Wolff's Flea Market: Lost and Found ... Again!

By Guest Blogger Betsy Fons

When growing up, Gabe Defrates, now a resident of Chicago, used to go to flea markets each Sunday with his Grandfather, Don Bryant. Don passed away in 2006, but Gabe and his grandfather made a new connection this weekend at Wolff’s Flea Market in Palatine.

A vendor at Wolff’s Flea Market came across a framed piece that included pictures of Don with flowers and a holy card from his funeral. Through some online research, a Wolff’s employee was able to find Don Bryant’s daughter in Carbondale, Illinois and inform her that the item somehow appeared at Wolff's Flea Market.  Her nephew, Gabe, came to Palatine to pick up the cherished family piece.

Gabe told us his mother had the memento made after her father’s funeral. When she moved from her home in Elgin, the box containing the piece got mixed up with boxes of items that were given away.  Somehow the item mysteriously made its way to Wolff’s Flea Market in Palatine. Gabe said his family was thrilled to have the piece back, and thought it was so funny and more than appropriate it was reunited with the family through a flea market since that was Don Bryant’s favorite hobby!

Don Wolff, one of the owners of Wolff's Flea Market makes every effort to return items of sentimental value to families whenever possible. Over the years, he has returned an urn of ashes to a family (Video link HERE), a Desert Storm scrapbook to a soldier and many personal photographs.

Now in its 26^th year, Wolff’s Flea Market has always been a family friendly flea market, and continues to bring families together in a variety of ways!