the Westfield Promenade in Woodland Hills, the 4th Sunday of every month. It's very small compared to, say, the Rose Bowl or the Long Beach Antique Fair, but that's kind of nice...it's not overwhelming and it costs less to get in!

Here's what I found: lots of vendors who specialize in housewares, like this booth which was almost entirely vintage Pyrex.



If you were decorating your house or apartment, this market would be a great place to go!
Check out this fabulous lamp:



There were two separate vendors selling vintage posters. this one was my favorite:



He had so many great posters, from mostly the 50's  & 60's with a bit of 70's thrown in.


I think my absolute favorite item that I saw was this petite suitcase:



It had colorful old travel stickers from exotic places all over both sides, and was perfectly banged-up and aged...I loved thinking about who might have owned it and how they carried it all over the world. I've seen faux versions of this type of thing, but this one was the real deal! The price was no deal, though...this vendor was an ex-set designer and she had a great eye, but her prices were astronomical! In my opinion, anyway...



I also found a few cute clothes & accessories, like this Collins bag with a roadrunner:



It was a bit overpriced, I think, at about $70 or so. It was in good shape, but I see them on eBay with some frequency for a lot less than this.


Even the snack stand was cute & vintage!



We ended up leaving pretty quickly as it was getting too hot on the blacktop of the parking lot, but I did manage to score a great sparkly pair of glitter & Lucite clip-on earrings from the late 50's or early 60's for ten bucks.
You'll see them soon...I'm working on a how-to post on how to convert clip-on earrings to post earrings.

Overall, it was fun, and although a few of the vendors had crazy-high prices, most of them were very fair in their pricing. The selection is heavy on the housewares and light on the clothing side, at least it was the day I was there. I'd say if you're an LA local, or you just happen to be passing through the San Fernando Valley, it's worth a trip!
Here's a link to their website for more info: http://www.topangavintagemarket.com/
 
I'm so lucky that there are enough flea markets and vintage markets around L.A. that I can go to one every weekend, if I want to!
What flea markets or vintage markets do you all like to go to?

7 comments:

  1. Wow I absolutely adore that suitcase and the beaded the beaded bag, such fabulous things! You can't beat a vintage market! XxxX http://thesecondhandrose.blogspot.co.uk

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  2. I may have to check it out. I still need to go to the Long Beach swap meet though!

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  3. If you are in the South Bay, check out the Downtown Torrance Antique Street Faire, held every 4th Sunday. 200+ sellers & free admission & parking and held on the city streets with trees and ocean breeze! For more info. http://www.torranceantiquefaire.com

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  4. Loving the airstream coffee bar! They are so expensive but man, are they fabulous. That suitcase is a thing of beauty, I love those old travel stickers. x

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  5. You have such cool things in the States! A whole booth full of pyrex? Sounds like heaven!! :)

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  6. The Los Angeles flea markets are legendary! How lucky you are to have them. Nothing good to speak of in Texas. Round Top is waaay over-rated.

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  7. Topanga Vintage Market returns this Sunday, Oct 28! Thank you for the write up, and we hope to see you again, soon. Please stop by the middle entrance booth and say 'hi' to me and Lori, the owners. We'd love to meet you and hear more of your thoughts about the market!

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