Shipshewana Flea Market open for 2024 season
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The Midwest’s biggest flea market is open for the 2024 season. Located in the heart of Indiana’s Amish country, the Shipshewana Flea Market will feature about 700 vendors located on 40 acres at the Shipshewana Trading Place as the season progresses. The flea market historically attracts guests locally, nationally and internationally.
“You’ve never seen anything quite like it with so much to do here,” Flea Market Director Michael Christner said. “You can come to the famous largest flea market and spend the day shopping. You can bid on one-of-a-kind items at the Antique Auction and you can explore the town.”
Christner and his team work year-round to deliver a pleasant shopping experience for both the sellers and visitors. Vendor relations, grounds keeping, traffic flow and management are some of the tasks the team works on.
“All while being attentive to the daily surprises that arise, whether it be a shopper needing to find a particular item, or someone getting overheated or lost,” Lora Gates, marketing director Shipshewana Trading Place said. “So much goes into making the market work seamlessly and providing an excellent experience for everyone is our number one priority.”
The flea market opens every Tuesday and Wednesday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Tourists stay in town for about a day and a half on average, Gates said. The city’s visitor center also notes an uptick in business activities on Tuesdays and Wednesdays,.
“When there are more activities in the community, that length of stay increases,” she added. “So without specific numbers, the economic impact is definitely a positive one for tourism in Shipshewana.”
Shipshewana ranks as the number one tourist destination for towns in LaGrange County, generating over $20 million in revenue in 2021, according to destination marketing organization Visit Shipshewana.
Patrons and their pets are welcome. Gates urges visitors to keep animals on leashes and clean up after them appropriately, if bringing a pet along.
Vendors stock everything from clothing, home decor, outdoor yard decor, jewellery, antiques and collectibles. Sellers can be at the market for the whole season or only attend a few times, ensuring there are new suppliers every week. Full season vendors make up about 75% of the market’s occupancy.
“Memorial Day through Labor Day, we really start getting fuller and that is the thrust of the market season itself,” Gates said. “But you’ll find everything and anything from foods, perfumes, games to perennials and annuals, trees and bushes and shrubs and things of that nature.”
Gates projects there will be up to 400,000 visitors this year, with a daily average parking of about 1,700 cars, a number that doubles for Memorial Day and Labor Day. Although Shipshewana has the third-largest Amish community in the United States, the market is not 100% Amish.
The 2024 season also includes two weekend markets: a succulent plant workshop, photos with market mascot, “Shippy” the Prospector and giveaways at the information booth on June 14-15, and a mother-daughter special weekend market on August 2-3.
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Shoppers and furry friends at a previous flea market season.
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Three goats at the Shipshewana Animal Auction.
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A cross-section of glassware at the Shipshewana Antique Auction. Six to nine auctioneers sell every Wednesday.
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Auctioneers call for bids on the animals.
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Some dolls at the Shipshewana Auction.
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A cross-section of antique Tiffany lamps at the Shipshewana Antique Auction.
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A vendor selling Kettle Corn.
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One of the first Ben’s Pretzel locations.
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A shelf full of pickle options from Mandy’s Harvest.
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A shelf of ready to use pie-filling at Mandy’s Harvest.
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Kathy Bontrager, owner of DunBrokUs Ranch store at the Shipshewana Flea Market.
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Some signs at the DunBrokUs Ranch store.
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Shirley Finney (L) and Bonnie Connors standing by some of the craft Finney made.
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Get it? Pork and Beans at Finney & Connor’s store.
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A cross-section of hand-made wreaths from Bonnie Connors.
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A mural on the wall of Christian Jewelry.
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Norm the Painter, uses glass window panes as his canvas.
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Amy & Kevin Psinas pose outside their store, Garden Depot, where they sell sunglasses and infinity lights.
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A cross-section of hanging pots available at the market.
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A cross-section of vendor offerings.
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Amish country staple, the horse and buggy.
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The RV Park on the grounds at the Shipshewana Trading Place has 165 spaces for campers.
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The RV Service Center
Amy & Kevin Psinas have been vendors at the flea market since 1996, selling a variety of products through the years. For 2024, their store, Garden Depot, will sell sunglasses and customizable infinity lights.
