10 Best Flea Markets in Pennsylvania

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What Traits Do the Best Flea Markets in Pennsylvania Share?

Accessibility

Since best lies in the eyes of the beholder, we have to lay down a few ground rules for making judgments.

To survive as full-time Pennsylvania flea marketers, vendors need a large, regular crowd, and the public needs a one-stop Keystone State shopping experience.

Accessibility is vital for coaxing elders, mobility aid users, and families with children in strollers to shop with you.

Consequently, flea markets on paved lots with handicap-accessible bathrooms and parking spaces should proudly proclaim their ADA compliance right at the top of their website landing page and social media.

Nearby public transportation such as buses and light rail systems add to the attraction and relieve parking pressure. 

Size

Both the number of indoor and outdoor spaces and the size of the daily, regular crowd matter — a lot!

Empty booths and early departures teach Pennsylvania patrons not to bother arriving later than early afternoon, making evening sales impossible.

Intermittent markets that cancel when inclement weather hits also cause patrons to quit coming.

Sporadic buyers and lackadaisical vendors will gut a thriving Keystone State market.

Still, the opposite remains equally valid: Be there, in place, on time every day the flea market opens, and people will make your booth a destination.

Pennsylvania’s flea market customers and vendors have a huge advantage thanks to the proximity of numerous Eastern Pennsylvania flea markets running on the same weekly or monthly schedule.

So instead of cursing the competition, convince your customer base to treat flea market trips as an all-day affair. 

Longevity

The longer a Pennsylvania flea market has operated, the more loyal its fans and patrons become.

If you return with new and exciting offerings, your public will pull out their wallets before reaching your table.

Also, nothing makes a Pennsylvania flea market vendor happier than being asked about on their social media community page.

A flea market in continuous operation attracts and retains more customers than a pop-up show, so find the oldest ones and stick with them.

Location, Location, Location!

For vendors, the closer additional thriving, well-known flea markets lie to your favorite market, the better, as long as the other markets open on days when your favorite one closes.

For example, combine vending on Saturday and Sunday at Jake’s Flea Market, 1380 PA-100 in Barto, with a Tuesday show at Root’s Old Mill Flea Market located at 705 Graystone Road in Manheim.

Your Pennsylvania customers will love going from one to another in a single weekend, so mix it up and set up at the neighboring flea market every few weekends.

Novelty keeps customers interested, though, so cherry-pick your stock.

If potential purchasers think you stock the same merchandise every time, they will tune you out, pass you by, and spend their hard-earned cash with another flea market vendor in the Keystone State.

The 10 Best Flea Markets in Pennsylvania

Eastern PA has Western PA beat hands down regarding the total number of flea market shows, their proximity to one another, and their complementary schedules.

However, do not underestimate Western PA markets since several excellent flea markets in neighboring Ohio lie within an hour’s drive of the PA border.

1. Jake’s Flea Market

Start with Jake’s Flea Market at RT 100, Barto, PA.

This flea market features live music onstage between April and Christmas throughout the season.

Folk guitarist/harmonica player Steve Walker opens the month of May with Appalachian mountain bar songs, classic humor, and a smooth voice.

Next, Nick Franclik, original singer/songwriter Naelee McCann, and Alyssa Dodge perform on the first three Saturdays in June.

In addition to the weekly stage shows, the flea market has spacious indoor buildings and plenty of well-marked outdoor vendor spots.

Sundays have the largest crowds and the widest variety of vendors selling everything from vintage Care Bears and Wolverine toy kitchen sets to a wooden Alice in Wonderland croquet set.

There are no live animal sales and no pets allowed on the grounds except service animals.

Gates open at 4:00 AM for vendors April through September and 5:00 AM October through December.

DO NOT arrive early, as local police WILL TICKET YOU for parking or waiting along RT 100 before the gates open.

Spaces in the field area cost $12 per day, and you can rent tables for $10 each.

Booth space in the covered pavilions costs $25 on Saturday and $30 on Sunday.

The outdoor vendor sites have grass, while the cobblestone and gravel walkways and vehicle access may challenge people with mobility issues.

2. Root’s Old Mill Flea Market

Located at 705 Graystone Road in Manheim, Root’s Old Mill Flea Market runs every Tuesday from 6:00 AM until dusk all year and every Saturday between 8:00 AM and 2:00 PM.

Inside stands cost $40 per week and allow you to sell on both days, while outside spaces cost $20 per single day.

Bring tables as the market does not typically provide any.

Inside stand holders must stay open for business during all posted hours on both days.

The market’s 12 buildings, office, and the Dutch Country Grill provide plenty of variety for buyers and vendors alike.

Buildings Two and Nine hold the flea market stalls, while the remaining buildings house permanent stallholders.

The auctions draw additional crowds.

If you wish to buy or sell farm animals and equipment, the small animal auctions begin at 2:00 and 4:00 PM, respectively, with animal receiving at 7:00 AM.

Three produce auctions also occur every Tuesday at 1:00, 4:00, and 6:00 PM.

3. Circle Drive-In Theatre Giant Weekend Flea Fair

Featuring 18-by20-foot vendor spaces, this weekend flea market located at 1911 Scranton Carbondale Highway in Scranton, PA, takes place every Saturday from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM and every Sunday between 6:00 AM and 2:00 PM through November.

Buyers pay a $1.00 entry fee, while Early Bird marketers pay $25 per space if they set up and begin selling before 7:00 AM and $20 per space if they set up after 7:00 AM.

All sellers must also obtain a vending permit at the concession stand by 10:00 AM.

Only service animals in their vests, with appropriate documentation, may attend the flea market.

