The king of Bay Area flea markets has long been the Alameda Point Antiques Faire. But this past summer, the group behind it opened a smaller market at Candlestick Park, meaning there’s now an even closer treasure trove for vintage hounds. We called on some of the city’s experts to lead us through both markets and show us how to find the gems amid the rubble.
Alameda
The market: The Alameda Point Antiques Faire is held at the former Alameda Naval Air Station on the first Sunday of the month. Admission is $15 (6–7:30 a.m.), $10 (7:30–9 a.m.), or $5 (9 a.m.–3 p.m.). alamedapointantiquesfaire.com
The expert: Andrew McKinley is the owner of Adobe Bookshop, the beloved secondhand bookstore located in the heart of the Mission. McKinley also has an impressive collection of antiques, including rare coins, Victorian furniture, and vintage belt buckles. Among the design set, his reputation for spotting treasures among the tchotchkes is second to none.
1. Andrew McKinley regularly stops by Sally Smith’s stand for higher-end finds. There’s a mirror made of Peruvian hand-hammered silver for $750. “She’s not the cheapest seller here,” he says, “But her items are well-considered and priced appropriately.”
2. Vendor Joel Dressler would have fit in well during the Gold Rush. He always brings unusual items to the market. McKinley buys two turquoise-encrusted rocks for $5.
3. Among McKinley’s many collections are his numerous vintage black Bakelite Couroc serving trays. He has more than 40, all made in Monterey. A nice selection ranging from $20 to $40 (“a very fair price,” says McKinley) can be found at Taz Aoyama’s stand.
4. At Mickey’s book stand, McKinley spots a great find: a rare first edition Keith Haring art catalog. Mickey is asking $75 for the book early in the morning, but when McKinley returns at the end of the day, he purchases it for $20.
5. There is a ton of Danish modern furniture at the market, says McKinley—some of it good, some of it not so good. But Eric Bastrire’s stand is a great place to find well-maintained and authentic ’50s-era pieces. There’s a 1958 Kubus rocker for $900 and a Brasilia credenza from Broyhill for $650.
| 6. Massive books containing property records of early Oakland residences are priced at $125. A single one would make a great coffee table book; a pile of them topped with thick glass, a one-of-a-kind table. |
8. Robert Shimshak, a friend of McKinley’s and a well-respected antique photography collector, shows his find for the day: a series of Civil War postal covers, which he plans to reprint and then use to make collage art.
9. McKinley jokingly calls vintage French grain sacks (being used to recover chairs as well as for table runnners) “the new velvet” and says that Kymberley Fraser’s stand is a good place to pick up the hot commodity at a fair price. Fraser also has an extensive collection of vellum (calf skin)–bound books dating back to the 16th century. Mostly written in Latin, they’re best used as home decor accents.
10. The owner of Aardvark Antiques bought this midcentury-inspired ottoman and lounge but later decided to put it on sale at her own stand for $150. This is common practice: Many vendors buy pieces from one another and then resell them.
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