Our day at the New Egypt Flea Market

We've been meaning to share our day at the New Egypt Flea Market with you guys for a while now. I think we went the same weekend as the Country Living Fair. It had been such a long time since we hung with my sister Melissa, aka Missy, for the entire day. We used to all the time but it seems like our schedule has been so full lately that we barely get any time away from the studio. Well this particular day was perfect. We spent it zig zagging all over Jersey, stopping at flea markets and antique shops in search of things to add to our respective collections. It's actually shocking that we had never been to the New Egypt Flea before. We've spent yeeeears traveling the Jersey back roads and stopping in every little hole in the wall junk shop, but somehow we never once ended up at the New Egypt Flea Market. We had heard very little about the place and really had no idea what to expect.

Well we pulled in to see all of this. Rows and rows of these gravel lanes full of tables, and all of those little buildings are individual shops that are full of all sorts of stuff.

The place is nestled into the woods and sorta feels frozen in time. Apparently all of these buildings (maybe 40 of 'em in total) are old army barracks that were trucked here from Fort Dix in the early 1970s.

Missy found this little handmade cabinet in one of the first shops we came upon.

We parked in a central location behind a row of buildings, so it was convenient to carry stuff back to the car periodically throughout the day. 

And besides these little shops there are also all sorts of storage containers and big trucks kinda being eaten by the surrounding wilderness.

The shops are full of antiques and collectibles, but there are also lots of tools, semi new things, and even handmade stuff like this Folk Art by Bob Justin. 

I loved this big Santa cut out! love the pink bear and doll...she looks like she could belt out some Italian Opera music. And see that marble top dresser?…it was sooo cheap.

We were trying to get Missy to buy these. 

Sweet little Charlotte. I prob shoulda bought her. But I'm telling you…it was like this whirlwind of goodness and weirdness overload. I guess I was more focused on the place itself and less focused on the actual shopping.

I also probably should have grabbed this entire bin of candy colored vintage plastic doll house furniture that was sitting out in the sun. 

I had to come in to see what the "Nick Nack Nook" had. Because we all know Jenny is beyond down with Nick Nacks! Well they had souvenir plates galore! Totally right up my alley! 

And lots of pennants! 

I was hoping for a Wildwood or an Atlantic City pennant, but no luck. 

But I did score this sweet Wildwood plate! 

Here it is hanging in our bathroom among our little Jersey shore souvenir plate collection! :)

Ok, back to the Flea…a box full of kitty figurines basking in the sun.

As soon as I downloaded the photo of the box full of kittens to my computer I was reminded of this classic pic I found on the internet years ago.  

And while we were there Aaron decided to open his own shop. Ha! I actually don't remember what was in this shop. But if it really was Aaron's it would only be Kluttered with BOOKS! (And by the way…he bought about a dozen books on this outing. He's crazy.)

Ahh and this sweet lil guy! The perfect Flea Market pup. And we heard from his owner…or to be more  politically correct, his Human Companion…that this was actually his first day at the flea market! And he couldn't have been more friendly. What a sweetie! 

I love these little buildings!

If the New Egypt Flea had a mayor, or a spokesman, or a poster guy...this fella should be it. I had to take his pic. 

This gal needs a tubby and some moisturizer. 

Missy got this awesome bag!

This is Kevin and Denean, the owners of This or That Store. They had great stuff. And in our brief conversation with them we learned some interesting things about the Flea Market and about their own past. Kevin was once a famous New Jersey professional wrestler known as The Pine Baron. And keeping in true pro wrestler character, he popped on his shades right before I snapped this pic.

They had a great selection of old bottles. We'll definitely be going back and next time we're going to bring our shopping A-game.

This is Keith, the manager of the place. Here he is holding a painting of the place done by a local artist. I wish I wrote down the name of the artist!

I can't tell you how much I love this sign on the door. 

After we visited every bit of the New Egypt Flea we got back on the road and instantly had to stop at a diner to recharge. If you are road tripping in Jersey, diner stops are a must. We are the diner capitol of the world. 

 Ok, so I have to explain this pic. That's my plate bottom right. Aaron's plate is on the bottom left, our shared fries in the middle, and Missy's plate on the top right. Missy's is a Chicken Caeser Salad Wrap, which came warm, no actually hot. And the whole idea of a hot salad was a complete turn off. She was not thrilled. And Aaron, for some crazy reason strayed from the tried and true and ordered the "Swiss Cheese Sandwich". Yeah, even the waitress had to double check the menu for that offering...like really? She had to double check to see why in the world the menu would list something so boring. And in the end Aaron concurred…it was capital B Boring. 

