Did You Know Once There Were Two Flea Markets In Penang?
Flea markets in Penang are for weekend shoppers who shun the trappings of air-conditioned cookie-cutter malls.
If you want to mingle with the locals and browse in the open air, the flea market is THE place to find just about anything and everything!
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Lorong Kulit Flea Market in Penang
The bustling morning Lorong Kulit Flea Market may be minuscule compared to Chatuchak Weekend Market in Bangkok; nevertheless, it is the biggest flea market in George Town that’s open daily.
Previously laid out along Jalan Pintal Tali, the petty traders have been relocated to an empty fenced open-air car park lot behind the Stadium Bandaraya Pulau Pinang fondly called the City Stadium.
You will find a lot of other people’s stuff and junk at the flea markets. BUT, once in a while, you get a good find!
Old handphone without a cable or cover? No problem.
Motorcycle Accessories and Stickers.
Best to go to a Flea Market – At the Crack of Dawn
At the crack of dawn, lone minivans and motorized cart trickle into the park side by side at their usual spots, puncturing the morning air with their oversized umbrellas and their goods laid on groundsheets or low tables, leaving a narrow maze for shoppers to pick their way through without tripping over the triangular umbrella bases.
There’s no need to hang on tight to your wallets and fold your arms across your chest as you shop anymore.
Most stallholders are legitimate traders, with maybe just a handful dealing in second-hand goods of dubious origins.
Getting Your Bearings – Flea Markets
For first time visitors, check out your bearings and walk the narrow aisles systematically.
That way, you will be able to backtrack to find a bargain that you forgo initially.
The fruit wholesalers hug one side of the fence with the clothing and children’s toy at the short end. The rest of the site has just about everything else in between.
Most shoppers come for fresh fruits at wholesale prices.
It is not unusual to find a small lorry laden with pineapples or watermelons at dirt low prices when crops are abundant!
A favorite section is the fruit stall, where the fruit is sold at a huge discount, and you could pick and choose happiness.
No need to peer at the plastic wraps to see if these are bruised!
Sometimes you can find fresh, plump Buah Salak (Salacca zalacca), also known as the Snake Fruit Plant.
This is a species of the palm tree (family Arecaceae) native to Java and Sumatra in Indonesia. The skin of the fruit looks remarkably like snakeskin!
The snake fruit plant, Buah Salak.
The most popular are the fruit stalls.
Grocery Shopping Without GST
Malaysians from all walks of life go to the flea market to shop or browse.
Not everything sold is old or recycled.
You can buy toiletries, combs, towels, and toothbrush without GST.
Flea Markets in Penang
The best part is not going through aisles and aisles and waits to pay at the checkout counters!
This family comes here every fortnight to shop.
“We like the flea market as the prices are low. Can bargain and without GST! The traders are like old friends now and are all very friendly. We get all our necessities here. From shampoo to clothes for the children. My family and I enjoy browsing and help me look for antiques.”
“We take our son here every weekend to shop for new toys or books. I will browse for antiques that tickle my fancy, and my wife will look for some plump fruits to buy for our desserts.”
Mohd Amzah Sultan with his wife and young son happily posing for a family pix. Photo: Doris Lim
Flea Markets are a haven for Antique Collectors.
On public holidays, the crowds can sometimes be 6 people thick, so it takes dexterity to move lightning-quick and spot a genuine bargain almost immediately.
The flea market not only caters to cost-conscious grocery shoppers but shrewd antique hunters in the search that “diamond-in-the-rough” to take pride of place in their home.
Bells, bells, bells. These exotic-looking brass wear attract many collectors. Photo: Doris Lim
Just Old Stuff!
The flea market has gained quite a reputation with the locals and tourists for its bargain prices and sheer variety of memorabilia and other collectibles.
The regulars term is “antiques.”
If you love to hunt and rummage or plow through heaps of rubble, you might find something of great value that escaped the antique middlemen on the prowl.
Even Dr. Priya Sharda, who is a regular, is seen chatting away with a Myanmarese trader.
“I collect antiques and make collages as a present for friends. I enjoy the friendly atmosphere and find the collectibles here reasonably priced and of good quality.”
Armenian Street Flea Market
Jewel or Junk depends on the eye of the beholder.
Shh….. both flea markets have an equally sordid past; reputed to “let go” of stolen goods at a bargain price!
Part of the appeal is there are plenty of rough-looking characters around against the sanctified few tourists armed with hats and cameras.
It’s best to power up early before the humidity kills you if you plan to bargain hunt. Not the best way to get into the rhythm of island life if you’re the franchised glitzy coffee guzzler types.
But, if you’re a Type A personality, you’re made to muscle in and stake your claim and sports bargain for a prized antique. Even if it’s a fake, you still get bragging right to the story.
A treasure trove of curios and antique finds at Penang’s Flea Markets.
Lost And Found Corner
Basically, the Penangites will tell you, if you lost something or something’s gone missing, and you want it back without coughing big bucks, then head on down the flea markets and to wait for it to “come out.”
Lo and behold, I’ve heard stories of friends who went to “buy” back stolen car stereos or even branded stilettos shoes!
Yes, it’s that Malaysian culture of leaving your shoes outside the door caused its so-called migration.
Why inadvertently, you’ll be supporting crime, but it much cheaper than a spanking new replacement!
Flea Markets in Penang are popular with tourists.
Dive Right In or Pick Out with Your Eyes
The items you find could look like something of a vagabond’s loot from a dumpster dive or the precious unloading of a deceased parent’s lifetime prized collection.
You can find
- Vinyl records
- vintage glass perfume bottles
- pop culture artifacts
Anything and everything goes!
Laid out haphazardly and almost heaped on the pavement, almost everything that looks like a yard sale is here.
So do it island style? Chill. Happy hunting ground, people! From the Armenian Street Flea Market, you can easily connect to the heart of the heritage site enclave.
The cooler evening Lorong Armenian Flea Market is just plain old someone else’s used stuff lying around.
The iron horses of Penang are parked as their riders stroll around to shop. Photo: Doris Lim
Flea Markets in Penang are great for browsing.
