On my recent trip to North Carolina I stopped by Smiley’s Flea Market. I had wanted to visit, but for one reason or another had never gotten here early enough, or when I wasn’t in a rush to get somewhere else. So on Saturday I added another flea market to my list.
Smiley’s actually has three locations – this one on Fletcher, one in Macon, Georgia, and one in Micanopy, Florida (where ever the heck that is.) This one seemed fairly large, but not as big as the Anderson Jockey Lot or the Pickens Flea Market. It’s about the same size at the Augusta Road market.
As mentioned in my last post, i didn’t take the big camera in. I did, however, take the LX-5 and one other tool. I had my iPhone set to take one shot every 5 seconds as I walked around with it on my belt. I would see what I would capture.
As with most flea markets, there is a combination of outdoor tables and permanent merchants with some inside shops. I started with the rented tables. There was the typical mix of yard sale items, clothing, tools, and produce.
This close to Asheville, there were a couple of touches of funky vibe, with tattoos and punk/Goth outfits, but there was more of a Hispanic flavor, similar to Augusta Road. One vendor had an accordion and was playing and singing norteño music. He was pretty good.
The interior spaces consist of only one long hall. It’s nowhere near as big as Anderson. I made it the whole way around twice. I made only one purchase a knock-off Barlow knife for $5.
It was a nice visit, but I think we’ve got better options even closer. I think I would only stop by en route to elsewhere.