Laney College Flea Market: This and Every Sunday

Teddy Ruxpin’s cousin from Oakland. Get your very own at the Laney College Flea Market.

It’s Sunday morning, and you don’t want to leave your bed until at least 11:30 (it’s out of principle).  But then you’re struck by the primal urge to forage through clumps of tangled trinkets while being subjected to Raggaeton and a guy playing whatever the hell this thing is.  That’s it!  You’re off to the Laney College Flea Market!

File this flea market under “The Most Oakland of Oakland.”  It has everything from slightly outdated DVDs (seven for $20) to chihuahuas in pleather jackets to dentist start-up kits. Everything is relatively cheap, and the vendors are willing to haggle.   This kind of goes without saying, but you need to bring cash.  Oh, and the vendors prefer bills smaller than $20, but hey, sellers can’t be choosers.

There are two sections of the market: the FREE part, wherein vendors with lesser wares post up wherever they choose, and the part that costs $1 to enter.  I recommend paying the dollar for unrestricted access.  Even if you leave empty-handed, at least you feasted your eyes upon oddities such as teddy iron-paws and drank an horchata.  It will be totally worth it.

The Lake Merritt BART stop is incredibly close at only two blocks away, and it’s a much better alternative to driving.  Unless you plan on getting there before 10am, be prepared to inch around the nine layers of hell that is the free parking lot.  Seriously, it must have been built for ants.

Laney College Flea Market
7th St. and Fallon St. [Lake Merritt]
Sundays, 7:30am to 4pm
$1 admission (optional)