7 Best Flea Markets in Arizona

Share

404

Arizona flea markets require stamina.

Regardless of the saying “It’s a dry heat.” the temperatures are anything but bearable if you do not prepare for them correctly, whether you are vending or buying.

Fortunately, the best Arizona flea markets make judicious use of shade sails, misters, industrial cooling fans, pop-up canopies, early start times, and evening hours to create temperature differentials of up to 35 degrees below those in surrounding sunny areas.

Freezing water in gallon drinking jugs or solid ice blocks in coolers also helps shoppers and sellers avoid heatstroke.

You don’t just come early for the best deals as in other states.

You also arrive early to take advantage of the few short hours of available lower morning temperatures.

By as early as 10:00 AM, the temperature can sometimes be above 90 in the sun, even in spring and fall, and forget summer unless you grew up here.

So freeze your water, cover your arms, head, and back, and use every sliver of shade you can find.

No, this is not an exaggeration.

Which Factors Indicate the Best Arizona Flea Markets?

Family Fun

Despite its reputation for being a state people from other states retire to, Arizona has a massive contingent of born-here teens and children, plus numerous families who came here as out-of-state college students.

In addition, a large contingent of Latter-Day Saints and Native Americans also add to the youthful population.

In fact, as of 2020, Arizona’s population stood at 7,276,316, with 28 percent of them under 18.

Consequently, finding safe outdoor entertainment that will keep kids and teens happy on weekends allows Mom and Dad to maintain their equilibrium. 

Evening Hours

Although Arizona’s record daytime high temperature of 128 degrees, set in 1994 in Lake Havasu, has yet to be beaten, average daytime highs around the state routinely exceed 100 degrees from June through early September.

For this reason, many of Arizona’s best flea markets feature evening hours on one or more days.

Music

Although several of Arizona’s best flea markets feature an amusement section with rides that adults enjoy just as the children do, the musical groups draw larger crowds and encourage shoppers to linger, often leading to higher-dollar sales.

So bring your car stereo business, concert t-shirts, music festival memorabilia, and vintage vinyl, cassettes, and 8-track tapes, selling from as close to Auto Row as possible.  

International Ambiance

The finest of Arizona’s swap meets feature merchandise worldwide: from comales and tortilladoras manuales to hand-woven wool rugs and blankets to concrete statues and candles featuring La Virgen de Guadalupe and Saint Joseph.

You will find rosewood acoustic guitars and ceramic ocarinas as well.

The 7 Best Flea Markets in Arizona

1. Phoenix Park ‘N Swap

Several well-established, long-standing flea markets top the Best of Arizona list, beginning with the Phoenix Park ‘N Swap at 3801 E. Washington Street.

This former greyhound racing track opens on Wednesdays from 4:00 PM to 10:00 PM, Fridays from 6:00 AM to noon, and Saturdays & Sundays from 6:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

The amusement ride area features a Tilt-a-Whirl, Raiders climber, carousel, pony rides, Bunny Hop, Thriller slide, and a train.

Most rides require at least two tickets, at $1.00 each.

Listen to music on Festival Night Wednesdays, take advantage of free admission Fridays, or meander through the stalls on Sunday to find the best bargains of the week.

Vehicle display spaces on Auto Row cost $25 every Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday.

However, vendors must sell car parts, tires, and auto accessories in the regular sales spaces.

New and used tool vendors abound, as do sellers of housewares, oversized cooking pots, bedding, clothing, and toys.

Buy hand-woven Turkish carpets, saddle blankets, plush comforters, and complete bedding sets.

Friday vendor spaces cost $10 for a regular 9-foot by 21-foot spot, and L-Row with parking runs $13.

Advertisers and service vendors pay $100.

Wednesday night, Saturday, and Sunday, the common spaces cost $28 per day, corners in the central aisle run $50, and corner positions in the south end cost $30.

Electric costs an additional $28 per day, and spots in Auto Row cost $25 apiece per day.

Advertisers and service sellers pay $100 per booth per day.

2. Tanque Verde Swap Meet

This long-standing Tucson flea market located at 4100 South Palo Verde Road opened for business in 1975 and remained family-owned until 2019 when United Flea Markets took over operations.

One of the planned improvements, Comida Park, will feature as many as 40 food trucks, an expanded seating area, and live entertainment.

Tanque Verde opens every weekend from 3:00 PM to 11:00 PM on Friday nights, 8:00 AM to 11:00 PM every Saturday, and 2:00 PM to 10:00 PM on Sundays.

These evening hours make the Tanque Verde Swap Meet ideal for date night.

Rent strollers for $3.00 and wheelchairs for $6.00.

The $1.00 admission fee beginning in October includes free stage shows, paved walkways, and $1.00 per ticket for kids’ rides.

Freddie’s Fun Zone features the Dragon Coaster, Bumper Boats, the Scrambler, and a Bounce House.

Rides require between one and three tickets each.

Vendors pay $21 to sell till 11:00 PM on Fridays.

It costs $48 to trade on Saturdays, however: $21 from 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM and an additional $27 to sell from 3:00 PM to 11:00 PM.

Sunday prices provide the best vendor bargain: just $16 per spot to sell from 2:00 PM to 10:00 PM.

In addition, there is no need to bring tables: the meet provides them for just $5.00 apiece, and electricity runs $2.00 a day.

3. West Wind Glendale Swap Meet

West Wind requires all its vendors to obtain the Arizona Transaction Privilege Tax license and name the City of Glendale as your vending location.

This license costs $12, and you must present it every time you enter the premises to conduct business at the West Wind Glendale Swap Meet, located at 5650 North 55th Avenue.

