if it's not here...it probably doesn't exist...

i can hardly stand it...

in a little over a week...i will be...at the place that i have dreamed of...for years and years and years...

every vintage lovers dream...i have been an avid collector of vintage clothing, handbags & jewelry...i love mixing it with contemporary...to come up with "my" own look...i have been to many flea markets...estate sales...goodwill shops...antique stores...and have found some incredible pieces...pieces that i have had over many many years...and can still work into my wardrobe now...that is what is so cool about vintage...

so for this vintage girl...the fact that i have never been to this wonderful place...is baffling...but soon...i will be able to experience...the wonderful world of:

the rose bowl flea market...

here is the website description of this phenominal place...i cannot wait! i especially love the last line..."if it's not here...it probably doesn't exist"

Boasting more than 2,500 vendors and a customer base that includes a roster of Hollywood stars, the Rose Bowl Flea Market has continued to attract serious collectors, bargain hunters and novice shoppers to one of the world’s greatest outdoor marketplaces for the past 39 years. Guaranteed to have something for everyone, vendors come stocked every second Sunday of the month with vintage items, home furnishings, hand-made crafts and collectable pieces. Thousands flock to the West’s best treasure hunt to peruse the wares and negotiate prices, come rain or shine.

Name the item and the Rose Bowl Flea Market is bound to have it. Whether it be vintage costume jewelry, antique furniture or a circa 1960’s G.I. Joe collectible lunchbox, the Rose Bowl Flea Market is the place to search for it, find it and bargain for it. Head-and-shoulders above the ordinary local swap-meets and garage sales, many vendors are specialists in their area of expertise and the quality of merchandise sold at the Flea Market reflects that. True to flea market fashion, Rose Bowl vendors begin setup before sunrise and ready themselves for the early bird buyers looking for the perfect items. Patrons include international buyers shopping for their own stores, as well as local customers and celebrities seeking personal treasures. A one-stop venue for many bargain hunters, shoppers who feel they received a good deal on any item purchased can have it appraised at the Rose Bowl Flea Market before heading out to showcase their find.

Increasingly, today’s Rose Bowl Flea Market buyer is younger and more “cool” than in recent years. A new generation has re-discovered the event as a way to furnish a new apartment or do a makeover, find something musical or amazing to amuse friends, culled unique clothing for their closets—and done it all at an affordable price.

Just as diverse as the buyers are the vendors who have come from different walks of life, as well. Some are regular denizens of the outdoor-market circuit, yet others with customary weekday jobs like to showcase their hobby or passion and sell their merchandise one Sunday a month. Some sellers own brick-and-mortar retail stores and make a monthly Pasadena trek to introduce their product to a completely new audience, thereby building their clientele. Additionally, the overhead difference between renting retail space and the Flea Market is so great it often means that the savings are passed onto shoppers who may secure bargains normally not received in stores.

To make it easier for a variety of customers to do as much browsing and purchasing as possible, sellers are often grouped into sections creating more than five miles of shop-able booths. Areas that continue to expand every year include: antiques, vintage clothing, arts and crafts, as well as new-and-unusual products.

“It’s often said that you can’t experience the Rose Bowl Flea Market in one Sunday, since new and original merchandise is brought in continuously every month,” said R.G. Canning, creator and producer of the famous Rose Bowl Flea Market. “Every year, new vendors become part of our Flea Market family because of the wide array of people that come in the thousands to see what’s new, what’s old and what’s different. You’re guaranteed to find something you didn’t see the first time, and sometimes you just might find yourself browsing next to Hollywood royalty!”

The Rose Bowl Flea Market has cornered the niche on being the place to shop, as well as watch celebrities bargain shop. Among the Flea Market’s V.I.P. list are: Academy Award winners Clint Eastwood and Whoopi Goldberg; music icons Madonna and Cher; funny men Rob Schneider and George Hamilton; First Lady of California, Maria Shriver and fashionistas Gwen Stefani and Ashley Olsen.

Whether you’re decorating your first home, adding trend-setting items to your wardrobe, looking for the perfect gift or just wanting to know what the celebs are buying these days, the Rose Bowl Flea Market is the only place to shop and be entertained at a bargain price…if it’s not here, it probably doesn’t exist!