Wolff's Flea Market Blog

Why did the chicken cross the road?  To look pretty sitting on a nest! By Guest Blogger Candice Lee Conner If you have ever attended a venue that involves the sale of second hand goods, you've probably see a "Hen on a Nest" covered dish. Prices range from a buck to hundreds of dollars, depending on which piece you find.  And these chickens come in every shape, size, color, and theme. You can get one that matches your table, your carnival glass collection, your kitchen, your...mood. The chickens are everywhere!  Hen on a nest covered dishes came about as cheaper alternatives to the glass menageries that were being made in China, and later by Staffordshire and Dresden in Europe. The original maker could have been the  Westmoreland Glass Company  as early as the 1860s. They were often made from a more fragile milk glass than the more common thicker milk glass we see today.  From there, the chicken craze flew the coop! During the late 1800s, several mak

By Guest Blogger Candice Lee Conner Not so fast! A Boot Pipe? PHOTO: Candice Lee Conner It's not everyday you come across a metal pipe with a boot bowl. I stumbled upon it, pun intended, at Wolff's Flea Market and purchased it for my mother in law. I loved the long stem and the Chinese drawings that were pressed onto the pipe.  What I didn't know at the time was that I had an antique opium pipe! Opium has been a popular drug throughout history, especially in China. This was until the 1950s when, through social reform, the selling and use of opium decreased significantly - which is why I believe it's rare to find pipes like these.  This pipe, like many pipes still out there, are more for decoration these days. For the boot pipe in particular, the second stem is missing from the top - note the hole on the left. There are also lots of cracks in the boot, which indicate that this item was crudely made. However, the artwork is intact and beautiful, and t

By Candice Lee Conner Graphic Designer, Photographer and Urban Archaeologist  When I was a kid, I loved going back to school for one reason - new school supplies. Notebooks, pencils, pens, HIGHLIGHTERS, crayons and markers. And to be perfectly honest, I still buy new supplies during the back to school sale, even though the last time I visited a classroom was in 2008.  All of my goodies would be thrown into my school box. I eventually went for the "cooler" neon plastic style. But until fourth grade, I had a cardboard crayon box. There's just something about an actual paper box that makes you want to hold all of your school essentials and tiny treasures.  The school box's ancestor is the noble cigar box. Kids would run to cigar establishments every summer to get a nice box for their treasures. Back then cigar boxes were free. Now...not so much. As cigar box school boxes became popular, two companies latched onto the idea and made their own kind of school box

Do you know about this hot repurposing trend?  Live edge wood is a vertical length slice. Sizes vary and include the natural edge, bark and beautiful imperfections. Now you can buy precut slices of Live Edge Wood at Wolff's Flea Market Palatine for your own DIY imagination. Pictured here is our first project sitting atop our reclaimed wood side table. Cedar was sanded, scraped and coated with semi gloss to bring out the amazing natural grain. Fast and easy project! More to come! Questions? Just ask us!

Guest Blogger: Candice Lee Conner Last week on my social media journey through Wolff's Flea Market, I ran across these ball jars with weird spouts. At first glance, one might think these rustic spouts atop milk bottle like bottles are for the kitchen - or so I thought.  Antique Oil Bottles at Wolff's Flea Market Chicago Turns out these small beauties are antique oil bottles from the Masters MFG Co.  From Collector's Weekly , "Before disposable metal, paper, and plastic engine-oil containers became commonplace, drivers pulling into gas stations and asking for oil often had to watch and wait as the lubricant was hand pumped from a drum into a spouted glass bottle." The attendant at the gas station would bring one of these bottles to your car and fill it for you. Sometimes, you'd get to the gas station and they would already be there waiting in racks - just like the rack that you see in the picture!  While they may not be used to a

SHOPPER’S TIPS HUNGRY? ROSEMONT: Food and Beverages are available at several booths around the market Pets Sorry, due to local regulations, pets are not allowed at either of our markets. Service animals welcome. If You Love It Buy it before it’s gone! But remember, most purchases are final. Be a “Nice Shopper” If someone is looking at something you are interested in, please wait off to the side until it is put down. Then go and look at it. Finding Your Way Around Make sure to walk the entire Market. You will find new merchandise, garage sale, antiques and collectibles down each and every aisle. And remember, if you walk by every booth (both sides of the aisle), you have walked over three miles on some days! Refunds When buying new merchandise, make sure the vendor will give you a replacement or a refund if it's defective. If you have trouble when returning or exchanging an item, contact a Wolff’s Supervisor. Most garage sale, antique and collectible m

