Antique extravaganza in Adamstown PA

Adamstown PA (or Atown for short) has been a hot spot for vintage goods for over 30 years; but I made my first trip this weekend for their "extravaganza". This means more vendors, great deals, and even bbq! Unlike many of the other large antique/flea markets I've been to over the years, Atown is literally a town full of markets! If you've never been, let me tell you it is worth the trip... 

Even though I grew up less than an hour from this "antique capital", I never heard of it !?!? I learned about this place on a recent trip to Brimfield MA. I was chatting with one of the local dealers, and when he heard where I was from he assumed I'd been there. This poor man nearly fell over when I said "Adams-where?!?". So after his amazing description of the finds and deals, I immediately looked it up and planned my trip!

OK, when I said this is a town of antique and flea markets, I was not exaggerating! As soon as we got off the highway, we were facing about 5 signs describing where to turn for the best vintage finds! With only 1 day to spend, I focused on 3 hot spots: Adamstown Antique Mall, Mad Hatter Antique Mall, and Stoudt's Antique Mall. So let's dive in!

First stop was the Adamstown Antique Mall, and it was a great place to begin! This place had a huge variety of items from furniture, to clothes, to vintage toys and books... and the most unusual find for me: the discoTek! I was able to make a few key purchases here including a few old school slates, primitive ladder, and this adorable little pup! 

The Mad Hatter is the "sister" store of the Adamstown Antique Market, so we hopped across the street to see if the luck would continue. This shop was about the same size, but had a lot more in the way of art: posters, advertising, prints, and books. I picked up a few clutch finds here as well: vintage birthday card(50's), bingo card so cute that needs to be in a frame, and sleigh bells.

Next stop, The Stoudt's Antique Mall. This was a much larger market, with a broader range of items from handmade furniture and priceless antiques, to vintage Christmas ornaments and household items. This was the only market we visited that had both indoor and outdoor vendors, as well as it's own restaurant. The restaurant was probably the biggest surprise of the trip: Wonderful Good Market! This place wasn't pretty, but served up some amazing pizza, sandwiches, and soups! They baked their bread and pastries there, and you can tell... my only tip would be to head over early, because they sold out by 1pm. After lunch, I spotted a beautiful set of vintage bubble lights for our Christmas tree, a mirror tray (for benefit of a local cat shelter), and some really old wool carders that the dealer called "horse brush thingies" !

All in all, this is a trip I would definitely take again! I'm not sure how much was the "extravaganza" and how much is there every Sunday, but I expect to find out! If you're looking to plan your trip, the next "extravaganza" is planned for Sept. 22-25. But if you're in the neighborhood, don't wait... just head on over, you are bound to find something wonderful ;D