Friday, February 20, 2009

Flea Marketing in Branson, MO

A couple of weeks ago, my junkin' friend, Sue and I headed for Branson to do a little treasure hunting. I knew just the place to go; Mrs. Cadwell's Downtown Flea Market. Not only is this the oldest flea market in Branson - it is also my very favorite.
Down the steep hills of old Branson on Hwy 76 (also known as 76 Country Blvd) you will find many eclectic shops including the one just next door to Mrs. C's called Main Street Flea Market. If you are not familiar with the Ozarks; this is what it looks like when you build on one of the 'mountains'. You definitely get a workout walking up and down the street!
Just inside the entrance, I spied these neat railroad date nails. They were $1.50 each. I didn't buy any but I thought they were neat.
Something I did buy was this shoe box packed full of all colors of chenille pieces. The seller had $8 for the entire box and then ran a 50% off any purchase from her booth. What a find!
I love digging in the linen bins you find in just about every other booth in a Branson flea market. Many hand embroidered items, quilt pieces, tea towels...you name it. I was delighted to find this hand appliqued and embroidered pillow case. The fabric is the softest cotton pink comes in!
I don't know if you can read the price or not, but I nabbed this lovely up for $2.50. Another great find was this Belle of the Ball tray. I didn't purchase it but held it & admired it for a lengthy time. I had to snap a photo for prosperity.
If you love quilts, Branson is the place to go. You will find vintage and antique quilts by the droves. Some are in excellent condition, some are gently worn and others are sold for crafts. Regardless of the condition, you can see the love and tenderness taken in each stitch. Here are photos of a few that were hanging outside just one booth. The prices range from $30 to $80.

One thing is for sure when shopping in Branson; you'll see the finest and the quirkiest! Here are a couple photos of booths. Digging is half the fun because the sellers pack the booth tight! I have a couple of favorite booths that I totally dismantle to hunt for goodies. (Yeah, I put stuff back...with a little displaying & merchandising to boot!)

Aren't these dishes yummy? This is in one of only a couple retro booth's at Mrs. C's.
I did purchase these three pottery finds. I brought the little pink one to RB&C but had to keep the others for my personal collection.
I bought a wonderful pink plastic case full of buttons, a vinyl snap front case in the most wonderful teal, a couple of vintage framed pictures, an antique oval frame with Miss About Town's photograph, a magazine rack, a blanket, a table cloth and some other goodies and paid $28. What a haul! I had a wonderful time. The best part of the whole trip was meeting my mom for lunch. She lives in Arkansas about an hour and a half from Branson. So, after a great lunch, some snuggling, then flea marketing; Sue and I headed for Star Buck's and hit Hwy 65 for the 40 minute drive home....oh, wait, we stopped in Ozark for more flea marketing! I'll blog about some of my other finds soon!

9 comments:

Cathe Holden said...

And the point of torturing me with those photos is...?

That rectangular ironstone planter you bought- I have the very same one on our entry table for keys & sunglasses!

Fun post, Jen!

-your lil'sis

Unknown said...

Oh, what an eclectic mix of beautiful items. :) Wish I lived near one. Maybe I do and I haven't explored. :P

Blessed said...

Cath, The rectangular one is in the bathroom holding Greg's aftershave, cologne and eeehhhh, deoderant. I cannot get him to put them away so at least he will put them in the crock.

Hayley Fraser said...

I think that is the one and only flea market I have shopped in downtown Branson, and you're right that there is so much to see! Have you done the others near that one? I was so curious to check them all out but I was not with a junkin' buddy...I was with my husband. He will occasionally junk good-naturedly but tuckers out much too soon. Great finds!

^..^Corgidogmama said...

Dang! We spent a few days in Branson over Halloween, and I had no idea of such wonderful flea markets.
We hit the old five and dime...saw some shows, but junkin'....who knew?
Next trip, I'm doing research, and will be ready!

Annie Pazoo said...

What a great day - looks like it was so much fun (and productive too, great finds!). Is the pottery Haeger - reminds me of it anyway. Loved reading it :-)

Blessed said...

Yes, A'Pazoo...it is Haeger pottery. I just love the chunkiness of it!

Blessed said...

Yes, A'Pazoo, it is Haeger pottery. I just love the chunkiness of it!

SmilynStef said...

I just found you through your sister's blog ... what fun flash backs for me ... I'm originally from your corner of the world, but haven't seen a lot of these sites in years. I'm adding your store to my list of things to see next time I'm in Springfield.