Hidden Gems and Shiny Things

Hidden Gems and Shiny Things (at the flea market)

It’s like wonderland, each twist and turn containing even more surprises and with such variety how can it be anything else but a melting pot of the normal and the eclectic? Have you ever wandered about the Daytona Flea & Farmer’s Market casually? Just to see what there is to see? Let your feet lead you down a meandering path that brought you to unexpected discoveries? That’s what we tried last weekend. We found everything under the sun; things we expected and things we didn’t. There were leather jackets, pops, rainbow knives, sparkling jewelry stands, kitchen ware, Pokémon plushies, Egyptian foods, As Seen on TV, anime merchandise, All In One Master Tonics, Master swords, and so much more than can be contained in a sentence. It’s all right here, down to the crumbly cookies and the that shop keeps singing Maui’s “You’re Welcome”.

There are maps to help you find your way and you can certainly take it methodically if that’s your preference. Take it aisle by aisle, taking the offshoot aisles in order, and keeping careful track of where you’ve been and where you have left to go. There’s a kind of satisfaction in that. You can also just go, explore and let it take you by surprise. Turn down an aisle just because there was something glittering in your peripheral. Let it lure you down to see glittering dragon figurines, take another turn and wander down your own rabbit hole with clothing lining the edges and trickling down from the ceiling. There’s a breeze that blows through the main pathways carrying the scents of popcorn and sugared confectioneries.

Outside there are fountains and totem poles, rock and roll gnomes, and a veritable garden of plants. Some tall, some short, many green green green and reaching for the sky with bright leaves. There’s sun-catchers and brightly painted parrots, there’s woodworking and repair shops.
There’s golf carts and swords, marble-work and farm fresh produce, a Golden Pipe Smoke Shop, and various clothing shops. It has everything you’d expect at a flea market, and then so much more. I managed to snag a plush friend that had been so elusive to find in any store in Florida but yet there it hung, off a peg on a wall in one of the stores. Soft to the touch and so cheap I had no choice but to buy it and take it home.

We found gifts for others, treats for ourselves, and when we were done, we were stunned to find ourselves at the beginning yet again. It was like no matter how many twists and turns we took, no matter how often we turned in circles chasing whatever caught our eye, we still managed to find our way to exactly where we needed to be. And at the end, it was right were we began. Somehow I feel that when I need to find another elusive item, I’ll find myself yet again, right at the beginning again, the west entrance of The Daytona Flea & Farmer’s Market. It’s definitely the kind of magic, full of surprises and delights that I would invite you to join in. After all, you never know what you might find. You might walk out with just what you needed whether you went in with a plan or just free-styled it.

Written by: Kat Williams

CLICK HERE for Daytona Flea & Farmer’s Market listing. 

CLICK HERE for more shopping in Daytona Beach.