“You always have to pay attention to what is selling and what people are buying,” Amy said. “For the last number of years, it’s been infinity lights and sunglasses.”
The Psinas made the switch after seeing the lights at a trade show in Las Vegas about 15 years ago. They tested the water with their youngest daughter who was in junior high at the time and she loved it. So they took the plunge.
The infinity lights are on sale at the flea market for $15 – $20, but when the couple pop up in a mall, they sell for $35.
“We pay attention to what people are willing to pay at the market,” Amy said. “At Christmas time when we’re in the mall, we can get more. For the market, we’re aware we can make it up in quantity.”
The couple drives for over five hours every week to attend the market. Gates noted that many of the market’s sellers were not locals but come because it’s a vendor destination. Gates also credits the market’s traffic along with its longevity for the trend.
“We wouldn’t drive five and a half hours if it wasn’t worth our while,” Kevin said. “Where else can you do business in the middle of the week, when you’re a pop up? We do weekend shows and then we come here during the week,” Amy added.
Amy, who is a retired art teacher is also the artist behind the “Welcome to Shipshewana” mural on the market grounds. The mural encompasses the various business activities the Shipshewana Trading Place has to offer. She is also about to put her mark on another piece of the town’s history along the Pumpkin Vine Trail, for bicycle store Trail Riders.
The flea market offers a vendors a variety of space options ranging from buildings, tents to open spaces. And with new color coded signs up this year, customers will be able to find what they’re looking for easily. Rentals spaces go up to $55 per week, with additional discounts for full season vendors.
The Shipshewana Trading Place opened in 1922 with the sale of cattle and other livestock. The flea market evolved organically and was officially established 77 years ago.
While the flea market runs on a seasonal cycle, the rest of the Shipshewana Trading Place stays open throughout the year. There’s a weekly animal auction where pigs, cattle, sheep, lamb and goats are sold. There’s also a weekly antique auction, an RV park and service center, the Farmstead Inn and Conference Center, Farmstead Expo Barn & Event Pavilion, Farmstead on Farver, Shipshewana Auction Restaurant as well as the Shipshewana Lights of Joy in the Christmas season.
Gates explains the history of the organization and some of the other businesses located on the grounds.
“One misconception is that Shipshewana is only open during the market season and it’s quite the opposite,” Gates said. “We’ve also doubled our RV spaces over the last eight years to 165.”
DunBrokUs Ranch, run by Kathy & Merv Bontrager, has been a staple at the flea market for over 40 years. The couple, who used to own the local Ace Hardware store, ventured into the market because they’re customers could not get past all the traffic into town.
“We had a table the first year. Then we went to a trailer. Then we went to a tent. Then we got to this building,” Kathy said. “After we sold the hardware, the people that bought it didn’t want this building. So we decided we’re just gonna keep it. So here I am 41 years later.”
Kathy recalls receiving a thank-you card from a German family two weeks after she gifted their little boy a bull horn while they were in her store.
“This is hard work, but it’s very rewarding,” she said. “I would like to retire but I can’t give up my people. They’re just so special, from all over the world.”
The Bontragers make some of the pieces they sell, but also buy merchandise from gift shows and vendors in Atlanta.
Over the years, Kathy mentioned she has noticed a decline in vendors, especially because of online shopping. But for her, the human connection is the best part of the shopping experience.
“I could buy these items online but you don’t get the experience and the story,” Gates chimed in. “That makes it unique as opposed to just a transaction where it’s dropped on your doorstep the next day by a driver you never met.”
The flea market averages about 200 new vendor registrations every year, creating a sense of anticipation for shoppers as market dynamics change.
After attending as a shopper for many years, new vendor Shirley Finney rented a stall with her longtime friend, Bonnie Connors, selling arts and crafts. The duo met working in accounting. Connors still works in the industry.
“I’ve been doing crafts for a while,” Finney said. “I’m retired now and decided I’m ready to go full blown with my products.”
The flea market runs through September 25, and there is a $5 parking fee that will go into effect in June. Wakarusa-based Nelson’s BBQ manages the food court and visitors can purchase pies, cookies, kettle corn and fried pies from vendors around the food court.
You can learn more about the Shipshewana Flea Market by clicking here.