Seller's Rules & Tips wolffs.com   FACEBOOK & CRAIGSLIST We encourage our vendors to post their items on social media: facebook page, Buy, Sell, Trade Group  & craigslist. These listings are FREE!  We love this concept because buyers and sellers are able to meet in a neutral location at the market (must have a selling space-no parking lot sales). This also draws new customers to the entire market and helps everyone! Many vendors have had success with social media. Customers have come from as far as Iowa to purchase their items! For more advanced posters, please "tag" your photos & posts with #wolffsfleamarket and @wolffsfleamarket. If you don't know what this means, please disregard! EARLY CLOSE DAYS Occasionally the Rosemont market may need to close early due to a stadium event. We continue to have a steady customer flow on these days because we are an "early shopper market". The majority of shoppers attend before 11am. Don'

By Guest Blogger Candice Lee Conner All Photos by Candice Lee Conner Thank you Candice for introducing the friendly faces of Wolff's Flea Market! It takes a lot to run a flea market with over 700 vendors almost every Sunday. Wolff's Flea Market has been running their market smoothly for 25 years, because of the folks behind the scenes. This past Sunday, I talked to Wolff's cashiers.  Meet the Cashiers! Mary Ellen,  Supervisor Makes sure vendors pay up Saves the day when cashiers need a break Been at Wolff's for 12 years Darlene, Cashier Supervisor 16th year at Wolff's When not at Wolff's she's working O'Hare Airport Rollerskating, p laying volleyball on Mondays with seniors Working events at the Allstate Arena And she was looking at a unicycle - to buy - whilst we were talking! Joanie, Cashier Daughter is getting married very soon During the week, Joanie is a full time Substitute Teacher Been at Wolff&

Today's guest blogger is Betsy Fons .  Thank you for sharing your projects and ideas! The first item I ever bought at a flea market was a 5 by 7 carved wooden box. I was 8 years old and we were on our way back home from visiting my grandmother. My dad took the family to a flea market and gave $10.00 to each of his 6 kids to spend. I loved that box and it held many of my childhood “treasures” for many years. Now, working at a flea market, one of the things I like best is to see customers thrilled about the unique items they buy. I can completely understand their excitement at finding something they have special plans for in their home. I have grown from buying carved wooden boxes to items I can repurpose in creative ways.  The pictures below are of a few of my finds. I bought an old gardeners tool box, painted it, and put it in my bathroom to hold toiletries. The other picture is of an old church music hymn board that I use to hold family pictures. It’s easy to find c

By Guest Blogger Candice Lee Conner I've said it before, and I'll say it again, you can find anything at Wolff's Flea Market. From Love - which we talked about earlier - to antiques.  And yes folks, even your fresh produce. An epic place to get those strawberries, mangos, and veggies is Dave's Farm Stand . If you've been to Wolff's Flea Market in the past 17 years - you've seen their rather large stand in front of the Allstate Arena. I interviewed Ruben, Dave's son last Sunday while he was tending to his many hungry patrons.  "I grew up in this place!" said Ruben. He's been working at the market since he was a kid, when his dad ran the stand. Dave and his family joined Wolff's Flea Market 17 years and Wolff's is happy they stayed with them! The customers love Dave' Farm Stand too. As I was interviewing Ruben, a customer named Lisa yelled out that his "stuff tastes good and that everyone should buy here al

Love at First Vend By Guest Blogger Candice Lee Conner You can find anything at the Flea. And as Carol and Rich found out, you can also find true love.  Back on Memorial Day 2006, Carol was selling during her first year at Wolff's Flea Market, Rosemont. Rich, a vendor of 15 years, started talking to Carol to find out her "selling secrets". According to Carol, she was doing great and selling a ton of items. Rich...not so much. From this predicament, a romance quickly flourished!  "He would leave a rose on the left side of my van every (sale) day," Says Carol. And they've been together ever since. Today, Rich and Carol still sell at Wolff's Flea Market...and still in separate spaces.  Rich says it's so that Carol won't shop and leave Rich behind with all her merchandise, but I think it's because this lovely couple likes to compete with each other. Rich and Carol - Love at First Vend (PHOTO: Candice Lee Conner)

