Newtown Flea Market at Calhoun, Georgia

The Newtown Flea Market.  A couple of weeks before Christmas I saw an ad in a mailer the Calhoun Times sends out.  I visited the market the next weekend.  If you were coming from I-75 on Hwy 156 (Red Bud Road) you would pass the Gordon County Hospital on the left.  A little further on the right is Newtown Rd.  Turn right.  About two miles on the left, just as the road passes under I-75 sits the Newtown Flea Market.

The market has a good feel to it.  The sheds are old but the shops were warm and well organized.  The sheds and tables form a large horse shoe with parking in the middle.  On the outside there is a lot of glassware.  Inside the shops I found a wide variety of good used merchandise and some new. Clothes, hats, knives, belts, books, VHS, CDs, DVDs, tools, some antiques and small appliances.

Talking to an old timer I found out there had been a fire in one of the sheds a couple of years back.  Many folks thought the market was closed.  The management and vendors recently started some advertising to remedy that misconception. At the time I visited outside spots with two tables under the sheds were five dollars.  There were no inside spots available but I was told the rate for them was fifty dollars a month.

The Eton Flea Market

8:56 AM 11/20/2010

Most folks call it the Eton Flea Market or the Eton Market.  The proper name for the market in the North Georgia town of Eton is Pleasant Valley Orchards Flea Market. A couple of weekends ago on Saturday, November 20th I set up there.

The Eton Market is new, having only opened for business last summer.    There are a lot of different vendors offering everything from antique radios to new items.  You will find estate dealers, folks with yard sale items, tools as well as lots of novelty stuff.

Local churches sometimes raise money for different projects by selling baked goods.  Other food vendors offer pork rinds, boiled peanuts and pop corn.  There is a pretty good Mexican restaurant out in front of the market also.

I plan on returning to the Eton Flea Market this Saturday on the first weekend in December.  Along with the hats, pins (Great stocking stuffers!) and the usual stuff I carry I will have gift sets for women and more tools.  Hope to see you there.

Update from visit in March, 2011
Pictures of antique sewing machine and tools:

The market is actively managed and clean. Spots for vendors are $12 for a three table spot under a shed. Outside tables are $5 a day and there are inside spots available for monthly fees.There is an area specifically for livestock. For more information give the market manager, Greg Vander, a call.

Here is the contact info:

Pleasant Valley Orchards Flea Market

706-581-5051

4564 Hwy. 411 N
Eton, GA 30724

Chickens and Such, Livestock Sales

I didn't get much flea marketing done this weekend. I was busy with my chickens, working on their new coop.  I did get over to the Highway 108 Flea Market for a while on Sunday afternoon.  I rent a space there and they watch it for me. Even so, I like to stop by on weekends to check and add stock.

I haven't tried to sell livestock at any of the markets yet.  Some have restrictions and some seem to have no rules at all.  I have seen chickens sold at the Mountain View Market in Chatsworth and Big D's in Dalton.  At Pleasant Valley Orchards Flea Market in Eton they have a designated area for livestock sales.

You can often find baked goods and fresh eggs at your local flea market.  At all the large ones there is at least one good vegetable vender.  At Red Barn in Dalton there is a lady who sells dented can goods. Real bargains that stretch the budget.

Y'all have a good week and I hope to see you at the market this weekend.

North Georgia Flea Markets

Most weekends you can find me at one of the North Georgia Flea Markets.  When I'm selling, it is hats, CD's, tools and other odds and ends I find at auctions, online and wholesale distributors in Atlanta.  The hats give the table color.  I usually have several dozen. Folks like to stop, look and read the funny sayings.  Even folks who would never

wear a hat.

I enjoy flea markets. Not just for the chance to buy and sell. For the opportunity to meet people. For the chance to talk over ideas, hear or tell a joke or just enjoy the weather.

Yes, I do go to buy stuff. Recently I found an old 1926 kodak camera for $10.  My favorite flea market find is a portable Philco radio from the 1930's.  It has a wooden case and roll down door.  Then there are the vegetable venders.  At the Big D's and Red Barn markets you can find fruits and veggies fresh, and from all over the world.  Even at a smaller market like the new one in Eton, Georgia on Highway 411 you will find one or more fresh vegetable stall.

Hope to see you this weekend at a North Georgia Flea Market.