Kendra R.
Yelp
I have mixed reviews of this place. This past weekend was my 3rd visit there. The first time in 2010 I made the mistake of getting there at 12:45 on a nice September cool day. There were about 7 tables still up. Sometimes Sundays are tough to get up early and drive an hour and 10 minutes. Fast forward a year or so later and I got there by 11:15 in mid July. It was a bit hot but not unbearable. There was hardly anyone there at all. There were maybe 20 tables.
There was a very, very nice dealer who sold me a beautiful vintage child's coat rack. It is probably the most favorite thing I have ever bought. My son is 4 months old and it looks so adorable in his room. There are unique things there and almost all of the dealers are very friendly and happy just to talk. The prices are a bit high for that area but hey, I have skipped flea markets in Brooklyn, NY because I have heard that it is too much and everyone comes to PA to buy the stuff and then resell it. If you are looking for bigger items, like furniture, or architectural items there has never been much. A dealer told me that with the recent filming of Market Wars (I think that is what the show is called) that people have jacked up prices.
The inside is exactly the same as Renningers in Kutztown, depressing and musty, and overpriced but not awful. I have been to some of the other indoor antique malls and have never bought anything from them. If you are going to visit and coming from far away, get a hotel. The city of Reading is 10-15 minutes away and for about $40 on priceline you can get a 3 star hotel. Get there early! This time I got there at 10:00, which is quite early for us. We booked a hotel, had to get breakfast, feed a baby, all that. We arrive at 10 and dealers are packing up already.
If you are going to come from out of town, far away do not go to the local places for a bite to eat. We tried Boehringers at 12:00, and the line was a mile long, you need cash. Everyone stared at us as we pulled up. We then tried the pizza place directly across from Renningers and there was no where to sit, everyone stared at us.
Go to the bathroom before you get here. The inside bathrooms are gross. They are small, not well ventilated at all. Line up some other activities along with this market. I have read good things about Shupp's Grove so I am going to try that as well. Being plenty of cash because some of the dealers will offer a deal, some just are not interested.