Sometimes we hear from people who would like to come to Randolph but don’t understand why we charge admission to come and shop….
We charge for these reasons:
-For security reasons, an open gate is much more difficult to manage the safety of our attendees and dealers especially when money and fine jewelry are exchanging hands.
-We couldn’t afford to produce the market without a gate as we don’t want the financial burden of producing this event to fall entirely on our dealers’ shoulders. This is a very costly event to produce and supports many people including a big staff, many musicians, and small business owners.
-You can buy admission for $4 on Groupon, you can come for free at 3pm on Sunday or you can become a preferred customer of one of our dealers and get comp admission each month! Or you can buy your tickets directly from us and help us pay our overhead and stay in business ????
You can’t support the dealers if you don’t show up! We hope to see you at RSM soon!
Certainly, the outdoor exhibit space at the Market is all flat, and there are ramps into the Plumbers Hall building. Plus elevators and special bathroom facilities make the Randolph Street Market easy for anyone to enjoy!
The entire outdoor area of the market is open for most* dogs; your furry friend must be on a leash and will no doubt be delighted with the delicious scraps of food to be discovered amongst the several acres of outdoor antique and collectible treasures. No pets allowed inside the Plumbers Hall Union building. (Only small dogs can be carried inside the building).
*Management has the right to refuse entry to any persons and pets.
And if it’s a hot one, be kind and leave Fifi at home along with the pet crocodile, who may spot a vintage handbag that used to be a relative and get upset!
Asphalt temperature and the outdoor temperature are two very different things. When the outside air temperature is 77 degrees, the asphalt the sun is 125 degrees. You can fry an egg at 131 degrees. Just imagine how your dog feels as you drag him along to the farmers market or outdoor festival being held on asphalt.
From PetMD: If you walk your dog on lead, keep in mind that asphalt can get very hot during the summer. In fact, it can get hot enough to burn a dog’s pads, causing him pain for days. You might want to do only short walks early in the morning or later in the evening, when the temperatures are lower. Before taking your dog for a walk, check the ground for hotness with one of your own hands or bare feet. If you can’t keep your hand (or foot) on the ground for more than three seconds, it’s probably too hot to walk your furry friend. Dogs who are older or overweight, have a thick coat or have a pushed-in nose (such as bulldogs, Boston terriers and pugs) are especially at risk of overheating.
There’s nothing more American than cash — EVERYONE prefers it! You can bargain better if you have cash and dealers love it when you have the exact amount so bring lots of small bills. And if you don’t have cash but have an ATM card, we have two on-site cash stations. As for the credit cards, some dealers take them but many don’t so be prepared.
You will not be walking over corn stalks, gravel, manure or rocks. You will be walking on beautifully tended asphalt and our indoor space has nice floors (terrazzo). Wear tennis shoes, sandles, platforms or jazz slippers.
No, but Maxwell Street Flea Market is only a few blocks away and you can buy those things there!
The Randolph Street Market goes on rain or shine. We have beautiful, huge indoor air-conditioned Plumbers Hall and most of our outdoor dealers set up under tents.
Sometimes the dealer will make the delivery for you but we also have an on-site delivery service.
Yes, you can! It’s a family friendly market and it’s fun for everybody. We have a children’s area inside Plumbers Hall and every kid gets a treasure map!
The Market provides a variety of food stations that ranges from breakfast goodies to lunch meals. And we have beer, wine, bloody mary’s, margarita’s and mimosa’s too – plus assorted spirit’s samplings.
Certainly, but only if you have permission of the dealer. Items may be copyrighted so the prudent thing to do is to ask the dealer to take the photo for you, but definitely ask permission first!
Hotels – here’s a link to a round up of nearby hotels published by Travel Weekly.
More questions?