Booths filled to the brim with cookie jars, guitars, jewelry and Garfield the Cat memorabilia await those willing to haggle and search for unique collectibles and bargains not easily found online or in retail stores.
Located just off of Exit 34 in Daleville, Ind., the Great American Flea Market - in business since 1992 - is just one of several flea markets across the state that specializes in buying, selling and trading specialty items and keepsakes.
With room for 300 vendors, the market is as varied as the people who come to visit, manager Tony Leach said.
College students, families, truck drivers, collectors and traders are among the most frequent customers looking for one-of-a-kind items, he said.
While customers may just come in to find the ultimate bargain, they shouldn't be surprised to find three food courts, an arcade and live entertainment.
"Because we're only open on the weekends, we work a lot to bring in live acts - bluegrass, karaoke, car shows - to sort of keep people coming back week to week," Leach said.
Among the booths shoppers can find George King's selection of cookie jars.
King, a Ball State University alumnus, began working at the Great American Flea Market after retiring from teaching graphic arts at Pendleton Heights High School in 1998.
After starting work at the market, King was dubbed the Cookie Jar "King" - and for good reason. Since retirement, he has acquired more than 400 different cookie jars through auctions and trade shows.
"I'm not in it for the money, although I've gotten pretty good at haggling. I won't sell for less than what I bought it for," he said.
His favorite character jar in stock from his collection is a vintage Mickey Mouse jar, but he says Donald Duck, Marilyn Monroe and Superman are among his customers' favorites.
Working at the flea market serves as a way to relieve his boredom after retiring from a 30-year teaching career and allows him to talk to people about each jar's specific personality, he said.
"I love people. It's why I taught high school and why I'm [working at a flea market] now," King said.
Vendor Gary Skinner has developed a large national fan base as a collector of Garfield memorabilia during his time working at Paws, Inc. and as a seller at the Great American Flea Market.
"I love to network and connect with the die-hard fans," he said. "People will come from across the country and will just love it."
Skinner has had a booth at the Great American Flea Market for three years. With a flashing Garfield the Cat sign marking its entrance, he said his booth rarely goes unnoticed by visitors.
"People's first reaction when they see the booth is 'Wow! I've never seen this much Garfield stuff in such a small space,'" he said.
Ranging from stationary, comic books and figurines to hair clips, tea kettles and cartoon graphic strips signed by Jim Davis himself, Skinner's collection is not just limited to what is on display in his booth, which he says is "really just the tip of the iceberg," he said.
A Garfield collector for more than 25 years and a seller for Paws, Inc., Skinner said he has accumulated a personal collection that covers 1,500 square feet of floor space at his home in Anderson, Ind.
Over the past 40 years vendor Burie Haywood said he has developed a collection of Depression-era food ration coins, commemorative bus tokens and wooden nickels from places he's visited around the country.
Nostalgia aside, Haywood says the most enjoyable part of his job, and what attracts so many people to the market, is interacting with the other vendors.
"You get to know something about life itself," he said. "There are lots of stories to be told [from vendors]. Half may be true and half may be just a story, but they're all interesting."
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