what cheer

If you ever find yourself in southeast Iowa during the first full weekend of May, August, or October, you'll want to head over to the small town of What Cheer, to the Collector's Paradise flea market. It's a beautiful countryside drive along Highway 21 to the Keokuk County Fairgrounds. The market always features an eclectic mix of antiques, collectibles, and junk ~ priced to sell ~ and the people are some of the friendliest you'll meet. The angus burgers and funnel cakes aren't bad either!

I look forward to this huge flea market every year (especially after a long winter), and I was so excited to take a vacation day from work and spend this past Friday there with my dad. We browsed the grounds for almost seven hours, and I think we maybe covered one-half to two-thirds of the dealers. I could've easily spent another day or two at the market (but I'm also a pretty slow shopper ~ I like to take my time and see everything!).

Here are just a few of my favorite things seen at What Cheer:

I could fill the walls of my home with vintage advertising like this.

Hubcap or piece of art?

 A perfect trio of vintage horsies.

 Loads of cool old junk at every turn.

Vintage oil cans ~ calling Mr. Frank Fritz!

 A solemn cigar Indian.

 This time I saw lots of these old metal dollhouses ~ someday I'd like to buy a couple to use for creative storage.

 I adore '60s and '70s Barbie stuff.

 Rows of handcrafted birdhouses.

 Yesteryear AmEx.

I had to stop and compliment this dealer on her gorgeous displays.

Next post, I'll share what I actually brought home from What Cheer ~ including some fabulous dollar-bin finds and one very heavy conversation piece!