By Candice Lee Conner Today's blog post is written by Guest Blogger Candice Lee Conner. As part of her Social Media Assistant position at Wolff's Flea Market, Candice takes the time to personally meet our vendors and really get to know them and their life stories. Here is Candice's interview with Hercules the Ice Cream Man. Enjoy delicious ice cream at Wolff's Flea Market Allstate Arena. Say hello to Maria and Hercules! (Photo: Candice Lee Conner) Some know him as Nick (for some reason he lets folks call him that). Some know him as Hercules. Everyone knows him as that really awesome guy who runs the ice cream trucks at Wolff's Flea Market in Rosemont. And they would all be correct.  Hercules - his real name - has been selling ice cream treats at Wolff's for 15 years. Along with his daughter Maria, Hercules sells from two trucks at the market.  One of the first food vendors to join Wolff's, he was able to sell because of his diligence. Accor

Sharon Wolff So what really happens when you cast off your unwanted stuff? Shame shame if you don't find a home for potentially reusable items. Do you sell, donate or toss in the garbage? Fortunately for a few lucky landfill-fated items, crafty pickers are continually scouting for this Golden Garbage. Here is one story of a rescued curbside find. David of  Home Details at Wolff's Flea Market  is an eclectic vendor who embraces this concept like it is a daily natural phenomenon. His eye for potential in found objects lends to an eclectic, eccentric and dynamic booth display. We never know what will appear or be uncovered. I am telling you the truth when I state that his presentation alone elevates former trash into flea market finds bound for decorating greatness. This key element is what attracts a flock of repeat customers seeking to decorate their homes with specifically repurposed and reclaimed finds. All one of a kind and sometimes modified or repaired by David himsel

This post is taken straight from our Monday facebook post: Monday May 2: Wolff's Flea Market: Have a super Monday  ‪#‎ chicago‬ ! Wait a minute. What! Yup.  ‪#‎ counterfeit‬ ‪#‎ lego‬   ‪#‎ minifigs‬  Not. Allowed. -Sharon Facebook follower:  What should I look for in a fake? Wolff's Flea Market   Thanks for asking! We were initially freaked out when this came about, but it is easier than you think. First of all, the platform this little guy is standing on indicates the wrong manufacturer. Only Lego is authorized/licensed to make Superman minifigures. Grab your magnifying glass and take him apart to look for the Lego imprint in various places. If missing in certain key areas-it is fake. Side by side comparisons of real/fake will indicate further quality differences. 

A few pictures of creations we have recycled, repurposed, reinvented and reclaimed! Shoe storage made from leftover tile and cast-off TV shelf Tree stump planter made from wood craftsman's castoff. In the background recycled pop can flower, reclaimed pallet rack with insulator LED candle holder Wall of Rust made from old door hardware Boy's bathroom painted shelf decorated in a baseball theme Curbside to flea market to repurposed beverage cart Tire planter

April 26, 2016 Today is  World Intellectual Property Day , one of our favorite holidays. Actually, at Wolff's we are concerned with  ‪#‎ counterfeits‬   ‪#‎ fakes‬  and other ‪#‎ intellectualproperty‬  every day. It's ok to talk about it. Research is ongoing!  http://www.wipo.int/ip-outreach/en/ipday/ Have you visited our Haul of Shame Counterfeit Museum in Palatine? (now closed) We take this task seriously! Prevention-Intervention-Education = PIE! A COLLAGE OF COUNTERFEITS THAT WE USE FOR EDUCATION!

By David Wolff Originally published on November 29, 2011. Updated April 15, 2016  including tips by guest blogger Joe Holich 12 Most Important Tips For Becoming A Successful Flea Market Vendor Published on 12 MOST... Posted by  Dave Wolff  on Nov 29, 2011 in  Blog ,  Business ,  Education and training , Entrepreneurship   As a flea market owner, my expertise is running the entire operation, rather than selling the merchandise. However, interacting with both sellers and customers for over 20 years has given me a unique perspective on what makes a successful flea market vendor. Below are 12 Tips for Becoming a Successful Flea Market Vendor. 1. Attractive display It’s hard to sell items if customers don’t look at your merchandise. If they don’t see it, you don’t sell it! An attractive display does not necessarily mean that it should be an organized, professional or expensive display. In my opinion it depends on the merchandise and/or your strategy. I’ve seen both ways work ve