Car Bonnet + Blanket = Shopfront
Gripping Stuff
The population of Perth has officially begun facing an activity shift on Sunday mornings. What once was a bipolar time of either church or sleeping off hangovers now sees church go-ers leave their good clothes on their hangers and boozehounds waking up early. As atoning as it is singing for redemption in church amongst your fellow man or staying wrapped in your sheets with the blinds closed beyond 11 in the morning, people are now finding the moral midpoint at flea markets.
I usually get to the markets about 10am and it is already packed of sellers and buyers. Plenty of indi/bohemians/hippy types, new couples keeping things interesting, couples newly living together looking for something interesting and full nuclear families looking for something to keep their kids interested.
Keep in mind that these markets dont have much of an internet presence, they do however have a location right next to one of Perth’s busiest roads which is enough to make drivers to pull over to have a look or at the least tell themselves they will have a look next weekend.
Being a camera ethusiast, my reason for being amongst the hagglers is trying to find an old valuable camera hopefully without the current owner realising that what they have is actually valuable and then to calmly purchase it from them. After that it is then fine, double time it out of there. This is not to say that I havent overpaid for something. I once paid $4 for a Kodak Disc camera. Just a few months ago, so…. 10 years after the camera stopped being useful and 27 years after it stopped being cool. But obviously the bearded gentlemen needed the $4 and I could do my bit and hide the camera in a big hole so some former Kodak employee can rest easy tonight. As my dinner is almost ready and I gotta cut this short Im going into bullet point mode.
Here is a list of my favourite things about flea markets.
1) Seeing people trying to maintain dignity as they haggle
2) Seeing parents trying to get to their kids before they touch anything too dirty after they have lost sight of them
3)Seeing the kids get excited about an item they couldnt possibly need (like a rake?) and how upset they get when they parents say no
4)The coin donation box that makes the coin sipiral down before a disappointing ending
5)Some of the items that people genuinely expect to sell. ie used underpants
6)Car Bonnet + Blanket = Shopfront