Reserve sellers pay $13 for 16- by 16-foot spots and $20 for 16- by 20-foot sites on Saturdays, and $20 or $25 for same-size spaces on Sundays.

In addition to the daily prices, reserve sellers must pay a monthly fee of $100.

Non-reserve sellers pay $15 and $25 on Saturdays or $25 and $30 on Sundays.

Besides having a fixed location, reserved sellers have up to three additional selling hours since they can set up as early as 4:00 AM. 

Customers 12 and older pay 75 cents for admission on Saturdays and $2 on Sundays, while all kids 11 and younger enter free, making this a very friendly venue for large families.

Music lovers can always expect something to enjoy with a DJ playing music on the patio on Saturdays and live bands on Sundays.

4. Peddler’s Pass Farmer’s and Flea Market

Find the Peddler’s Pass Farmer’s and Flea Market at 6201 Highway 69 in Prescott Valley, AZ.

Open every weekend from Thursday noon to 5:00 PM on Sunday; the market features free parking and admission, $5.00 daily electricity cost, and $10 weekly vehicle storage.

Vendor spots cost $33 for a 25- by 20-foot site and $39 for corner booths.

Buyers will find musical instruments, produce, antiques, turquoise and other gemstones, native beadwork, new and used clothing, plants, and pony rides.

Need a skeleton key?

You’ll find plenty.

5. Arizona Market Place

Visit the Arizona Market Place, located at 3351 S Avenue 4E in Yuma, to discover that all vendor spots include electricity.

You have to take at least two sites to rent a corner booth, at $75 per day or $225 per week.

The kiosks and common spaces cost $50 daily and $175 weekly, while metal buildings cost $60 daily and $215 weekly.

Since the market operates November through April, Thursday through Sunday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, the weekly rate provides the best bargain if you bring quality merchandise.

Sell your RV, boat with trailer, car, or truck by parking on Row A and paying $120per month to sell RVs and $65 per month to sell other vehicles.

This market welcomes pets, but you should bring them inside a carrier or covered stroller to prevent burning their paws.

Enjoy live bands, comic performers, mariachi, and dancers.

Have a burger, beer, or scarf down some barbecued chicken and a margarita.

The paved aisles make things easier for strollers and mobility devices.

6. Kingman Route 66 Swap Meet

Open from 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM Friday through Sunday, at 4120 E Thompson Avenue, the Kingman Route 66 Swap Meet in Mohave County charges vendors $5.00 per spot on Fridays and Sundays, and Saturdays cost $10 per space, making this the least expensive location from which to sell your merchandise. 

Buyers might see a dancing gorilla, listen to a trumpet player, or stop for drinks at the café.

Find power tools and fresh produce, bicycles, and home-canned beans.

7. Mesa Market Place Swap Meet Recreational Shopping

Operating year-round at 10550 East Baseline Road from 7:30 AM to 3:00 PM, the Mesa Market Place Swap Meet charges daily vendors $30 plus tax for a 10-foot by 30-foot booth and another $8 per day for electricity.

In addition, year-round merchants pay $250 per month for that same space, while seasonal monthly vendors pay $300.

The printable merchant information sheet shows the prices of other sites.

With free parking, free admission, and live entertainment, this market provides a fully-accessible venue, including a merchant in space 67 on the west side of “A” who rents strollers, wheelchairs, scooters, and power chairs.

The paved lot ensures that everyone can navigate throughout the market with relative ease.

Relax in the food court while listening to live music, and have a beer, soda, fruit juice, or smoothie with your pizza, Philly cheesesteak, or breakfast burrito.

The 7 Best Flea Markets in Arizona – Summary Table

Honorable Mention: Thieves Market

Despite only opening once a month between October and April, except January, and despite losing its home in the parking lot of the now-defunct Big Surf in Tempe as of April 2. 2022, Thieve’s Market has not shuttered for good.

The Meulenbeek family, who own the market, intend to reopen on schedule in October once they secure a new venue. 

Vendors here sell everything imaginable, from vintage luggage to hanging crystal balls atop chunks of a tree stump.

Buy old-fashioned metal spinning tops, galvanized washtubs, birdcages, and Christmas cactus.

You can follow them on Instagram or like their Facebook page to stay updated on their new whereabouts.

If you have ever frequented the Monkey Pants Bar and Grill in Tempe, you will love the quirky, irreverent crew that operates Thieves Market.

Honorable Mention: Ray’s McClintock Fountains Farmers Market

Small weekly or monthly vendor markets such as the Ray’s McClintock Fountains Farmers Market at 1840 East Warner Road in the Harbor Freight parking lot in Tempe can provide vendors with a chance to debut new products.

Still, most of these artisan markets restrict the types of merchandise you may sell.

For example, Ray’s opens on Saturdays from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM in Fall, Winter, and Spring, and from 8:00 AM to noon on any day hotter than 95 degrees.

Since the McClintock Fountains strip mall includes a spa, Harbor Freight Tools, Riga Tony’s Italian Restaurant, and numerous other boutiques and stores, you can cool off after you browse through every stall in the Farmers Market.

Although other flea markets do pop up throughout Arizona, and numerous vendor malls exist, they tend toward consignment shops.

They typically pack their entire building so thoroughly that even people who do not use mobility aids might find it challenging to navigate without causing a disaster.

Arizona Safety Overview

READ THE FULL REPORT: Arizona Safety Review

Safety Index:

86

• OVERALL RISK: LOW
• TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: LOW
• PICKPOCKETS RISK: MEDIUM
• NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: HIGH
• MUGGING RISK: MEDIUM
• TERRORISM RISK: LOW
• SCAMS RISK: LOW
• WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: LOW