Fantastic finds at Nashville’s Flea Market
Planning a trip to Nashville? Be sure to carve out a few hours at the Nashville Flea Market if your trip coincides with its monthly take-over at The Fairgrounds Nashville. You find some cool souvenirs and meet some nice folks.
With upwards of 2000 booths, the Nashville Flea Market is considered one of the largest in the country. It is held the fourth weekend of every month (other than December when it moves up a week to avoid the holidays). The fairgrounds are located at 625 Smith Avenue, just two miles from the hubbub of Lower Broadway. Entry is free and parking is just $5.
The treasures at the Nashville Flea Market, which will celebrate its 60th birthday May 2019, spread across several of the fairgrounds’ old metal exhibit halls and barns, with even more booths tucked in between. You’ll find vintage and antique collectibles; handmade crafts; specialty foods and
produce; clothing; cowboy boots and other footwear; jewelry and hair stuff; books; vinyl records, CDs and DVDs; toys; tools, furniture, household items and closeouts of socks, office supplies and other everyday stuff.
Here are few favorite finds from the Nashville Flea Market:
1. Silver Chest Creations I bought a bracelet crafted from heirloom silverware, the same pattern as the set passed on to me from my grandmother. “Coronation” was created by Oneida Silver in 1936, the year that Edward VIII abdicated the throne to marry Wallis Simpson and his younger brother George VI (father of the present Queen Elizabeth) was crowned. I was overjoyed to find this piece; my mom gave me a similar necklace years ago but sadly the chain broke and I lost it. 
Silver Chest Creations owner Melissa Anderson explained she’s been making heirloom jewelry and gifts from silverware for a decade. Along with bracelets, she makes necklaces, rings, earrings, key chains, bottle stoppers and more. She is a regular at the flea market but also sells her jewelry online and through retail stores and markets, including at Iowa’s West End Architectural Salvage. Melissa has 13 employees back at her studio in Cumberland County, KY, and to keep up with demand she collects approximately three to four thousand pieces of silverware per month, often from her fellow vendors at the flea market. Her keepsake jewelry is pretty and whimsical – I love my bracelet! And don’t you think Melissa could be Reba’s sister?
2. Mann-Made Fire Pits Tennessee native David Mann shrugs off the title “artist” but his sculpted fire pits are definitely one-of-a-kind creations. Combining 
his talents for sketching and welding, he creates unique fire pits from the end caps of salvaged carbon steel propane tanks. David sketches ornate patterns onto the metal and then cuts the designs using welding tools. The fire pits he had on display at the Nashville Flea Market depicted butterflies, flowers, movie scenes, musical notes and even the Nashville skyline. They go for $750-$3,000 and David says they’ll last long enough to pass on to your grandkids. “They’ll rust over but they won’t rust out,” he said.
David, an outdoor kitchen contractor by day, started making fire pits about a few years ago as a hobby. It has quickly become a business he’s hoping will blossom to full-time work. That sounds promising considering he just got an order for 30 fire pits from a retailer in California. The fire pits are like nothing I’ve seen before and would make a great focal point for any backyard. We didn’t buy one…yet. Learn more.
3. Gifts From Your Heart. I love hats to hide bad hair days and keep my ears warm on windy winter walks. But I’m pretty sure everyone around me is tired of the pink and brown wool one I’ve been wearing for the past five years. It is getting a little awful, I have to admit.
I found a great replacement cap at Paula Geist’s booth selling Tennessee-made World’s Softest hats and socks. Paula was a delightful booth host and mentioned she’d be selling her wares at the Southern Women’s Show in April 5-8 in Nashville. Check her out!
The Nashville Flea Market is a super way to spend a few hours in Music City and I’m sure we’ll be going back next time we have a chance! 
Thanks or reading my blog, done mostly for fun and my own entertainment. Learn more about how I started here. Please feel free to share this article or others. But please use photos with permission only – just email me with any requests. If you like this post, please consider following me here, liking my Facebook page Karen Loves Country or following me at Twitter @fanmama1. #NashvilleFleaMarket #MusicCity #Tennessee #SilverChestCreations #Mann-MadeFirePits #WorldsSoftest
karenlovescountry.com 
One Response to “Fantastic finds at Nashville’s Flea Market”
[…] outings (this trip we visited Belle Meade Plantation, the Lovelace Cafe, the Nashville Flea Market (read more), Leiper’s Fork, Acme Feed & Seed, the Patsy Cline Museum, Centennial Park, and […]
LikeLike