From vintage clothing to rings of all shapes and sizes to sheathed swords, the Palo Alto High Flea Market and its diverse vendors is home to some extraordinarily unique items. The flea market, held on the second Saturday of each month for over thirty years, has become a routine for certain vendors while consistently attracting new, creative sellers eager to participate.
All proceeds from the market — including the $20 fee for senior vendors and $25 fee for all other vendors — go toward Palo Alto High’s music department.
We swung by the Palo Alto High Flea Market, almost three years after The Post’s first visit, asked five vendors to tell us about their experiences getting set up at the flea market — because it’s not as straightforward as it seems — and found out what they love about the Palo Alto High Flea Market, specifically.
Here are their responses.
Sprawled across vintage carpets, racks donning rows of unique, handmade clothing hug a small table boasting fabric hearts and other similar items to anyone that walks by.
The most impressive part? These pieces are crafted out of fabrics heading for the landfill, transported and sold by one woman: Danielle. She began sewing decades ago and only became a vendor at the Palo Alto High Flea Market in 2022. Sewing provides Danielle with an important outlet for her creativity and keeps her busy in retirement, she said.
“I kept making the same thing [hand-sewn items] until I outgrew my house and decided I’ve got to start selling to other people,” she said.
In order to make the trip to the market every second Saturday worth it, Danielle said she must arrive hours before the 9 a.m. opening.
Much more preparation is required to have a successful day at the flea market, Danielle said. The night before the market, Danielle loads her car to the brink with her products, which can take up to a couple hours, according to her. Typically, Danielle arrives at Palo Alto High a little before six a.m. to have time to set up.
Although she has to arrive early, Danielle said the Palo Alto High Flea Market is ideal for her because of the low commitment, frequent shoppers and tight-knight community between vendors that the area fosters.
“It’s fun coming out here,” she said. “I get to meet people and have people enjoy what I work on.”
Alma
Tucked into the furthest corner of the flea market, Alma’s table displaying her handmade jewelry and other goods is a hidden gem. Everything from the earrings to the necklaces are made of natural stones — Alma’s aim is to create completely natural products.
From fashion designing to quilting, crafting has always been a part of Alma’s life. Ultimately, through the exploration of many different creative hobbies, her attention landed on one main passion: jewelry making.
“I stopped selling the clothes, and I started quilting [and jewelry making],” she said. “I eventually said, ‘Well, I need to sell all this jewelry.’ So I made more, sold more. Made more, sold more, and I’m still here [at the flea market].”
Alma’s jewelry varies in complexity, cost and appearance. Some pieces are large and statement-making, like her long necklaces with heavy, glistening stones as a pendant. Others utilize smaller cuts of gems, such as her earrings which are barely larger than a quarter.
“Some pieces take a while,” Alma said. “Some I can whip up just like that. I’ll sit and make a whole bunch of stuff [jewelry] all one day, and the next day, I’ll just do earrings. Next day, I’ll do bracelets. That’s how I break it up.”
Despite having sold at other pop-ups for almost two decades, Alma only began selling her jewelry at the Palo Alto High Flea Market in 2022. The range of items sold by other vendors at Palo Alto High was one of many attractive factors of the specific market.
“There are a variety of things I like about here [the Palo Alto High flea market],” Alma said. “I can sell my items, bring somebody with me and walk around and see what’s here. There are a lot of interesting things [to buy] here, especially for the holidays.”
When describing the process of setting up her table and making sure everything is prepared for customers, Alma has one clear piece of advice: arrive early to avoid the crowd.
“I come at eight since you can’t arrive after nine,” Alma said. “If you come after nine o’clock, you might as well just keep on going.”
Riley Talain
From intricately-laced vintage tops to neon Y2K dresses, Riley Talain’s area at the flea market can be described as a single word — vintage. Full of well-curated clothes, their origins ranging from the 1970s to early 2000s, Talain’s station at the flea market is a display of her collection of second-hand clothes. She obtains these items from estate sales, lots, eBay, thrift stores and her own closet, as Talain put it.
She was inspired to become a vendor after seeing a social media post which vividly captured the vast range of products offered by the many vendors at the market.
