Englishtown Rain Or Shine, Shines

Englishtown Auction is a modern day pirates bounty, located in Englishtown, New Jersey. The flea market offers to the conscientious spender's, and cheap student's, eyes a vast open space filled with tables of all they can buy with as little money as they wish. The seas of people fill its dirt paths throughout the weekends all year long, rain or shine; it has been around since 1929.

It takes a while to unravel the layers of this 40-acre flea market. The atmosphere is like that of a state fair, but instead of rides there are buffet tables of people's cheap things. Here, one can find toys for a quarter, clothes for a dollar, toothpaste for a dollar fifty, and the occasional 2 dollar VHS, DVD, or videogame. Not to mention the piles of evidence to what can only be seen as peoples odd consumer impulse buys: N-Sync board games, ceramic dolphins from tropic vacations, and beanie babies.

The many who come to the flea market every weekend vary; some have nothing better to do, others are looking for the right thing at a tax-free, cheap price. "I come often," says Joseph M., a resident of Manalapan. "I come because I know I can get a few things here I can't get anywhere else."

Steve Matarazzo attends Englishtown Auction often, usually in search of electronic parts and obscure or small cables. "I can go to Englishtown and know I may find it there for a dollar or two. If the price is too high I'll haggle and see if I can get it cheaper. I've found cables there for as low as 25 cents, things that in a store would have cost at least $10-20."

For the sellers, its a way to make a little bit of money on the side, or to keep up a hobby. Charles, who sets up his table both days, has been selling old records for seven years and at Englishtown for about four. On a small table, about three feet long, he has five boxes stuffed with records, ready to be shifted through. If there isn't anything interesting in that particular box, more records can be found in the back of car, parked right along side the table.

For a while, Charles felt the business was really slow. Things have been turning around for him as of late, as he thinks this year has been much busier than last. "I was starting to lose faith in you people," he says, as about four people crowd around his table, each buying three records for four dollars.

A seller named Liz just lays out a large blanket on the group, with piles of different items, and a sign reading: "Any 3 things for a 1.00." As curious buyers shuffle through the heaps, she sits in her van, car door open, reading. "It's better today than it was yesterday," she says, referring to the rain and cold of Saturday. "I've made about 30 dollars today so far."

Upbeat announcements from an overhead speaker fills the air of the market, with a man who excitedly recommends the best deals of the weekend. Besides the many dirt lanes of vendors outside, there are four colored buildings of shops and independent eateries. It doesn't matter if it is indoors or outdoors; from every angle the market appears like ants spilling out of an ant hole.

Steve has been going to Englishtown Auction since he was young with his father, and has seen its attendance grow in size. "I've seen it very crowded in the past few years and months," he says. "I think it's due to the economy."

Though located in central New Jersey, a New Yorker can get to Englishtown Auction by taking the NJ Transit Trenton line at Penn Station or by taking an NJ Transit bus out of Port Authority Terminal.