WAS THE NEWSLETTER #75

I’m Paige Wassel. WAS the Newsletter is your weekly dose of design inspiration, where the early bird gets the Herman Miller dining table.

BEST FLEA MARKET IN AMERICA, WE HAVE A CONTENDER

My new favorite spring tradition is the Downtown Modernism Festival LA. That’s a long-winded title for what I believe could possibly be one of my new top tier flea markets in America. This one isn’t like Brimfield, which has something from every era, from Regency to Bauhaus to, for some odd reason, Funko collectibles.

Oh, no.

This is a sun-drenched, once-a-season event where people actually know the names of all the fabulous pieces. To give you a sense of the vibes, it’s less, “Oh, what an interesting vintage chair,” and more of a, “This Percival Lafer MP-97 armchair has a rosewood frame and caramel leather cracked in all the right places, mixing brutalism and warmth in a way that only Brazilian modernism can pull off and I will legit cut you for it.”

It’s that kind of flea market.

(And these are my kind of people.)

Downtown Modernism is super special because the items are so curated—if you’re looking for a place that only has MCM, this is it as more than 80 vendors set up in the parking lot of the Modernica warehouse. Right now, send yourself a calendar invite for late April next year and follow them on IG so you can save the date when it’s announced. You’ll thank me.

If you go inside, you can shop all things Modernica, from beds to buffets to Herman Miller items. Plus, they’ve got big discounts on their seconds and discontinued items. Yet on this one glorious day, the outdoor vendors are the stars of the show. They start loading in at 4:00 a.m., with the doors opening at 8:00 a.m., where a line awaits. The event is in an industrial area, so it’s really easy to get in and out of there. There’s food, plus kids and dogs get in free. (Like, what else could you want?)

I EFFED UP… TWICE

Kate and I went for the first time last year. We arrived when there was only a couple of hours left and all the best furniture had already been scooped up. 

We learned our lesson and pledged to get a much earlier start this year. I even cleared out my car so I could load TF up. But… I’ve been burning the candle at all ends, so my weekends are precious and I didn’t get there as early as I should have. Boooo.

I still found stuff though. Of course I did. I snagged four red stools that Kate and I are planning to reupholster. We’ll sell two in our studio and two are going home with Kate. I also a grabbed couple of wooden bowls—obsessed with this kind of wood rn—and a book on Japanese architecture. Oh and this weird wood object sculpture that I have no idea what I am going to do with… BUT I LIKE IT.

ADVICE FOR ATTENDING

If you’re anywhere around LA next year, you do not want to miss this. So here’s what I recommend:

Get there early. Learn from my mistake(s). Will you be in line with 100 other stylists? Yes. But they can’t buy everything all at once.

Bring a measuring tape and know your dimensions. What’s the point of snapping up a mohair Vladimir Kagan Serpentine sofa if it has to live in the lobby of your building because you made the rookie mistake of not measuring your doorway?

Don’t expect deals. This is not a garage sale. That said, it can’t hurt to haggle if you do it with some charm.

Say hey when you see me. Because I will be there at doors-open next year. Bet.

And if this is your dog, bring him again.

Hands-down, this is a fantastic flea market. If you’re looking for table legs so sharp they could file your taxes or lamps that appear to belong in a Soviet space station, get yourself here next year.

That said, the flea markets in France are on another level… so maybe that should be a future post/road trip?

xx,
P