Hidden Owensboro Gem: T.B.’s Flea is a Pop Culture Treasure Hunter’s Dream
Last Saturday was my birthday. We got up and at em, and my sweet husband and child said they were down to do whatever I wanted. Although they could probably guess what I had in mind!
One of my favorite things to do is treasure hunting. Yard sales, Estate sales, vendor malls, antique stores, flea markets...random places on the side of the road with lots of cool junk outside. Yep, that's exactly where I wanted to go. A couple of weeks ago, we passed by a place I couldn't believe I had never been to before.
It is a shop at 220 Hamilton Ave., down off of East 4th Street. You turn left right before you get to Dee's Diner on the right. You will absolutely know it when you see it because the front is covered with vintage Halloween decorations, a row of records, and signs that say T.B.'s Flea.
As soon as we walked up, owner Terry Boone greeted us and complimented my Ear-X-Tacy sticker on the back of my party barge. I knew he had to be cool to be familiar with that music mecca of years past. As kind as can be, we chatted while we piddled around and looked at the absolute treasure trove of pop culture, music, movie, and TV memorabilia.
Their description on Facebook is perfect: "A warehouse filled with strange and unusual items, as if Beetlejuice himself had a store or like Captain Spaulding’s shop but in Owensboro, KY. Inventory includes odds and ends but mostly odds for the music and horror fan."
If you are not an established picker, you may be overwhelmed at first by the quantity of items. I went silent for a while as I focused all of my efforts on taking in the shelves and racks covered and stacked and perfectly balanced with books and knick-knacks. It seemed like one sneeze or a sudden movement would bring it all crashing down, but they were expertly engineered.
The building seemed to keep growing as we navigated the different sections and found TONS of nostalgia, from Troll Dolls to Elvis collectibles to vintage hats and shirts. Rollins found some CDs, a Wayne's World soundtrack, and a Mitch Hedberg stand-up. Crazy enough, I found this 40th birthday hat, which couldn't have been more perfect.
The clown section is what nightmares are made of, along with the vintage horror decor and posters. All over the walls and hanging from the ceiling, it was like a time machine in the form of someone's epic storage unit. You'll find some things priced, but most everything we found on this trip didn't have a sticker. We showed Terry our finds, and he made us an offer we couldn't refuse.
The truth is, Terry doesn't want it to just be a storage unit of cool stuff. Of course he wants to make money, but he REALLY wants folks to come and check out the amazing collection he has curated for decades. I think treasure hunters and collectors are all kindred spirits in that way.
I know I love to show and tell sometimes! One of the joys of thrifting is recalling memories associated with something you find and sharing that with others. That will happen over and over again in this super cool store.
If you want a unique shopping experience, you HAVE to check out T.B.'s Flea. It's going on my list of favorite places in Owensboro. I bet you will love it too!
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