A First Timer's Guide to the Rose Bowl Flea Market

You would think that after living near Pasadena, CA for over 13 years that I would’ve made it out to the Rose Bowl Flea Market sometime in that timeframe, but surprisingly enough, I never did! I’ve been wanting to check it out for a few years now, but unfortunately with scheduling conflicts we were just never able to make it happen… that is, until today!

I’ve loved collecting vintage pop culture tees for a while now, and from what I’ve heard, the Rose Bowl Flea Market is full of amazing gems at decent prices. If you’ve never heard of the Rose Bowl Flea Market before, it’s an outdoor market held at the Rose Bowl every second Sunday of the month, and it has tons of vendors that sell everything from clothing to furniture to antiques and more.

I’ll be honest, part of what held me back from going was also that you had to pay an entry fee to get in. For the “early bird” ticket which grants you admission from 5am-9am, it costs $20 per person vs. general admission which starts beginning at 9am and ends at 3pm (you can shop until 4:30pm but last admission is at 3pm) costs $12 per person.

Since it was our first time, Kevin kindly offered to cover both our “early bird” tickets so we could get the full Rose Bowl Flea Market experience. We arrived around 7am, and we were surprised at how empty the area was. I’ll admit, paying for the “VIP” experience was 100% worth it! We had first dibs to all the best items, and just having the extra walking room was great. Since we’re also going into the summer, it started to get really hot around 8am, so it was nice getting to explore before the peak heat temperatures started to hit.

I went in looking for specific items during our visit: vintage Disney/pop culture clothing, decor pieces for our living room mantle, and artwork to fill up some empty wall space in our new home. I started with a $250 budget and while I didn’t find everything I was looking for, I’m glad I found some great vintage tees and one decor piece to take home with me! Unfortunately I had no luck in the artwork department, but maybe next time.

If I could offer some tips if it’s your first time at the Rose Bowl Flea Market, it would be these:

Go early! As I mentioned above, you’ll get first dibs on all the best items there and it’s nice to feel like you almost have the whole place to yourself. There was a vintage tee I was considering buying but wasn’t ready to purchase due to the high price point, but after some shopping around and a lot of thinking, I went back before general admission started and was thankfully able to grab it. I’m not sure it would’ve still been there had I gone once everyone started coming in.

Wear a tank top/leggings so you can try on clothes. Because it’s outdoors, most vendors don’t have a “changing room” for you to try on the clothes there. I wore a tank top underneath my oversized tee and biker shorts so it made trying on clothes super easy without flashing anyone in the process. The worst thing you want to do is come home with clothes that you loved and bought, but they don’t fit properly!

Bring cash. I almost always never have cash on me, but I knew if I wanted to stay within budget, cash would be the best way to go. Also some of the vendors operate on cash only, so it’s helpful to have it on hand! A pro tip that I’ve heard in the past is that it’s also a great way to negotiate prices with the vendors. I was able to get so many great deals by buying multiple items from the same vendor and also providing cash for my purchases.

Bring a reusable bag or a hand cart to hold all of your purchases. Keep in mind that you’re going to have to carry whatever you decide to buy. Kevin brought a backpack and a reusable bag and we ended up using both of those to hold everything we purchased. I saw a ton of people bring hand carts with them as well, especially if they were buying small pieces of furniture or a lot of different items.

Stay cool. Bring a hat, lather up on some sunblock, and make sure to stay hydrated! This may be more applicable for the summer dates, but since this is outdoors and it’s southern California, the temperatures get super hot. I regret not bringing a hat or wearing sunblock because I could just feel my skin burning the longer we stayed there. Whether you bring your own water bottle or buy an agua fresca at one of the food booths there, stay hydrated because you’re going to be doing a lot of walking!

I had such a great time at the Rose Bowl Flea Market, and I already can’t wait to go back! If you want to see all the items I purchased, be sure to follow me over on Instagram so you can see how I styled the pieces I picked up.

If you’ve been to the Rose Bowl Flea Market before, please leave your best tips in the comments below!

xo,
Keshia