Doug Warwick knows exactly what he’ll be doing when he retires this year.
He’ll be fixing up his ’57 Ford Wagon — hopefully using some parts he will buy at automotive flea markets.
The Brampton resident had already started on the project with a pair of shocks he bought at the 36th annual Spring Barrie Automotive Flea Market that kicked off at Burl’s Creek Event Grounds on Thursday.
“I come up here every year with my brother and cousin,” said Warwick. “This is like our mini-vacation.”
Working on cars is a hobby for him. Warwick likes to look at classic cars that come in different shapes and styles and meet the people who own them.
“It’s the nostalgia associated with the cars and the stories that all the people tell,” he said.
It’s definitely one of the reasons people visit the flea market year after year, said Lisa Groves of Burl's Creek.
“It’s the nostalgia attached to the first car they drove or owned,” she said, adding it’s a trend among both men and women.
But the flea market isn’t just about car parts. There are crafts, antiques and other items for the entire family.
With more 1,000 vendors on site this weekend, there’s bound to be something for everyone, she said.
Even the vendors are making it a family affair.
Brittney Baker and her partner, Mitch Pirso, of Pefferlaw, made a tailgate wooden bench.
“We didn’t invent the idea,” said Pirso. “We’ve seen it before. My dad works with rough-cut wood and so Brittney just came up with the idea of combining it with tailgates.”
Baker said the idea caught her attention at other auto markets.
It’s not just the opportunity to test out the new item that brings her to the flea market. She’s also a car person.
“I like looking at all the classic cars people have — even the rat-rod stuff people have,” said Baker.
A rat rod, she explained, is a car whose engine and insides have been restored and worked on, possibly upgraded, but the exterior remains run-down.
“It shows you people spent a lot of time putting it together,” said Baker.
The flea market is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. For more information, visit thebafm.com.