I was the only smart one who stuck with tradition and got "The Happy Waitress"…which is grilled American cheese on white with tomato, and a pickle on the side. You can't lose with The Happy Waitress. It's my go-to. 

After the diner we ended up in Point Pleasant, grabbed ice coffees, and hit up some antique shops. Missy scored some great stuff that she'll be using for her pop up shop displays, and we saw some good stuff but nothing that we HAD to have. And apparently we didn't take any photos in Point Pleasant…sorry folks!

After Point, we headed to Asbury Park, which is where Missy lives. It had been a while since we had been in town.

We ended up running into some old friends and staying out way too late. We got delicious Korean street tacos at Mogo's and ice cream on the boardwalk, and laughed a ton. It was such a fun fun day. 

We hope to do some more weekends like this before the summer is up. And of course we'll come back to share all about our adventures. Thanks so much again for reading!

xo, Jenny…and Aaron says hi!

The Ocean Grove Flea by the Sea

Every year me and Aaron try to get to the big Flea by the Sea in Ocean Grove, NJ. I think the two of us have been going to the Ocean Grove flea market for at least 16 or 17 years. It's massive, it's right on the ocean in a beautiful little town that's chock full amazing Victorian homes and cottages, and it's nearby. And this year we were lucky enough to have amazing weather. Pretty much 70 degrees on the button with tons of sunshine and cool ocean breezes. Since it's such a pleasant, quick, and easy ride we decided to take the train down to Asbury Park, which is literally a stone's throw away from Ocean Grove (if you're the type to throw stones at friendly neighboring towns)

Ocean Grove is a tiny little town...like less than a square mile...and the flea market draws so many people that parking your car is near impossible. So taking the train quashed any parking worries. We got there fairly early...a little before 9am...got our iced coffees and scones, and hit the market.

The market is set up on the gigantic sprawling lawn that's in front of The Great Auditorium...and if you guessed that the giant building behind Aaron is The Great Auditorium you'd be correct. Fun fact: that giant cross on top was a gift from Woody Allen. He filmed Stardust Memories in Ocean Grove and The Great Auditorium's exterior was used to represent The Stardust Hotel. The old cross was in disrepair, so after they wrapped on the film Woody gave the town a new cross as a thank you gift.

The Great Auditorium as The Stardust Hotel.

There are all types of vendors there, and current trends definitely influence what the vendors are selling. I definitely noticed a lot more small things and not as much furniture. I can remember when chippy paint cottagey furniture was big...you could find a TON for cheap. 

I had to grab a pic of this incredible headboard. When I see a piece like this I imagine it painted...maybe in the perfect pale vintage aqua with a great "dirt wash"...or possibly a matte finish grey or black. Then pair it with some old school Ralph Lauren bedding with big florals and bits of classic Ralph leopard print. I can see it in a room with a big chippy original paint armoire. Yeah, sometimes just dreaming the stuff up is plenty...and it's free! :)

I brake for old chippy medicine cabinets. I love love love them! I want them all! 

We don't collect clown stuff, but we loved the look and color of these. These two pieces were the only things left of an arcade in Seaside Heights after it was hit by hurricane Sandy. They were floating in a left over tide pool. If we had more space I think we could make them fit in with our vintage jersey shore themed bathroom. 

I had my eye on lots of vintage kitchen implements and utensils. I saw so many there. Finding what you want is easy...your eye instantly goes to the colored handles. I loved seeing this soda crate brimming with miscellaneous utensils, though none of these are my deal...I'm into pale aqua, pink, black, cream, or white.

I'm always looking for old crates and rustic pieces to mix in with our sweet pastels here at home. 

This crew totally cracked us up. That farmer dude in the mix?? He's got such youthful features, so I'm thinking he prematurely greyed fighting against GMOs encroaching upon his crops. 

This sign was GREAT! It was aluminum I believe, and as you can see...super faded! If only it was more of an aqua I woulda died! I hope someone bought it!

