​As the summer heat fades and the cool autumn breeze blows in, it’s the perfect time of year to enjoy a day at the new Egypt Flea Market Village.  To make it even better, there will be live music and poetry readings to compliment this beautiful weather.

​October 8th, 2017, you can experience an intimate bluegrass jam under the big tree in the back row.  Almost Not a Mess (building 6E) will be hosting its 4th Annual Bluegrass Jam that day beginning at noon.  There’s no big stage and no tickets needed for this musical experience.  Just come on down to the big tree by building 6E in the back row and pull up a chair to enjoy a mix of live bluegrass, Americana, traditional, and folk music.  

The Poetry and Arts Barn (building 43) is also embracing this beautiful weather with a season full of events.  Every Sunday this fall there will be an open mic poetry reading at 1 pm.  All are welcome to read or just to sit back and listen.  Writers can also enjoy a writer’s group meet up every Wednesday and Sunday from 9am to 11am.  Poets and poetry lovers can pack a sandwich or grab something to eat at the market and gather for a “poetry lunch” each Wednesday and Sunday at the Poetry and Arts Barn.

As always, the market’s nearly 50 shops and numerous table vendors will be open every Wednesday and Sunday from 8am till 2pm.  Enjoy the comfortable temperatures and the autumn colors.  Even the drive to the market this time of year is something to be enjoyed as the leaves of the surrounding woodlands change colors.
 
The New Egypt Flea Market Village is open every Wednesday and Sunday from 8 am to 2pm, year-round, rain or shine.  We’re one of the last of the old-time markets featuring 40+ buildings each an independently run shop, plus plenty of table vendors with everything from antiques, vintage toys, furniture, handcrafted goods, homemade jams and jellies, great bargains on new items, and thrifty second-hand finds.  Written by Ann Kestner.
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​If you’ve driven down RT 537 Monmouth Rd., just a few miles south of Great Adventure, chances are you’ve wondered about that collection of rustic buildings on the side of the road.  Those buildings make up the New Egypt Flea Market Village, a place where even the building have a rich history.  Each of the 40+ buildings have their own story of a past life in another place and time.
 
In the late 1950’s, the town of New Egypt lost their local farmers market.  Esler (Les) Heller had just returned from serving in the Navy and noticed that the vendors were looking for a new market.  It was then that Mr. Heller decided to use the land near his home as a new venue for livestock auctions and produce sales.  Soon after opening his new market in 1959, Mr. Heller added tables for second hand and antique sales and The New Egypt Flea Market Village was alive and thriving.
 
In the late sixties, Mr. Heller began bringing in buildings.  One by one they arrived from towns throughout central and southern New Jersey.  Many of the buildings were destined for demolition, but he preserved them by bringing them into the market and giving them a new purpose.  He laid them out in a village setting with dirt roads.  The last of the buildings arrived in the mid 1970’s and nearly all the buildings are still standing today.

​Among the buildings is approximately sixteen WWII era army barracks purchased from Fort Dix.  Once home to soldiers, the barracks now house everything from a furniture store to a food pantry.  The market has three rows, or roads.  The back road has a dozen old barracks each painted a different color.  Most of the barracks are section off into two independently run shops.

​Another four barracks are located on the front road.  Here you’ll find the most icon one.  Several years ago, the entire back of building 39 was painted with a patriotic American flag mural.  Visible from the road, it has become one of the most iconic buildings in the village.
 
Next door to building 39, you’ll find the oldest school house from a nearby town.  A century ago, its one room taught reading, writing and arithmetic.  Now, as Glen’s Hut, it’s spent nearly two decades housing Southwestern American treasures and other historical items.  

​The school’s red exterior is long gone, replaced with a bright yellow.  Who choose that color and why someone would paint an old school house yellow remains a mystery.  But that’s the way it is here.  Each shop owner adds their own touch to each building and as the years pass the unique characteristics of each one grows.
 
Unusual colors are typical here at the market.  Towards the end of the front road stand three old officer’s quarters, also purchased from Fort Dix.  One, a baby blue with cedar shakes, is home to Everything Under the Sun and Moon.  It’s neighbor, a pastel pink, is the home of the Poetry & Arts Barn, which hosts poetry readings and writing groups. 

​Not all the buildings have a military and educational background.  The second road has more than a dozen and a half buildings with an exciting past.  They came from a variety of resorts and camps that were popular decades ago.  Think of the movie Dirty Dancing.  That’s the kind of resorts we’re talking about.  When the heyday for those resorts came to an end, Mr. Heller saved many of the cottages from destruction by bringing them to the village.  Now, they’re filled with antiques, collectables, refurbished furniture, and vintage items.

