El Mercadillo el Jueves

Vengaaa, José, I prefer to lose a little money on a friend than sell it to someone who won’t enjoy it as much for far more.”

Luis sells books every Thursday morning at the Jueves flea market, and I flicked through his offerings on Spanish war planes for the Novio a few weeks ago. José is a repeat customer who bargains him from 20€ to 15€, snagging an EADS-issued encyclopedia on Air Force machines.

I met Raquel at Casa Vizcaíno one Thursday morning to browse the stands at the mercadillo, not having anything in mind to buy but bringing Camarón just in case.

My father would disappear every Sunday morning to swap meets when I was a kid, always looking for a bargain and spare car parts. The first time he took me, promising an elephant ear and new pogs, I was overwhelmed at the amount of stands, spread blankets and objects being sold.

El Jueves gave me the same feelings, just with no fried dough. There’s de todo un poco: old books, a version of my first cell phone, paintings, flamenco dresses and even trajes de luces.

In the end, I bought an old school BINGO game for the academy, bargained down from 5€, and five lapel pins for a euro each. I didn’t sift through much junk or feel pulled towards splurging on any one item (except for maybe a bust of the Virgin Mary), but I think I’ll be back.

As Raquel’s boyfriend said, they find new things to hock every week.

If you go: El Jueves takes over the southern end of Calle Feria between Calle Castelar and Calle Correduría every Thursday morning. Things begin to get started around 10am and last until around 1pm. Be sure to bring small change and watch your belongings.

Have you ever been to el Jueves? Know of other famous swap meets in Spain or beyond?

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About Cat Gaa

As a beef-loving Chicago girl living amongst pigs, bullfighters, and a whole lotta canis, Cat Gaa writes about expat life in Seville, Spain. When not cavorting with adorable Spanish grandpas or struggling with Spanish prepositions, she works in higher education at an American university in Madrid and freelances with other publications, like Rough Guides and The Spain Scoop.

Comments

  1. Sounds like fun. I miss that sort of market – the ones we have further north don’t have the eclectic mix of stuff to search through! Great post.

  2. I think El Jueves flea market is even older than Seville… Next time you see Luis, the bookseller, tell him that you know me… He’ll give you a great discount. Suerte!!!

  3. I lived right by this when I lived in Sevilla, yet I never got a chance to go because I was always at work when it was on! Just another excuse to go back :)
    Kirstie recently posted..Celebrating Australia: ‘Straya Day and the Lunar New YearMy Profile

  4. Mercadillos are not something exclusive from Seville, on the contrary: you can find them in almost every midsize village around the country. They were something I used to miss while in England, until I discovered the carboot sale. Although not exactly the same, you would find as well “de todo un poco”. :)
    Arabella recently posted..SerendipityMy Profile

  5. Oh those bullfighter jackets are incredible!
    wanderingeducators recently posted..Travel Writers’ Guide: 110 Street Markets Around the WorldMy Profile

  6. Great blog! We are excited about going tomorrow, thanks for the tips and suggestions!

Trackbacks

  1. […] the mercadillos in the bigger cities, this is a modest rural affair; in place of the fleamarket fare such as second-hand books, antiques […]

  2. […] shops on nearby Calle Regina, Cafe Central on a Friday night, Teatro Alameda’s offerings, El Jueves morning flea market, the Feria market and its hidden […]

  3. […] In trying to get to know the city before the baby comes, I’ve drug myself out of bed the last few Sundays for some browsing, starting with the granddaddy of them all, El Rastro. Starting in Plaza del Cascorro and permeating the side streets in La Latina, the flea market operates every Sunday and local holidays from about 9am to 3pm. Believed to have begun 500 years ago when Calle Ribera de Curtidores was home to the city’s tanneries, the mercadillo bustles with everything from antiques to birds, clothing to flamenco dresses. It’s a bigger, more curious version of Seville’s El Jueves market. […]

  4. […] Triana. I also like bullfighting neighborhood El Arenal, hip Feria with its weekly flea market, El Jueves, and even Alameda is growing on […]

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