x
Breaking News
More () »

Treasure Hunting: How flea market finds can pay off with up-cycling

The swap meet is a bargain hunter's paradise, but how do 'do-it-yourselfers' refurbish and sometimes resell their great finds at a flea market?

SAN DIEGO (NEWS 8) - The swap meet is a bargain hunter's paradise, but how do 'do-it-yourselfers' refurbish and sometimes resell their great finds at a flea market?

Websites like Etsy and Pinterest teach and inspire people to re-purpose items found at flea markets like furniture and house ware goods.

One place in San Diego that serves as a creative resource is Kobey’s Swap Meet.

Kobey’s general manager, Anthony Pretto said what may seem as junk piled up at a flea market for one person is a treasure on the up-cycle market for another person.

“Glassware is very popular. People use it for jewelry trays or as decorative items at dining room tables,” said Pretto.

At Kobey’s, shoppers can find estate sale vendors like Steve Mattson, who says thrift and antique stores make big business by polishing up what is left behind. “I would say 25 to 30 percent of my business is re-purposing,” he says.

“You can get items for a dollar, two dollars without spending a lot of money and put some tender love and care and you have a brand new item,” said Pretto.

For a former public-relations-executive turned interior-designer-student like Meghan Whitney, she says, “It’s hours of looking online and what’s out there in-store, and then you’re like, ‘I don’t want to pay that much for it and I can do that myself.’”

Before You Leave, Check This Out