Happy Tuesday! I am in your inbox today with a new series: Field Trip! I am not exactly sure what will come next for this series but today we are headed to the Sacramento Antique Faire. I spent my Mother’s Day morning wandering around the outdoor market and took photos and mental notes to share with you.

The Sacramento Antique Faire is held the second Sunday of every month. It costs $3 (cash) per person to get in and parking is free. (There is plenty of parking.) The website claims there are 300 vendors and that everything is 20+ years old. I don’t know about 300 vendors but there are many, many booths and it is full of mostly old stuff. I have made it to the market probably six times in the four years since we moved to Northern California and I love it. It’s an algorithm-free, visual feast.

The market opens at 6:30AM and this past Sunday, I parked at 6:41. It was already bustling (but not at all crowded). My goal is always to get in before 7am and be back in my car before 9am (when it really starts to fill up). Two hours is enough time for me to wind through all the aisles twice. That’s my biggest tip for a market like this — walk your way through one way and walk your way back through the opposite way. You will see completely different things on the second walk! It truly feels like you’re visiting a second market.

As with any vendor-driven market, there is a wide range stuff to see and buy. Some booths are styled and well-organized with branded price stickers. Some booths are chaos with bins to dig through and no prices on anything. As you can imagine, the prices vary. (The cleaner the booth, the higher the prices.) In general, the vendors are open (and usually expect) to negotiate. Cash is still king, but most vendors will also take venmo, zelle, paypal or cash app.

Many shoppers bring wagons or rolling carts to carry treasures and I see lots of full carts, even early in the morning. I always end up bringing something home but I carry just a baggu bag and so far that’s been enough for me. There is some furniture at the market, but for the most part what you’ll find is smalls.