Circle Drive-In forbids selling authentic or replica firearms or their components, ammunition, explosives, flammables, or weapons, and vendors may not auctioneer or solicit attention using PA systems or bullhorns.

Additionally, vendors leaving trash or merchandise behind after the market day will face a $300 fine.

4. Saylorsburg Blue Ridge Flea Market

Located at 648 Route 115 in Saylorsburg, the Blue Ridge Flea Market opens every Saturday and Sunday from 6:30 AM to 3:00 PM from April through October.

This former drive-in theater began operation in 1976.

Service animals wearing their vests may attend the flea market, but family pets cannot.

Most vendors accept cash only. Use the ATM near the KC Grill if you do not wish to carry large bills.

To avoid disappointing potential customers, vendors should remain in place from opening to at least 2:00 PM.

Find the ideal spaces for daily vendors in the field, near the KC Grill, bathrooms, and ATM.

Each vendor spot measures 16-by-20 feet.

Each site costs $20 on Saturdays and $25 on Sundays, with monthly reservations available for $155, requiring signing a contract.

Call (570) 801-2401 to make monthly reservations.

Buyers: park free and enjoy the market!

5. Rice’s Sale and Country Market

At 6326 Greenhill Road in New Hope, Rice’s Sale and Country Market opens every Tuesday, Saturday, and on most major holidays from 7:00 AM to 1:30 PM.

With paved walkways and accessible parking, people who use mobility aids and families with children in strollers will find this market enjoyable.

Leashed, well-behaved dogs may attend in cooler weather, but owners must bring doggy cleanup bags and bottled water.

Patrons pay a $1 parking fee.

Daily vendors pay $35 per space to sell new merchandise and $25 for two booth spaces when selling second-hand items.

Each area has one table, and you may add your tables within your site. In addition, you may park one vehicle in your space.

Monthly vendors will pay $100 per space for Tuesday or Saturday, or $190 to sell on both days.

6. Freeland Marketplace

Freeland Marketplace stays open year-round at 166 Foster Avenue on Saturday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM and from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM on Sunday.

Call 570-636-1234 or email us at info@freelandmarketplace.com to become a vendor.

No reservation necessary: just set up and pay $30 for the weekend.

Gyps Deli inside the market opens Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM and accepts cash and credit cards.

7. Quakertown Farmer’s Market

As one of the few three-day flea markets, the Quakertown Farmer’s Market at 201 Station Road opens Fridays and Saturdays from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM and Sundays from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

Arrange a group bus tour two weeks in advance, and receive a $5.00 meal voucher and gift for every group member.

Group leaders will receive $50 cash, and the driver gets a $10 meal voucher and gift.

Call the Marketing Director at 215-536-4115 to arrange your tour.

With up to 40,000 shoppers every week, vendors can easily afford the $35 per day or $95 per weekend indoor price.

Vendors with tighter budgets can reserve outdoor space for four weekends in the month at $80 prepaid, with one table.

Otherwise, outdoor vendors can take advantage of available unreserved space for $10 with one 8-foot table or a 16-by-20-foot tailgate space for $20 per day.

Covered prime tailgate spaces cost $35 per day.

Vendors may not sell livestock, pets, commercially-grown plants or flowers, explosives, firearms, or ammunition.

Sales of furniture, large appliances, or tires require a deposit of $10 per item to be sold, refundable only after removing everything from the flea market at the end of the day.

8. Foothill Flea Market

This Mercersburg, PA flea market at 6520 Charlestown Road opens every Saturday and Sunday between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM.

Foothill Flea Market features numerous tailgate sites and three buildings for indoor vendors.

Call (717) 331-2018 to become a vendor for as little as $10 per day.

9. Trader Jack’s

Located at 999 Steen Road in Bridgetown, PA, near Pittsburgh, Trader Jack’s opens Saturday and Sunday from 6:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

Vendors must register between 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM on Fridays, or you will have to wait in line Saturday and Sunday morning and take your chances on prime sites.

Pittsburgh Steelers merchandise sells quickly, along with Carnegie-Mellon, Duquesne, and University of Pittsburgh-themed arts and crafts.

Pay $15 per site Saturday, $25 Sunday, or $35 for both days.

Preview the market by riding the Trader Jack’s Express train and find antique household items, canning supplies, second-hand books, new and used tools, and garage sale items.

You will also find vendors selling batteries, so bring your precision screwdriver set and fix malfunctioning toys.

In addition, vendors sell discount packaged snacks by the grocery sackful, fresh produce, and handmade fudge.

Inside, the Black and Gold Bar and other concessions provide the classics.

Conveniently, the ATM provides access to cash.

10. Green Dragon Farmer’s Market

Several excellent flea markets in Pennsylvania only open one day per week.

For example, the Green Dragon Farmer’s Market and Auction at 955 North State Street in Ephrata opens every Friday, 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM.

Farm Plaza sites cost $30 for a 20-by20-foot spot; corners cost $40.

Midway sites cost $25 for a 10-footer with a table or $20 each for two or more locations.

Reserve your spaces on Thursdays between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM, or get on the waiting list for an indoor booth.

The 10 Best Flea Markets in Pennsylvania – Summary Table

Pennsylvania Safety Overview

READ THE FULL REPORT: Pennsylvania Safety Review

Safety Index:

59

• OVERALL RISK: MEDIUM
• TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: LOW
• PICKPOCKETS RISK: LOW
• NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: LOW
• MUGGING RISK: MEDIUM
• TERRORISM RISK: LOW
• SCAMS RISK: LOW
• WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: LOW