Best Down-Home Flea Market

Flea Market on Airport

The nefarious creep of global capitalism sure seems to have infected the entire planet. Other than perhaps jumping a bus and heading for some small town market in Mexico, there seem to be few shopping experiences left in North America which aren't darkened by the shadow of some corporate logo or linked by some chain franchise. At the Flea Market on Airport, a concentrated dose of Austin Eastside fun and down-home consumerism takes place every weekend on Airport Boulevard, ironically right next to a McDonald's. Like those streetside markets in Mexico, this mercado de pulga is an oasis of real people selling real cheap stuff in a desert of corporate franchises. You'll find great bargains on tools, housewares, and Tejano and conjunto music cassettes, and more than enough opportunities to brush up on your Spanish, if it's not your native language. If you are interested in renting space as a dealer, see Joe in the big, blue Chevy pick-up truck. He'll set you up.

Fridays, Saturdays, & Sundays, 12th & Airport, just north of the McDonald's