The Fabulous Elkhorn Wisconsin Flea Market: Finding Antiques & Collectibles

We have been traveling to the most fantastic flea market in Wisconsin for many years! It is the Elkhorn Antique Flea Market! I had the chance to interview Nona Knapp, the owner and operator of “N.L.Promotions” who runs the show! Nona has been ‘in charge’ for over 25 years and watched it grown from a small market with 20-40 dealers to over 500 dealers at the present time. It was not an ‘easy ride’, but she has a marvelous attitude about it and really appreciates the dealers, friends and workers that make it happen four times a year.

Nona’s first husband, Dennis, was a music teacher and worked summers as a superintendent on the Walworth County Fair Grounds. They often talked about all the possibilities for the location, other than an occasional horse race or annual County Fair.

Friends of theirs were antique dealers and they often discussed what a wonderful setting it would make for an antique flea market. Their friends, the Wagners, were members of WADA, Wisconsin Antique Dealers’ Association, and knew a lot of other dealers. They joined a ‘partnership’ and ran it together for the first three years, from approximately 1982-1985. The Wagners actually handled the food concession. Nona handled all the paperwork and record keeping and Dennis helped with the upkeep on the grounds, sign-in, etc. The dealers would just ’show up’, and you never knew who would be there or what they’d bring. They were competing with some pretty heavy-duty markets in the area. They felt truly lucky if they had 50 dealers. The ‘gate fee’ was 50 cents and they would be pleased with close to a thousand people passing through. At the time, Nona was teaching full-time but this was a great summer hobby.
Nona tells me they were lucky to have a ‘full row’ of booths from the office in front to the grandstand – that is where the food was located. The flea market has steadily grown through the years and today they have between 500 and 700 dealers, with approximately 200 indoors, located in animal barns, and 500 outdoors. Their ‘benchmark’ for attendance is 5,000, a far cry from their 800-900 attendees in the early days!

They currently have ten food providers on the grounds and let me tell you, it is top notch, quality food, lots of variety too. Another plus is that there is a lot of ample free parking, right on the grounds!

In 1995, they added table rental. Her present husband, Skip, came up with the idea and made 200 wooden tables to rent, then added another 100 the next year. These have been very popular and an easy solution for sellers who do not have the extra room in their vans or trucks for tables. They can fit in a lot more items to sell that way!
There have been numerous changes through the years. An ATM was added several years back for convenience to shoppers. Advertising has greatly expanded with ads being placed in about 50 newspapers! These include publications throughout Wisconsin, Illinois, and into Iowa and the Auction Action News covers even further. For those that drive quite a distance, they’ll find very pleasant accommodations in Elkhorn or nearby Delavan and Lake Geneva.
They have four shows in Elkhorn a year. There is still one left – to be held on September 30^th. They also have another show scheduled for early 2008, January 19^th and 20^th at the Washington County Fair Park (West Bend, Wisconsin.) They expect approximately 60 top-notch dealers for the West Bend Antiques Show. For locations and their complete schedule for the remainder of 2007 and 2008, check their website at www.nlpromotionsllc.com.

Nona was kind enough to share some time with me the week before ‘everything goes crazy.’ For two weeks before the show, the phones go wild. There are the ads to place. She has to be sure all sellers have their Vehicle Space Reservation Cards showing their booth location. She has to answer questions from those that are new to the market as to what they can and cannot sell. She also does some ’screening’ to ensure that no one brings in ‘tube socks and Tupperware’, since she runs one of the rare ones – an Antique Flea Market that has maintained its integrity and high quality goods. On occasion, a seller will be found offering reproductions or newer items. These are frowned upon and they will be asked to sell those items ‘elsewhere.’

Dealers can set up on Saturday afternoon or early Sunday morning. Nona and her husband arrive at the Fairgrounds approximately 4:00 A.M. on the day of the market, especially if there is a ‘weather issue’ and they need to spread sawdust over damp spaces, or help dealers with their set-ups, etc. The gates open at 7:00 A.M. There are the occasional ‘problems’ such as a vehicle in the wrong spot or crowding a walk-way, or an over-zealous dealer who takes up more space than they should. But the problems are few and handled with finesse. Nona credits her ‘team’ for the smoothness of the operation. They are on hand to assist buyers with large purchases. They do whatever they can to make this a pleasant experience for shoppers and sellers alike!

From a personal standpoint, I can honestly say this is the best flea market in the area. It has kept its high standards and offers some of the best and friendliest workers. The food is delightful and the bathrooms are exceptional. Not the Port-a-lets you find elsewhere, but clean, well-stocked, indoor bathrooms – and lots of them! We often find fantastic bargains at Elkhorn, and have set up a booth on occasion too. We have always found it enjoyable. We have had buyers from all over the mid-west, including Illinois, Iowa, Tennessee, Michigan, even several from North Dakota. They were very complimentary about the market – many of the flea markets in their areas have become more ‘craft fairs’ and with lots of beany-babies and such! You won’t find those things here.

You will find everything from high-end furniture to hardware and yard art to beautiful estate jewelry to fabulous antique glassware. There are also several booths with ’seasonal flowers’ and produce. It is well worth the visit to those booths too. If you have not had the chance to attend one of these flea markets, plan to do so soon – only one left this year, but the 2008 schedule should be on your calendar!

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