Upstate Flea Markets
 

Visiting upstate NY next month. What are good flea markets in the area? Looking for old toys, advertising, etc. Any comments about Clarence vs Avon?

Upstate NY is pretty big ... here is what I use to narrow down possibilities when I travel: www.collectors.org which has about as complete of a listing of flea markets (and some shows) by area that I've found. You may want to narrow it down to areas you'll be close to, stop at a shop and ask -- they'll tell you what's tube socks/imports, and what's antiques/collectibles.

Have only done a show at Clarence, which was excellent but it's been a few years.

B/

Barbara,
Upstate NY spans from Yonkers to Buffalo, Catskills to Adirondacks, depending on your perspective. Can you be more specific on where you are visiting?

Clarence and Avon are Rochester, Buffalo area.

hmm, to me Upstate is Watertown, or anything else north of the Thruway! The above mentioned www.collectors.org is good, and you might want to pick up a "Sunday Driver" or take a look at www.sundaydriver.com for routes, shops and markets. Have fun!

Margie,
Your definition of 'upstate' makes me chuckle. You do know that the Thruway runs all the way to NYC, and parts of Westchester are indeed "North of the Thruway". I've heard many people in NYC refer to mid-husdon valley as 'upstate' while at the same time one of the key historical landmarks in the same area is referred known as 'downstate... (correctional facility, that is).

6 of one, half dozen of another I guess.

One of the popular 'upstate' flea markets is in Stormville, a nice 75min drive from Manhattan.

Stormville is only once a month from Memorial Day through Columbus Day. It's no longer as good as a couple of years ago -- many more imports and tons of sunglasses and Christmas wrap. But if you're is going at the right time, worth a stop.

B/

J62, I guess it's all just perspective, but where I am the thruway runs east and west, and anything north of it is "upstate". I on the other hand chuckle when people consider Buffalo "upstate" (I believe it's in Western NY) or Poughkeepsie "upstate" which is actually in the Southern part of the state. Oh well, makes it all very interesting!

If memory serves me right there was a rather lengthly thread recently about what constituted "Upstate" and there was no real concensus of opinion other than it seemed the definition of "Upstate" depended on where one was standing at the time.

In this case it is interesting to note the original poster hasn't returned to clarify what she meant by Upstate, however judging from her question about Avon vs. Clarence she probably means the area about 30 miles south of Rochester westward about 50 miles toward Buffalo.

I think Clarence is better than Avon, although it has been YEARS since I've been to Avon. At the time Clarence had less junk and more antiques than Avon.

Hi,
I'm the OP. We're flying in/out of Rochester. Staying 5 nights. Spending first 2 nights in Finger Lakes area. Plan to go as far east as Bouckeville/Madison on one day trip.
Then the dilemma. Head over to Buffalo to attend Clarence antique shops and flea market, or stay closer to Rochester area and go to Avon flea markets & whatever else is in the area? Don't want to spend all our time in the car, but it's a long way from Oregon to N.Y. and not sure if we'll ever visit this area again. (So many flea markets; so little time.)

Let's not get into the "upstate" debate again! (And Rochester often gets referred to as the "upstate" area ... but let's move on ....)

But I think the poster is specifically inquiring about the Rochester (Avon) area vs. Buffalo (Clarence)area for antiques. First of all, you will really enjoy the Boukeville/Madison area for antiques. In fact, the 3rd weekend of every August they have one of the biggest antique markets in NY State in Boukeville ... It's really incredible, with LOTS of high end, quality antiques, as well as affordable stuff ... not that much junk compared to some flea markets.

So if your deciding between Clarence and Avon, I would definitely recommend the Clarence area ... many more shops with quality stuff than the Avon area.

Not sure how much time you have for leisurely driving, but Route 20 into Boukeville is a nice drive. The antiques in the Clarence area are located on Route 5 ... Clarence is also a nice, cute town.

Since, you may not be visiting the area for some time, you may enjoy taking in some sites in Rochester ... at least try to get to the George Eastman house Museum of Photography. It's in a nice area on East Ave. Then go over to Park Ave for a bite to eat. At least you'll get a bit of the feel for Rochester.

I would consider checking some areas around Rochester and then heading to Syracuse and then to Bouckville. There is a large shop in Farmington (just a few miles from Canandaigua right off the NYS Thruway) called Ontario Antiques Mall http://www.ontariomallantiques.com there are hundreds of dealers there, you can easily shop for hours. If you are there over Columbus day weekend there is a big sale at that shop. The Salt City Autumn Antiques Show October is 15 & 16, 2005 in Syracuse at the Fairgrounds (it's an indoor show) there is more info at http://www.bouckvilleantiqueshows.com/html/autumn.html. I would skip the flea market in Syracuse - too much new merchandise. If you head east from Syracuse (about an hour drive) there are several shops in Bouckville on Rt. 20 outside of Cazenovia, here is a list of shops in the area http://www.bouckvilleantiques.com/mbada/mbada.htm . There is also an auction house in that area called Madison Auction Service (it's well run and no I do not work for them!) - maybe you could go to an auction? http://www.madisonauctionny.com/

Try carterjunk.com... it's Mary Randolph Carter's website, and not only is she a VP at Ralph Lauren, she's the author of a few "... Junk" books. She's got a fun style, and has lots of tips of places to find "junk". She's got a place in upstate NY, so knows the area. Happy hunting!

Only consider Clarence if you visit will be on the weekend... there's more of everything on the Sat/Sun days...

I love poking around the flea market and antique shops in Clarence....especially in fall! I agree with garyt22 - the weekend is the time for the fleamarket, which is indoors and outdoors.

Hertel Ave. in Buffalo has several antiques shops (between Starin and Colvin Avenues). Everything from furniture to tribal arts to art deco. It's a fun neighborhood and there are a lot of restaurants and cafe's along the same stretch of Hertel Ave. You can even cruise past a few Frank Lloyd Wright houses. Hertel Ave. is on the north side of Buffalo and begins on Main Street (Rt. 5)....the antique shops and markets in Clarence are also on Rt. 5, about 15 miles away.

Have fun!


www.antiqueworldmarket.com