This Christmas season we’ve been having a blast going to flea markets looking for Christmas gifts. Starting in outdoor markets in Florence, Italy in October, we have been finding new and recycled treasures for our friends and family (and of course for ourselves 🙂 Tis’ the season, right?!). Now, seeing that our friends and family read our blog and it is not yet Christmas, I can not list the amazing gems we found. I will, however, tell you all about two totally cool local markets in Los Angeles.

Our personal favorite is so local, its practically in our backyard. Held every Sunday in the Fairfax High School parking lot on Fairfax and Melrose Ave in West Hollywood is the Melrose Trading Post. It costs $3.00 to get in and will keep you occupied for at least a couple hours. You will find local artists selling their latest, vintage and antique vendors, and LOTS of vintage and recycled jewelry. If you don’t find what you are looking for you will at least find something you have never seen before. A Sunday fun day favorite for us is walking there with the dogs, browsing through the lot and on the way back, grabbing a slice of Tomato Pie’s Grandma pizza AKA the best pizza ever made.

For the serious market lover, the Rose Bowl flea market is for you. Its on every second Sunday of the month at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena and costs $8.00 to enter. It is about 5 times the size of the Melrose Trading Post so you will want to make sure you have the whole day open to meander through it. The market is split up into sections based on the type of merchandise. There’s large sections of antiques and vintage items, a section of arts and crafts, and sections of new and general items. We went for the first time this month and will definitely have to go again because we only saw about two-thirds of it! When I was trying not to feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of the market and the visual overload, I was in heaven. With a camera in hand, a beanie on my head (it was in the 50’s that day!), and money in my pocket I loved getting lost in the land of repurposed, reclaimed and recycled goodies in old Pasadena.

That’s my Jam!

-Kristle