Guide to Canton First Monday Flea Market

Are you looking for a good flea market? If you live in Central Texas, Canton’s first Monday is a HUGE flea market with 6000 vendors. It is called First Monday because it’s held on the weekend before the first Monday of every month.

You can find the dates for the First Monday market if you want to come visit. It says it’s open from sun up until sun down, but that’s not really true. They don’t open until 9am, I discovered being this being the early bird that I am.

If you are in the market for some one of a kind pieces, this can be a great place to find them at fair prices. See what’s trending at Canton this fall and winter. Also get tips for how to tackle this giant market.

what to buy this fall and winter at flea markets

I made my first trip to Canton this fall. I had a long list of specific things to look for including night stands, art for my bedroom and accessories for my new bookshelves. Here are a few of the best things I saw at Canton this fall, but I’ll be back.

word art/quotes

If you like art that is a message, there were hundreds of framed quotes in many different fonts. There seemed to be a vendor in every tent that carried this type of art, so if you have a quote you are in search of it’s probably there. You can find any quote that speaks to you, but mostly in black and white.

I also saw some word art that was cut wood, which is along the same lines but has a more sculptural look. I can see this being painted in a color that could really contrast your wall color.

seasonal decor

I went to the market in October so the market was filled with fall, Christmas and Halloween decorations. There was every type of pumpkin you could imagine. I love the beaded wire pumpkins. There were also tons of seasonal candles.

There were many booths dedicated to Christmas decor. Everything from trees to ornaments, garlands, figurines and more. You name it you can find seasonal decor at this market.

Hide Rugs

If you want a hide rug, Canton is the place to go (maybe because it’s in Texas). I found one dealer that had hundreds of different colors and sizes and no two were exactly the same. Before you buy a hide rug you have to really know the space you want to put them in because the shapes are so irregular. They even had hide rugs with paint treatments, if you wanted something even more unusual.

Faux Plants

Plants are really something that you can use in every room. If it’s a room with little or no light, sometimes it’s easier to use faux greenery. There were tons of good faux plants and flowers at really reasonable prices. I bought a few of the faux green hydrangeas for $6.95 a stem.

Lanterns

Fall might be the time of year when people in Texas are finally able to sit outside again. There were many lanterns in every color, shape and size. Fall is a good time for buying any outdoor decor because lots of vendors want to unload their inventory before winter.

Non Home Decor finds

I whizzed through much of this flea market because there were lots of things I had no interest in shopping for, but you might. There were lots of clothing vendors, jewelry vendors, hats, wind chimes, knives, dog and cat accessories.

Tips for Tackling Canton Flea Market

If you want tips for flea market shopping in general, read this post with my best tips for flea market shopping. This flea market is a little different than most due to the size and sprawl of it.

1.) Make A Note of Where You Park – The size of this venue is huge and it wanders around. Make a note of which building you parked in front of. I parked near the Pavilion 4000 (which I didn’t write down) and I wasn’t sure where I was when it was time to go home.

2.) Go Thursday – If you have the ability to go at the beginning it’s far less crowded and selection is at its best. For the best bargains, go Monday.

2.) Don’t Go if Temperatures are over 90 degrees – This is not an air conditioned event. The heat is stifling if you go when it’s hot (as I did). I had to leave by noon because it was too hot.

3.) Buy Something Right Away If you Love It – My normal flea market strategy is to walk the entire market before I buy anything and only go back to a handful of vendors. This market is large and sprawling. I don’t recommend that strategy here. You may never find your way back to what you loved. You can read my tips for getting the best deal.

4.) Take Cash – Sometimes you can get a better price if you pay with cash. As always, ask for the best price in a nice way.

5.) Wear sneakers – There are rows and rows of vendors that set up on the grass fields behind the pavilions. The venue actually rents scooters and MANY able-bodied shoppers were using them. We guessed that the scooters were the most sold/rented item at the show.

6.) Visit the side venues – The firs time I went I completely missed giant parts of the show. There is an indoor venue called Canton Marketplace, which is 93,000 square feet and 300 vendors. There’s also the Old Mill Marketplace and the East Gate Marketplace. I only discovered these after the fact by looking at the Canton Newspaper. I recommend picking up a copy of the Canton newspaper to help orient yourself.

Conclusion

If you live in Central Texas and you love a good flea market, Canton has a little bit of everything. It’s only open five days every month, but it’s a great place to find something that’s unique. If you have been to Round Top, this market is very different. There’s a lot less furniture and the prices are a lot cheaper.

Before you go, if you enjoyed this post you might like Guide to Round Top Flea Market.