Canton Adventures and Treasures
Texas has a reputation. Everything is bigger in Texas. It’s true! I can vouch! Bigger hair, bigger homes, bigger trucks, bigger farms, and most importantly….bigger flea markets! Twice per year my mom, sister and I load up and head to Canton, Texas, which is the home of the world’s largest flea market. It spans over 100 acres, and has over 7,000 vendors. You simply never know what you’re going to find when you go!
Why Do We Go?
Mostly the 3 of us go because it is tradition. We simply love that we’ve always done this together, and will continue to do this together as long as we are able. It brings back memories, and makes me happy and proud to be a Texan. The thrill of the hunt is also a great reason…sometimes we go with a list of items in mind we’d like to buy, such as décor for our homes, or dishes to serve from, or more. Sometimes we go with no plan to buy and just find things we LOVE and can’t live without! And it always figures that when we go with money and a list, we will find nothing on that list. When we go with no list and little money, we will always find a million things we want that exceed our budget. It’s like a running joke. But I just love shopping for treasures amidst a sea of junk. I can’t help it! I was raised this way!
Yeah….you’re seeing that right. My sister can be a little cray cray. She’s uber hippie, super goofy, and really doesn’t care what anyone thinks of her….and I love her for it! Here she is posing in front of her dream transportation.
We love to come across the most random items and pose with them. We have surely found some cooky whatchamacallits over the years! Take this giant cat for example. Amy actually keeps pretty good photo records of the random nonsense objects and misspellings on signs. We get a good giggle every time!
There are 2 main types of shopping at Canton. There are the Arbors/Pavillions which sell new and boutique type items. These are great for gifts or specialty items. The arbors are typically super crowded and inefficient to try to shop. It usually ends up frustrating us, so we tend to stick with the less crowded “junkyards” of Canton where you can find anything under the sun. The lyrics to “Part of Your World” from Little Mermaid come to mind in this section.
“Look at this stuff
Isn’t it neat?
Wouldn’t you think my collection’s complete?
Wouldn’t you think I’m the girl
The girl who has ev’rything?
Look at this trove
Treasures untold
How many wonders can one cavern hold?
Lookin’ around here you’d think
(Sure) she’s got everything
I’ve got gadgets and gizmos aplenty
I’ve got whozits and whatzits galore
(You want thingamabobs?
I got twenty)
But who cares?
No big deal
I want more”
So what did I come away with this time?? Lots of little treasures! I bought some boutique clothes, but they were new rather than used, so I put them away to wear soon. But as for décor and stuff, I found this amazing serving piece with rainbow colored fiesta ware bowls…I’m thinking Build Your Own Ice Cream Sundae night!
I had been wanting a mortar and pestle, and found this very high quality antique porcelain one. It’s gorgeous! I can now grind my own seasonings when the recipe calls for it!
I found this great starfish! It’s real, and over 10” in diameter! It looks so lovely perched against a painting on my dresser.
Lastly, I found this tiny little 1950’s retro dish. It’s so cute! It matches my bathroom perfectly, so I plan to use it to put earrings in at the end of the day.
If you enjoy shopping, and enjoy digging for treasures amidst the junk, then Canton is the right place for you! I know I’m not alone in this, because 300,000 people FLOCK to Canton at the beginning of each month just to shop their flea market!
No Comments