It’s summertime in the city, which means it’s time to throw on your best garb, grab your bike, and bust a move to the Toronto summer flea market scene. Sure, they’re teeming with hipsters like beefcakes at the UFC match. Ignore the affected fedora army. You’ve got vintage goods to hunt down. Here are our top 5 Toronto Summer Flea Markets…
The Leslieville Flea
Even the Leslieville set need not leave their neighbourhood to search out treasures in the form of vintage, reclaimed, and up-cycled gems, and locally-made art, furniture, antiques, and collectibles. Held the third Sunday each month at the Ashbridge Estate, the flea has the added bonus (as of June 15th) of offering craft beer to shoppers from Indie Alehouse. Beer and antiquing together at last!
The Parkdale Flea
Parkdale represent! There’s something kinda magical about Parkdale in the summer, and the hood’s flea market kicks ass like none other. With special vendors as noteworthy as Sourced & Salvaged, gotamago, Noble Street Antiques, Snap + Tumble, Kitten & Bear, and Primal Grind, the Parkdale Flea is a hipster’s paradise, but it still has the laissez-faire feel of a down-home outdoor antique market. Dogs are welcome, food and drink vendors are plentiful, and the flea is free. The whole experience just feel like summer.
The Junction Flea
Everyone knows faux-hemians make like bargain hunters and book it in their Audis to this summer flea market. The market looks like Zooey Deschanel’s closest multiplied and immigrated to Canada. There’s everything from vintage clothes to crafts so cool they look like they could just as easily be on Etsy or in Urban Outfitters en masse. This year, the Junction Flea has a new homebase in an empty lot on Sterling Road. Sounds like the set of a Michael Cera movie if you ask us. The Junction Flea will continue to alternate the new destination with their east-end market at Evergreen Brick Works.
Dr. Flea’s Flea Market
Sure, Dr. Flea’s Flea Market is indoors, but the massive market is the perfect venue for a raining weekend afternoon in the summer, and a trip to the suburbs is always a good excuse to eat at a big box restaurant and not tell anybody. The 27-year-old Etobicoke flea (at Highway 27 and Albion Road) has approximately 400 vendors along with an outdoor produce market. The market is open on the weekends from 10am until 5 pm. Suburban bonus? Parking and admission are both free! Cha-ching – more for East Side Mario’s.
The Annex Flea
Perhaps giving the Junction a run for its 1st-class second-hand goods, the Annex Flea describes itself as “a market for all things handmade and vintage.” With hip vendors like Red Rock Antiques & Vintage Emporium and Odds & Mends on site, you can energize with fair trade cappuccinos to keep your eye on the prize: 70s women’s Levi’s jeans for men, obviously.
What are you favourite flea markets in Toronto? Comment below or tweet us @ViewtheVibe.