“There was a TikTok video, and it said, ‘Come to the market [Palo Alto High Flea Market] with me,’” Talain said. “I realized it [the market] was close to me, and I just came and shopped around. And then I realized I want to do this, too.”
Two years later, selling clothes at the Palo Alto High Flea Market is a monthly ritual for Talain. Her preparation for selling at the flea market begins the night before with her mother’s van.
“I load up my mom’s van the day before, so that I don’t have to do it in the cold morning,” Talain said. “In the morning, I get up and skip breakfast. Luckily, I’ve got friends who bring food to me because I really prioritize my sleep.”
Talain ensures that her outfits emulate the vintage elements of the clothing she sells, she said, before making her way out the door to the market.
“I try to dress cute and in the spirit of the things that I sell,” Talain said.
According to Talain, the process toward becoming a vendor was relatively straightforward, and she encourages all those who wish to find a community to sell within to choose to become a vendor at the Palo Alto High Flea Market.
“If you are interested in doing it [becoming a vendor] here, you should,” Talain said. “It’s so much fun getting to talk to people. I have people who come back, and they visit me every single month, which is really, really sweet, and I really, really appreciate it.”
John Butler
Square boxes teeming with comic books line a small white table, offering a dense collection of books of all genres. From small cards featuring stereoscopic views of the Vatican to comic books about Deadpool, John Butler’s collection of decades-old comics and literature is sure to have a piece for everyone (and probably more than one copy).
For Butler, who has been a Palo Alto High Flea Market vendor since 2000, comic books have been an important part of his life since 1987. For over sixty years, Butler has enjoyed sharing his values through the process of selling comic books.
“[Comic books] are my childhood,” Butler said. “People come up to me and say, ‘How many books do you have?’ Then, they tell me their stories, and it’s so beautiful hearing what they remember.”
Aside from connecting with others on a nostalgic front, Butler takes great pride in his part in combating mental health issues through comic books, he said.
“Comics were a mental health escape,” Butler said. “Reading them is really comfortable. That is part of the reason I started selling them here, to hopefully bring that joy to other people.”
Butler’s motivation for giving out comic books stretches further, beyond just mental health; he sells comic books in order to improve physical health of his customers, too.
“Reading is good for the brain,” Butler said. “Whatever is good for the brain is good for me.”
In his vast collection of books, Butler has dozens of young adult and children’s books to offer families with younger children. As Butler put it, selling children’s books is a part of his charity and a part of his business.
Regarding his trip to the flea market that day, his arrival was out of the ordinary, according to Butler. He showed up late and snagged one of eight remaining spots. Typically, Butler said, he likes to arrive at seven o’clock sharp.
“I’m normally planning way ahead,” Butler said. “Vendors don’t get a space if they’re on call until eight-forty-five to nine, but I like to be early and then just look around and get to know vendors.”
The community at the Palo Alto High Flea Market made it easier to return to selling after a long hiatus, Butler said.
“This was the first place I came back to [to sell],” Butler said. “It was a happy experience to come back because I always felt welcome here.”
Maria
Maria’s tables had a little bit of everything — some of the most unique items were glass suncatchers, wreaths of flowers and a miniature Santa Claus figurine. According to Maria, the vast array of vintage collectibles and handmade items is the display of a decade’s worth of on-and-off crafting and collecting.
It was Maria’s first Palo Alto High flea market after a multiple year-long break where she focused on selling at the De Anza Flea Market. Despite her hiatus, Maria found that the market was just as rewarding upon her return.
“It’s fun to set up and do your own thing and then meet other people,” Maria said. “It’s just an enjoyable experience, since I do like to create things.”
The months approaching the holidays are Maria’s favorite time to sell items, and she finds that customers naturally gravitate towards her Christmas-themed figurines. However, Maria notes that there isn’t any single item that all customers choose; rather, people gravitate towards whichever of her many unique offerings suits their fancy.
“Some people really love the jewelry,” Maria said. “I’ve sold a lot of these things that are handmade. It really depends on what people would like. People pick and choose a little bit of everything.”
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