The Raleigh Flea Market at the NC State Fair Grounds

Whenever I go abroad I always take pictures of fleamarkets (here are some of my recent pictures from the Paris fleamarkets) so when, on the way to the Bridal Show, I found that I'd also blundered across the huge Raleigh fleamarket, I thought I'd better get out the camera!


This guy was playing "saved" songs on the way in to the fleamarket.


I love wooden ducks. I guess they're decoys but they're too pretty to get pond scummed up.


There have been an awful lot of ads around lately for the folks who buy your gold. Must be a sign of Hard Times.


After you sell your gold, you can pick up some jewelry here and keep the change.


I saw this tool tent when I first got there and totally forgot to go back! Bummer!


Well, I have a "Weddings in North Carolina" blog, you know, so when I saw this sign for tents I thought I would go investigate. However, when I got closer I saw a little sign in the window which said "inquire next door at the bike shop" and the bike shop was all full of scary bikers. Wedding tents and motorcycle guys: no synergy.


I love this giant Soft-freeze icecream palace. It reminds me of the frozen banana stand in that show Ezra likes.

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THINGS YOU WOULD NOT SEE AT THE PARIS FLEA MARKETS:

There were many other unfriendly welcome mats at this stand, but the guy behind the desk glared at me in an unfriendly manner so I hustled away. Note, though, that there are TWO donkeys under the tent.


These hides and piles of leather smelled wonderful.


I guess these aren't really giant chocolate ants, but I'm not sure what they are. Pieces for some very large board game?


Durn Good Seasonings! This was my favorite booth inside the "Commercial Building."

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This kid was taking his work very seriously at the fruit stand!


It wouldn't be a flea market if there weren't a creepy doll.


Oh, I just love this: "The Chic Shack." What chutzpah.


This one went right on the wedding blog.


This was the first of two things I bought at the fleamarket: a cheap watch, because my old cheap watch (bought for $7 in Manhattan) got torn off my wrist when I was trying to get through a turnstile into the Paris subway with too many things in my hand. I am a very punctual person and have HATED not having a watch. And unlike today's youth, who think it's fine to haul their cellphones out of their pockets to see what time it is, I think the wristwatch is virtually a perfect solution.


On the way out, I bought a watermelon from this guy. He is from South Jersey. He said if I didn't like the melon, to come back and talk to him. Hey, South Jersey guy, the melon wasn't ripe! I'm giving it to my chickens and my donkey, though, so not a waste.


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