Ok, so there really wasn't anything I died over at the flea....except this piece. From ten...no twenty feet away it had my heart. This booth belonged to a guy named Steve and he made this piece himself. It's constructed of old stuff...chippy white wooden shelves, and the backing and top/roof was galvanized metal. I am a total sucker for house shaped items! I saw this and envisioned my collections perfectly displayed on the shelves...probably against the back wall of our living room. But...we came to the flea market on a train...and, truth be told, I just really didn't have that much money to throw around. But I did get Steve's info and he said he'd be into making another in the near future!

What's great about going to the OG flea is that we always run into our Jersey peeps. Here we are with two of our faves in the art community...Laura Mchugh and Suze Weinberg. Off camera are the handsome husbands John and the Lenster. We love that we can run into Suze in Jersey, or at Art is You inConnecticut, and even in California at CHA. Suze is ever present and ever cheerful. And Laura is one of the sweetest and most positive gals we know! We drove with her and some friends to the Country Living fair over the winter. Yesterday she was a vision in lavender! She even had a bit of purple in her hair! And yes...Suze is known for flashy footwear! 

We also brake for vintage portraits of kids. This little gal was cute...the color pink was perfect...but honestly, she's maybe just not creepy enough for us. A smidge more of creepiness added to her cuteness woulda sealed the deal for us.

We just had to pick up this big old "tractor wrench" for my brother Walt. It'll look great hanging in his shop. 

I wanted to offer this naked baby in a box some of my sun block. I forgot to apply at home so I bought some spray on 45 spf right there at the flea market for 4 bucks. Yes, I am white as can be and I plan on staying that way. 

Loved this sign. And it wasn't for sale...this was the actual sign for the Lemonade stand. Classic! 

Ohhh the sweet scent of kettle corn mingling with the ocean air...theres nothing like it! 

And wow, the beach was perfect! Clear skies, crystal clear breakers, and warm but with the most perfect breeze. 

So if you look closely at this pic you can get an idea of how HUGE the flea market is. I took this pic from the boardwalk and the flea market extends all the way to The Great Auditorium, which looks like a tiny speck in the distance.  

Here are some of the famous Ocean Grove tent houses. I've blogged them before. They pop them up in the summer. They're the jewel of Ocean Grove and have been in families for generations. 

Just beyond cute! And they all have their own personality. 

I had to take a pic with the Ocean Grove sign. The front of the sign says Ocean Grove, and this is the back of the sign which is visible as you leave town. I remember first finding Ocean Grove over 20 years ago...we were shocked to find a town filled with gingerbread cottages, a ton of Victorian bed & breakfasts, cute shops...and it being that proverbial stone's throw away from urban Asbury Park. And this sign just made it even more surreal. You don't see this sort of thing in Jersey much. The kind hearted folksy village thing seems more southern to me. 

There is a foot bridge between Ocean Grove and Asbury Park...and get this...there is a sign that states that the gate is locked from midnight to 5 am! It's sorta like a throwback to when the whole town was gated on Sunday for the blue laws so that there was no driving, etc...on Sundays.

So we walked the foot bridge back over to Asbury to grab something to eat, check out some shops and say hi to friends. It was such a great time. We'll be going back to Asbury soon and we'll devote an entire blog post. It's an amazing town that had it's revival fairly recently, and it's getting better by the day. 

So when we got home we unpacked our little purchases from the day. We grabbed some old bottles which normally go for anywhere from 4.00 to 12.00 in most antique shops or ebay. These were 1.00 each. And the cute vintage cream cheese crate we got for only 5.00. And I love the adorable old Ball jelly jar with zinc lid. 

I love it! I figured we could use it to hold sea salt or sprinkles! 

And we are suckers for any vintage crow/raven related items. This is a page from an old target practice book from Sears. I'm thinking maybe it came with a BB gun? I'm glad we got the page unused...maybe since the kid never practiced many crows were saved. We bought a few other things in Asbury Park that I may share another day.

It was such a fun day. We got the 5:45 train home and met some sweet ladies who also attended the flea market and were riding home to Jersey City. We all chatted about what we bought, what we saw, the things we collect. And there was a guy with a keyboard on the train...he was dressed like Fab Five Freddy pretty much...sunglasses, hat, tie...and he was playing the keyboard, a full size keyboard, at full volume...every breakdance hit from the early 80's and then some. It was a full-on dance party on the train. What a great capper to the perfect day.

Thanks again for reading! Back soon!

xo, Jenny & Aaron