One of the most unusual buildings is the office.  Its past life was a Dairy Queen.  But now, it plays double duty as the New Egypt Flea Market Village’s main office and as an antique and collectables shop run by the market’s manager (Mr. Heller’s son-in-law) Keith Warner.

In total, there’s more than forty historical buildings in the New Egypt Flea Market Village and even more unique shops.  The next time you’re driving down RT 537 Monmouth Rd., stop in and take a walk through history.  The market is open every Wednesday and Sunday, year-round from 8 am to 2 pm.
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The New Egypt Flea Market Village is open every Wednesday and Sunday from 8 am to 2pm, year-round, rain or shine.  We’re one of the last of the old-time markets featuring 40+ buildings each an independently run shop, plus plenty of table vendors with everything from antiques, vintage toys, furniture, handcrafted goods, homemade jams and jellies, great bargains on new items, and thrifty second-hand finds.  - Written by Ann Kestner.
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​Mike and Bri are the masterminds behind The Big Kid Store.  In less than two years, they’ve turned an old army barrack at the New Egypt Flea Market Village into a mecca for toy collectors and pop culture lovers.  Fans travel miles to snatch that hard to find item.  The Big Kid Store, located in Building 5W in the back row of the market, is a toy collector’s honey hole filled with everything from comic books, to toys, to video games, and more.  

​But Mike and Bri aren’t stopping at just having one of the coolest collectable toy shops in New Jersey.  They’re spilling out of their building and filling the gravel roads of the village with toy vendors and dealers for the first annual Fall Big Kid Toy Show and Pop Culture Yard Sale.  

​This outdoor event on September 17th, 2017, features aisles of vintage and modern toys, collectable Star Wars, G.I. Joe, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles items, plus DC and Marvel comics.  There’s also Masters of the Universe, anime, Jurassic Park, horror, transformers, and so much more to be found at the show.
 
In addition to the rows of toy vendors, the 40+ historic buildings that house nearly 50 shops at the New Egypt Flea Market Village will also be open selling treasures old and new, crafted, crazy, and classy.
 
With so many toy and pop culture vendors and shops, you’ll want to mark The Fall Big Kid Toy Show and Pop Culture Yard Sale in your calendar as an all-day event.  The show starts at 8 am and it goes until 4 pm.  Admission is free.  Parking is free.   
 
When it comes to taking a lunch break, the show has that covered too.  You’ll find the Corner Bar BQ in the front parking lot selling melt in your mouth BBQ ribs, pulled pork, chicken and more.  You can also head over to Jersey Girls at Building 49 for some affordable comfort food, snacks, and sodas.
 
If you’re looking to sell, there are a few vendor spaces available and they’re surprisingly affordable.  Toy vendors and pop culture collectors are welcome.  Whether you’re a pro, casual collector, or a first-time vendor, bring your boxes, buckets, totes, and bins.  Spaces are 10x10 and outdoors, so bring your tables and tents.  Vendor set up is at 6am.
 
As for the cost of a space, here is where the Bid Kid Store really shows their love not just for toys, but for local charities.  A vendor spot costs a simple donation of $15 worth of items for C.A.R.E. (Companion Animal Rescue & Education) and/or The Helping Hands Food Pantry.  You can just pay $15 dollars, but donations are preferred. 
 
To reserve a vendor spot, call The Big Kid Store at 732-359-6328 or email TheBigKidStore@Gmail.com. 
 
Not interested in being a vendor, but still want to donate…kudos to you for being wonderful.  The Big Kid Store will gladly take donations of items for both C.A.R.E. and The Helping Hands Food Pantry.  Just see the list of needed items below and bring your donations to The Big Kid Store during the show.

That’s right, there’s toys, pop culture and charity. 
 
Here’s a list of items that are most needed:
C.A.R.E.:  Towels, paper towels, cleaning supplies, PUPPY dog food, and treats (NO rawhides or bones)
The Helping Hands Food Pantry:  Non-perishable food and gently used clothing. (Pet food is also accepted.)

Contact:
The Big Kid Toy Store, Building 5W
Phone: 732-359-6328 Mike/Bri
Email: TheBigKidStore@Gmail.com
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TheBigKidStore/
 
Please do Not contact the flea market for event information, as they are the venue, not the host.


​Photos courtesy of The Big Kid Store.