Popping Up at Rossi's Pop-up Flea Market

Rossi's Pop-Up Marketplace and Flea Market, located in North Versailles, is a wholly unique experience. The outdoor flea market also has an indoor marketplace, and the carnival-like atmosphere never ceases to raise an amused eyebrow and put a smile on my face.

The outdoor vendors offer a wide range of items...


Everything from the sorts of things you'd find at a family garage sale, to new items, produce, flowers, car parts, motorcycle gear and... well, just about anything.

As you stroll its aisles, you'll hear the announcer come over the PA system and tell you a little bit about some of the indoor vendors...

"Get your slushies today at the Slushy King... All kinds of flavors, folks. It's hot out there, so come on in and get one!"

Or:

"Brenda's Pastries is just about ready to pack up, friends. Strudels, breads, muffins and doughnuts... They're delicious! But when Brenda's gone for the day, they're gone, too, so don't miss out!"

And my personal favorite:

"Get your Shammies at ShammyWorld! All sizes, all the shammy cloths you could want at great prices. For all your shammy needs, it's ShammyWorld!"

I didn't know I had "shammy needs." But apparently, I've been missing out on a whole great big, beautiful world of shamification.

Inside the marketplace, the state fair feel continues. In addition to things like slushies, and pastries and shammies, you can buy... oh... bling. Or AVON products. Or craft items and antiques. There's a room of dollar store goodies in boxes on the floor. There's tacky pseudo Native American art... And tchotchkies from around the world. From sports memorabila and comic books to stand-up cardboard cut-outs of Marilyn Monroe and James Dean, it's all here in one crazed Sergeant Pepper's album cover kind of jumble.

And because the place used to be a movie theater, the layout means that vendors have replaced the concession stand... Vendors line the theater halls... And vendors lurk behind doors down long hallways in dozens of rooms where the actual movies had been shown.

These theaters are still sloped, stadium style, where the seats once had been, and on the floor is art deco movie theater carpeting... It's a surreal detail that just adds to the experience. Vendors have taken advantage of this space by tiering their wares on these seating terraces, so a bit of climbing is in order to investigate everything.

Now you're probably wondering just what I found among the madness and mayhem. Well, one thing was actually for my friend Scoobie who collects cowboys...(heh, she wishes!) Er, rather, cowboy/Western things.


The print on the front is a Remington reproduction and she has a few of these sorts of bottles, but as luck would have it, she didn't have this one. This was a whopping $1.

Then in one of the movie theater rooms, I found a couple of goodies for myself. Based on its style, this tray looks like it might have been made in the 40s...


The roses are actually on fabric. It was pretty pricey-- $3. My most expensive purchase of the day!

And last I got this print, dated 1941, of a bleeding heart floral arrangement...

That was $2.

So, all-in-all, it was a lot of fun, a quirky way to spend a few hours, and for those folks in the area who haven't visited, just check it out once and see what you think.

And now you know... if you need a shammy cloth, Rossi's has you covered.

• For those who missed last Wednesday's Treasure Box post, and wanted to check that out, click here.

Otherwise, perhaps I'll see your smiling faces again this coming Wednesday.