With spring in the air, it wasn’t surprising to find Geneva resident Matt Jania looking for some baseball memorabilia on Saturday on opening weekend of the Kane County Flea Market in St. Charles.
“I’ve been to a flea market a few times and this one is nice,” he said as he looked over some framed pictures of professional athletes. “I haven’t bought much, but when I find something that I like I’m a pretty good negotiator. I knew this weekend was coming, and I’m going to check out some other stuff like maybe a few jerseys and stuff to hang up in my room in the house.”
One of the annual rites of spring in the Aurora area is the opening of the Kane County Flea Market, a tradition that dates back almost six decades. The market will run from noon to 5 p.m. Saturdays and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays on April 5 and 6, May 3 and 4, May 31 and June 1, July 5 and 6, Aug. 2 and 3, Sept. 6 and 7, Oct. 4 and 5, Nov. 1 and 2 and Dec. 6 and 7 at the Kane County Fairgrounds in St. Charles.
Owner and manager of the flea market Laurie Robinson of St. Charles said the market began in 1967.
“We’ll have about 300 vendors at least this weekend and over two days we’ll probably see about 6,000 people,” she said before opening weekend. “As far as what people are looking for it’s all over the place but the majority are checking out collectibles, food, antiques and furniture.”
Midwest vendors tend to dominate early season markets, Robinson said, “although we do get people from farther away when there are long, three-day weekends and people have a little more time to spend out here.”
“We probably get about 80% of the same vendors and the other 20% rotate in-and-out or are new,” she said. “One of the people we have this year that never came before is offering 3-D prints.”
Vendor Jack Combs, 74, of Rockford, said he has been coming to the Kane County Flea Market for more than four decades.
“I own Jack’s Auctioneer Service and I’ve been in this business my whole life,” Combs said ons Saturday an hour after the flea market opened for the season. “I’ve been coming here since the late ’80s and when I was here the lady that started it was here, although she has since passed away. She would come talk to all the people in the various booths.”
Robinson spoke about the longevity of the market and said the thing that keeps bringing people back “is probably just the hunt.”
“It’s the idea of looking for stuff. They just enjoy the process of looking over things and if there was ever something you wanted you’ll probably find it at the flea market,” she said. “If something just strikes them, that’s it.”
Mark Duquette of Warrenville came out Saturday, noting that “I have come here a number of times and I’m actually looking to sign up for some booths in May and be a vendor for the first time.
“My wife is an antiques dealer out in Sandwich and we buy and sell,” he explained. “She’s going to try doing it at the flea market for once. I think this market has been OK – some years it’s better, some worse – but there are years where I actually buy quite a lot of stuff.”
Ray Strelow of Orland Park said he “comes to the market often and I’m always looking for signs.”
“Stuff I put in my garage. I’m pretty picky but I’ve bought maybe 15 signs over the years,” he said. “I agree that one man’s junk is another man’s treasure. I’m a junker from way back. For me, this is the top flea market to come to. You can’t beat the selection.”
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.