Antiques To Present: February 2015

http://alyssaluchette.com/2014/12/01/zerns-is-staying-put/

“Zern’s is NOT closing and has NOT been sold.”

So say the printer paper flyers that scatter bulletin boards around the 20 acre Gilbertsville, PA landmark that has stood in this spot since it opened as a farmstand in 1922.

Fortunately, the Montgomery County Recorder of Deeds and property records pages both agree. The market has not been sold since November of 1949, and its purchase price of $100,000 and current value of just under $3 million certainly suggest that it has grown since then.

Sadly, it’s not completely unreasonable to think that something like this might happen. Since the economic downturn in 2007, the market (locally referred to as “The Sale”) has started to take a downturn of its own. Vacant stalls are popping up among the existing vendors, and while Twitter and Instagram are still littered with posts of unique finds from the flea market, news coverage and other official press has all but vanished.

Somehow, rumors have started flying on social media platforms that the market has been sold and will soon be demolished to make room for a new Wegmans grocery store. Putting aside the knowledge that the biggest Wegmans store model currently in existence wouldn’t fill even a fifth of the market’s space, the fact is that losing this local landmark would be quite a shame.

“It’s a weird, wonderful place where you can find anything,” says Caleb Phillips, a longtime resident of Royersford, PA who, like many, made several pilgrimages to Zern’s while in high school.
“Although,” he adds, “it helps if what you need is collectible.”
He’s referring to the other big draw of Zern’s (in fact, one might argue, the real reason that local teenagers forfeit a Friday or Saturday night just to visit). Zern’s may have started as a farm stand that grew into a farmer’s market, but today the flea market is just as, if not more popular. Scattered in stalls among the produce and the locally owned pizza stores, customers can shop for everything from antique glass to baseball cards. In fact, there is a separate building dedicated solely to the flea market portion of “The Sale.” There, perceptive shoppers can sift through the yard sale junk to find what they might consider buried treasure. Looking for a game system that hasn’t been out in over a decade? Check the flea market.

The flea market building also features an entire sales floor dedicated to a silent auction on everything from vintage Christmas decorations to furniture.

If that’s not your thing, there’s also several butchers and delis, a vintage candy store, an arcade, a barber shop, a pet shop and an area of the market dedicated to role playing games.
In addition, there are live auctions every Friday and Saturday night. These are worth visiting whether you plan to make a purchase or not, for the sheer entertainment value. Sightings in the auctions have included toys that date back at least twenty years and cars that might be nearly as old themselves.
The valleyforge.org blog points out this variety, which is easily and by far the most unique characteristic of Zern’s. An article on the market points out that “…it’s possible to buy a side of beef from Clover Farms and, mere steps away, get a tattoo at the Heartsleeve Studio.”

Zern’s is not simply a flea market, or a farmer’s market, or an auction. Zern’s is a completely unique experience.