NEWBURYPORT — As the number of sunny summer days left on the calendar begins to dwindle, scores of people hunted for bargains and unique finds Friday at Oldies Marketpace.
“We’ve had a good summer, we really have,” Oldies owner Joyce Bowers-Flagg said. “It’s been hot in here, but people are in here anyway.”
Located off Water Street and serving folks for 44 years, the massive, 12,000-square-foot indoor/outdoor has long been one of the city’s premier attractions along the boardwalk.
That was certainly the case Friday, as hundreds rotated in and out throughout the day.
From antique jewelry to wood-crafted pieces like model boats and animals, and a multitude of other unique items and trinkets, folks were able to discover something new around every corner.
Standing outside by one of the displays, Ken Smith and his wife Patricia Smith shared they were visiting from Atkinson, New Hampshire.
“We’re here because it’s old and we’re old,” Ken Smith joked.
“It’s our first time,” Patricia Smith said. “We’d been to the city before for restaurants but it was always closed. So we came back here for this purpose.”
Further inside the building, the items on display only grew broader in their variety. Suits of armor, glass mosaics, nautical chests, scuba helmets and more all line the walls or dangle from the ceiling for attendees to admire as they stroll through the sprawling marketplace.
Visiting from Brookline, Vermont, Terry and Hurley Cavacas said they had been told by their daughter that they needed to come check the market out.
“It’s wonderful,” Hurley Cavacas said. “It’s great stuff.”
Each holding a bag, they revealed a bit of what they would be leaving with.
“Some Boston stuff, a couple of candlesticks, and a giant pitcher,” Terry Cavacas said
The couple said they will “definitely be back.”
Standing behind one of the registers, Bowers-Flagg said she loves seeing the crowd.
“The ones that come back all the time are fun to visit with, but I’m always surprised by how many new people are here,” Bowers-Flagg said.
Asked how long the market will be open for, she said they close in January and February.
“But it definitely slows down after October and then reopen again and March and it picks up from there,” Bowers-Flagg said. “So we’re right in the busiest part right now.”
The store is open Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For full details on the marketplace including contact information, visit www.oldies-ma.com