It’s the middle of July and we are not doing something we used to do a lot: go to the Orange County Swap Meet for hours on Saturday morning. For example, it was one of the places we took our Midwestern family members who came to visit. For example, my father and Larry loved to peruse the tools. My mom searched for inexpensive souvenirs for friends and grandkids back home. Preferably tiny things to fit in her already jam-packed suitcase.
It was novel, a hallmark of a great tourist attraction.
The Swap Meet was founded in 1969 on the vast flat parking lot of the Orange County Fair, which was only held for for four week out of 52. Vendors operated within the confines of the pre-marked parking space. It’s doubtful that these sellers had permanent space in a mall.
One could buy small kitchen appliances and utensils, fruits and vegetables, and, on occasion, a car or a fur. As the huge sign in the photo states, one could buy fresh bread at the swap meet. Fresh flowers and plants and decorative containers in which to place the plants. Fake plants, too.
Hair products and perfumes, inexpensive tee shirts for men and boys, dresses, tops, and skirts for women and girls. Inexpensive jewelry and handbags. Each year I purchased a stylishly unique handbag from a vendor who called himself The Beverly Hills Bag Lady.
In recent times, a new owner of the weekend shopping treat renamed the swap meet. With the new manager’s moniker, the Market Place upscaled. Permanent eateries and restrooms were centered among the hundreds of stalls. Beer and wine and freshly lemonade and snow cones were offered to the clientele. Of course, the entry fee increased. That’s when we began to go less and less. Further, my dermatologist admonished me to reduce my skin’s exposure to the sun. Finally, we didn’t need weekend entertainment or things.
Covid strictures closed the place for several years.
Covid also forced me into Amazon purchasing and, because of the convenience, I haven’t let the practice go. If one of us did go shopping, we’d opt for air-conditioned stores, not open-air hot-and-sticky in the relentless California sun.
What are your swap meet memories? Or, are you going to the Orange County Fair sometime in the next month, parking your car in one of the spaces?
Never been to a swap meet that I know of.
Wow – it’s no longer a swap of goods for goods as done back in the days of cowboys, Indians, fur trappers, and settlers. It’s an outdoor market, held only on weekends. Kinda fun, but lots of sunscreen for lots of walking to get the deals.
Thanks for your interest!