It was a lot of fun. I went last year for the first time and got some good stuff. I didn't buy a whole lot since I didn't want to spend a lot of money. There were a lot of people, but that was expected. A lot of the booths had good deals. Most signed things (playbills, photos, posters) were about 20 dollars or so. Some shows charged way too much for playbills (Anything Goes, How to Succeed). You could write a letter and get one for free. Other than that it was pretty good.
Last year was the first time I went to the flea market, and I am SO going back this year!! It's like Christmas for theatre fans! It's a great place to find certain show-related memorabilia, meet celebrities at the autograph table/photo booth, and so much more! :) Also a fun experience for me last year was spinning the wheel and having it land on the "tickets to a show" space twice.
wdwfreak: Yes it is for a very good charitable cause, but some of the prices being charged were absolutely ridiculous. 80 dollars for a signed playbill? Maybe for a windowcard or even like a souvenir program that was signed, but a playbill?
"Ridiculous" to you may be fine for others. If they can raise $80 for a worthy charity, power to them! If you can get your autographs free or cheaper, then do so if you wish. Nothing wrong with that.
You can get all sorts of nice things there, including some non-theatrical items. I've bought beautiful coffee table books there at reasonable prices. You can find many a treasure there, if you're at the right table at the right instant.
And you can also get great baked goods. Last year, I bought some delicious cherry rugelach. Out of this world!
Plus, if you're willing to pay for them, there are some really nice one of a kind items to be had in the silent auction. For instance, I have one friend who is an "In the Heights" freak. I got a life sized (6 1/2ft) poster of Lin-Manuel Miranda signed by the entire cast for her. Yes, it was a tad pricey, but you should know they are very generous (meaning cheap) with their valuations of the one off-items, which maximizes the tax deductibility. I went to my first last year, already have the weekend blocked to do it again. Oh, and I live in San Diego...but the Flea Market is so much fun I'm doing a trip just for it.
It's the best day of the year for me, I make sure to clear my schedule that day every year. Love getting random, one-of-a-kind things like the Hair pricing board. lol.
If you have never attended the Broadway Flea Market then it is something you certainly want to experience. If you sersiouly hate being in a crowd - talking mob scene size crowd - then this will not be for you.
I used to go years ago but unfortunately the combination of been there done that and the rude giant mass of people...has turn me off.
The autograph table is a lot of fun. You can bring your items and get the autograph without the fear of standing at the stage door wondering if they are coming out, will they sign.
Yes you can find some great props, Playbills, a few deals on old items (out of print CDs).
Above all else it is a charity event so feel great knowing that even if you are spending more then the item is worth...it is benefiting a good cause.
Go and enjoy. Smile and be polite to all around you.
^It all depends on what you want. Rarer or autographed items are going to probably go for a lot of money. But, random stuff can be quite cheap. I know the autograph table is like $25 a session. So, that would probably run you like $100-$125 alone if that's all you did. The photo booth is usually about $10 a photo, but can be more depending on who is there. Basically, it is probably best to budget your money to what you can afford. Nobody can tell you what you can afford.
And I agree that ridiculous prices for some people here might not be so for others. I usually try to get at least one thing I might not find again or it's great if I find things I had been looking for for a long time. That's how I got my Spamalot windowcard last year. And it also is possible to find autographed merchandise for cheaper if you search. I paid $1 for a playbill signed by Molly Ringwald and Jason Biggs because it was mixed in with other random ones. Not saying that will always be the case, but it could happen.
I save all year for it and usually plan to spend somewhere between 500-700. But if all you like are playbills or maybe a couple CD's, then obviously you'll spend a lot less.
I never do the photo booth and rarely do the autograph table. It's often too crowded and too rushed, so I'd prefer to just shop. Some years I've spent under $100, some years I've spent over $300. It depends on you.
My favorite weekend of the year- Fall in NYC, we get into the city on Friday and leave Monday morning- catch some shows, and devote all Sunday to walking around the Flea Market.
Its such a great time- all day you see Broadway performers walking around, at the autograph table, sometimes you will even see random celebrities walking through the crowds looking through the tables.
You almost always find some great deals or rare finds and many tables continue to put stuff out all throughout the day. As the day goes on, many tables mark down things just so they don't have to pack them back up and store them for another year!
And the grand auction- while many times expensive, is great to watch, even if you don't plan on bidding. Bryan Batt usually is one of the main Hosts and does a great job- and is extremely funny.
The Grand Auction was a lot of fun to watch. I got 2 things I wanted last year (My first time going). The best part was near the end when they started dropping the prices of a lot of things. Got a cool Alvin Ailey bag and a RENT Tee for a buck each.
I love the Flea Market! It's really what you make of it. I never go in expecting to get a certain thing, like any flea market. I've found some really cool things like a cassette tape demo of the Bernadette Peters' "Annie Get Your Gun" and a Playbill of my first Broadway show (I saw it when I was 7 and have no clue what happened to the Playbill.) I generally spend more time/money on the tables with older memorabilia than the current shows, but there are some really cool things if you're a big fan of a show. I didn't buy it, but I remember Next to Normal was selling music boxes. I thought that was pretty neat.
Also, just a tip: The Flea Market (I think) has a credit card booth, but bring cash. It makes the experience a lot easier.
I love the Flea Market. I probably loved it more the first few times I went, since it sort of started to lose its novelty, but it really depends on the year. It's crowded and people are a little crazy, but it's fun, and I've taken home some really wonderful things.
Another thing for travelers, if you've bought a thing or two in the silent or live auctions for a decent chunk of change and they're larger items, you can ask (nicely) for them to ship it to you. They covered the cost of shipping my stuff to me last year...would have been over $100 just in shipping costs if I had done it myself.
I often buy a lot of Playbills. Last year, I bought about 25 Playbills ( including War Horse, Spamalot opening night, and 9 to 5 opening night) for $5. I also picked up a few souvenirs, such as keychains ( Grease 2007) and a 64th annual Tony Award tshirt.
I normally spend about $150 and I stay away from the celebrity tables because there are so many people.
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joined:1/13/04
Posted: 7/23/12 at 08:35pm