Palmyra Flea Market

The Tacony flea market takes place every Saturday on Route 73 near the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge to Philadelphia. This event has a lot more hustle than the quaint farmer's market that I visited in the cornfields of Berlin, NJ. The pulse of this event is evident as you step on the parking lot concrete which vibrates with the bass of bootleg hiphop backing up merchants selling pirated CDs and mixtapes. Not suprisingly, the local police feel compelled to "assist" in the proceedings. I don't remember any police supervising the farmers down at Berlin. But this crowd is probably 95% people of color. 75% of the people rocked patterned hoodies or bubble goose.

Plenty of asian sellers - including a 10 year old chinese girl hawking mobile phone accessories on a fold up table. And a middle aged asian lady showing Shaw Brothers movies to a crowd of kids. Instead of dainty houseware, you'll find sports jerseys, fitted caps, sneakers & timbs, kung fu DVDs, bras, fake gucci and fendi bags, and yes, neon patterned hoodies.

Then in the farthest part of the parking lot you'll find people selling whatever junk they got in their house. Old electronics (how about a single tire to go with that double cassette deck or top-loading VCRs?). The collections are almost as interesting as the hustlers themselves. For many, its a family affair. A Saturday ritual where they intermingle with a variety of people from different races and ethnicities to earn an extra buck and to rid themselves of their junk. Junk which transforms into treasure in the hands of its lucky buyer. No treasures for me today, but the walk through was enjoyable.