Cedarburg Maxwell Street Days

My boyfriend woke me up at 6am, unable to sleep. He told me we were going to a flea market that would be open already. I grumbled. I wanted sleep. We could get up and drive to the burbs for some flea market after I’d had my full 8 (read: 12) hours of sleep. After loading myself up with coffee, we were on our way.
He was right. Go as early as you can. We rolled in around 7ish with all of the other sleep deprived, unshowered flea market goers. I was in absolute awe of how big it was. It would take a few hours just to glance at each booth. There are two indoor components too.
They have food for cheap. I shamelessly ate a brat at 8am, which fueled the rest of my deal hunting morning. It’s also worth noting that they were selling beer… and people were buying it. Pretty sure it was only High Life and Miller Lite, but still. There were plenty of fairground appropriate food options to choose from.
With the two hours we were there, I don’t think we saw half of the booths (granted we did take time to sift through all of the 90s Packers jerseys).
No pets. Bring a cart or something to haul your treasures around. Get there early. No need to dress to impress. Bring cash, duh.

Maxwell Street Days is easily one of my favorite parts of summer. I try to make it to at least a few a season, which runs May-​October (about every other month, I believe).
Its free to get in, but parking can be a trek. So make sure you wear good walking shoes (but if you didn’t think to already, you probably don’t belong at flea markets). Usually we park farther down on a side street off Washington Ave — near all the little shops. I like stopping in the shops sometimes, but let’s get real, I’m in Maxwell mode by then.
There are so many dealers, I don’t think i’ve ever gotten to all of them. And I’ve been coming here for a few years now. Booths range from everything, and there is usually something for everyone. And they have only a handful of those junk booths that sell novelty Wisconsin Dells-​style tshirts or $ 1 store stock (you know what I mean). Most booths are pretty legit. Make sure you bring cash — a few booths do take card, but its few. As for food, they have lots of great fair snacks, cheese curds, brats with kraut, and a great kettle corn stand. I believe they have coffee and donuts (as it does open at 7am), but I usually come around 10ish and wait for lunch.
Luckily, most times I’ve gone have been sunny. This last one was rainy. Although the crowd seemed just as big as normal, some booths packed up early. There was an announcement over the loud speaker reminding dealers that «per their agreement» they had to stay till at least 2:00. So that was interesting. Regardless, there were still tons of dedicated sellers. And kudos to them, because I imagine they had at least a little stock damaged from rain.
Usually I budget myself to around $ 20-​$ 30, but this past time I actually bought a few pieces of furniture. So bringing the car back up (turning around on Washington Ave can be a real pain with all the traffic) to pick up the furniture was stressful. and sweaty. They have some 15 min «loading zones» but it isn’t the most efficient, or at least in the rain. If I buy furniture again, I’ll check into other possible places to park.
Overall, I absolutely love this flea market. I love forward to it every summer. And my favorite end to Maxwell Street Days is a stop at the little popcorn vendor stand on the walk back! The owner is really sweet, and the popcorn is so buttery good. You burned off all those calories haggling and treking to the car, you deserve it.

The fire department in Cedarburg Wisconsin holds a gigantic flea market 4 or 5 times per year. Everytime we have gone we have found some unique items that we had to have! Last fall I bought a vintage wooden sled with runners that I turned into a Christmas deocration and welcome sign to stand beside my front door. I think I spent $ 25 for it.
This year my husband bought a new tiedyed t-​shirt for $ 8 (yes, he’s an aging hippy) and I bought an antique watch base to use in making vintage look jewelry. I was persuaded by a very charming young man to by a product that will clean my rings, keep my glasses smudgfree and keep the bathroom mirrors from steaming up. Yep, there is a sucker born every minute. We bought a cute metal shelf for $ 10 and beautiful wooden oars for our canoe for $ 20!
We did not eat here because we came right after breakfast but the food like brats and burgers smelled wonderful. I saw some folks walking around with ears of fresh roasted corn that looked good too.
The booths sold items such as antiques, one of a kind art pieces, hand-​knit sweaters, vintage clothing/​uniforms, and some that had typical rummage sale junk (but necessary junk!).
Unless you get there very early, be prepared to walk a bit from the on-​street parking to the gate. no admission charge and when you are done there, Cedarburg has a cute downtown area with shops and restaurants.

It’s like a live action Lillian Vernon Catalogue. Seriously, it’s a ton of shit you had no clue existed that you don’t need. But sometimes… you want. I have no clue where I’m gonna wear the vintage 1940’s velvet beret with netting, I just know it was $ 5 and I looked cute in it.
Old fashioned beer mugs and Pink Potted Plants,
Things that will scare you like lawn ornament ants,
Retro Telephones that sadly can’t ring…
These are a few of Maxwell Street Things
Vintage street signs and boxes of pins
Taxidermied Muskies along with their fins,
Farmer’s Market produce and the salsa it brings
These are a few of Maxwell Street things.
When the brats call, when the beer sings
When I’ve had all I can…
I simply remember there’s more to adore
And then I don’t feel so bad.