Rogers Flea Market
“If you can’t find it here, it may not be found” is how a regular visitor would describe the Rogers Flea Market in Ohio, USA. Although many flea markets would boast over this kind of description to attract visitors, the size of the space and the variety of objects traded at this flea market may actually do justice to this witty advertisement.
Started in 1955 by Lucille and Emmet Baer, the Rogers Flea Market developed from a small barn sale and a restaurant into the nowadays 250 acres market with over 1,600 vendor spaces and 50,000 visitors every week. Also known as Rogers Community Auction, the Rogers Flea Market takes place in a small town about an hour and a half away from Pittsburgh, Ohio. The flea market keeps featuring as a top preference for the region and an award-winning market while attracting people from neighboring states as well.
The Rogers Flea Market has one of the most cherished fresh produce and meat markets around the area, but lovely antiques are ready to be found and given a home by vintage enthusiasts.
Besides the flea market, a monthly Tuesday auction is also held on the premises, and the Rogers Flea Market’s Facebook page posts a list of the auctioned items the day before. So make sure you take a look at that and go there prepared. Overall, the Rogers Flea Market has a very well documented website with site maps, event dates, and a detailed overview of which kind of objects you can find in each building or pavilion.
Among the many items that can be found at the Rogers Flea Market, visitors can buy a variety of vintage kitchen tools, silverware, old colorful tins perfect for decoration or storage, shabby-chic kitchen furniture, vintage cameras and postcards, wooden puzzles, nostalgic metal signs with quirky messages, antique garden tools, coins, and many other gems. Vintage automobiles or pick-up trucks are a rare find but if you are a regular visitor to the Rogers Flea Market, you may be lucky sooner or later.
The Rogers Flea Market is open all year round. But Friday mornings in the summer are generally the best time to visit the flea market, although you might enjoy the visit on a rainy day and find interesting objects at the indoor vendors.
There’s no admission fee, you can easily find free parking and buses are also welcome. For those looking to combine the market visit with other local attractions, the Beaver Creek State Park may be a perfect choice for a day in nature.
Mary’s Donuts, an Amish-run bakery, is a culinary must while at the Rogers Flea Market. The sweet, glazed goods praised by many of the market’s visitors will give you some energy for tireless walking and scavenging. You will find the place easily because there’s always a long queue outside the bakery. Live music acts often spice up the market atmosphere, with artists such as Dave Morgan or the Ben Flint Band.
Rodgers is awesome. I’ve been going since I was a child and now I take my child. There is nothing you can’t find there. Great place to spend family time and shop for antiques.
I have been coming to Rogers for years, and it’s never a disappointment. There are hundreds of vendors and the people are mostly friendly. They also have a great selection of produce.
We went to a monthly auction. This was my first auction experience, but this place has been around for a long time and they have it down to a science. I recommend checking facebook for the items the day before so you don’t miss anything! They have farming equipment, tools, household items, furniture, landscaping materials- the list is endless! They also had vendors with anything and everything available! Wear comfy shoes, take a cart to haul your goods, and check out the cafeteria style restaurant- more options than the outside vendors! The indoor bathrooms were pretty clean, too!
If you can’t find it here, it may not be found. We were here on a beautiful early fall day, and though we arrived late morning, there were still many shoppers and vendors still here. Plenty of parking, free admission, wear walking shoes are the main things to remember. Oh, and bring cash: most vendors are cash and carry.