Vendors and shoppers have been waiting a long time for the Rose Bowl Flea Market to reopen after the pandemic forced it to close its doors for almost a year.
After a year off, the Rose Bowl Flea Market is buzzing with shoppers ready to find their treasures!
“I used to come here all the time -- always the place to be for a flea market and finding great things. I’m really excited it’s open again,” Rahab Hammad, a West LA resident said.
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
Many shoppers got there early for the VIP early admission, and they left with anything from chairs and frames, to plants and sculptures.
Kaitlyn Huynh and her friends woke up at 4:30 a.m. and they showed us their haul on the way out.
“I feel like LA specifically has a big scene for vintage clothing and my friends and I are invested in fashion, so we came here knowing it was a big flea market. Bigger than any other in LA,” Huynh said.
The doors for general admission opened at 9 a.m.
To go about a mile from Linda Vista Avenue to the parking lot, it took about 35 minutes.
It was said the flea market hit capacity at least twice Saturday morning, prompting visitors to wait in a socially distanced staging area until enough people left in order to allow new shoppers in.
Everyone inside was required to wear a face mask and practice social distancing due to COVID-19.
“It's been really amazing to come back and see all the vendors open and have this sense of life returning to normal again, it’s special and exciting,” a Silver Lake resident said.
More than 15,000 vendors put their unique items on display after many had to operate online, like the owners of Miller's Room and Cool and Casual Studios. They were relieved they could now share their curated vintage clothing in person.
Those leaving with their hands full of finds said it was well worth the trip.
“We woke up at 5:45 a.m. to make the journey out here, and we'd do it again next month,” Teague Ashcraft said.
