Came here with a friend and two kids. There was something for all of us! Whether you want toys, tools, electronics, produce, Mexican snacks and candy, jewelry, they have all sorts of stuff. Lots of animals for sale, including chickens, other birds, turtles, and fish, but this wouldn't be the place I'd get a pet (adopt!!) There are some food stalls (we got paletas), and portapotty type bathrooms. The whole setup is on a gravel lot, and the parking lot was a bit washed out by yesterday's rain: some huge puddles. Plan your footwear accordingly! Vendors all prefer smaller bills, so if you can break those $20s from the ATM before you get here, so much the better. Overall, an interesting shopping experience. I found a dress, a charging cable for my cell phone and a miniature chicken mole magnet for less than $40. read more

Montana Charlie's - Chicken mole magnet - Flea Markets Near Me - Bolingbrook, Illinois

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This place brought back a lot of memories for me from what I used to come here 20 to 30 years ago. We ended up having free time and my friend and my kids went with us to see what we might find. This is a fairly large outdoor flea market and I have always been able to find things that I wanted and didn't always need. For me it's just the experience of wandering around but it's a bonus when you can find something worth buying. One of the great things is it's only $5 to park and then you just walk around. We were there for a couple hours or more and walked through the entire place trying to see everything available. We did find quite a few items as we walked the first row of stalls that we ended up coming back to again before we left. In the end every one of us had bought something. I bought something for my one kid, and there were several spots that were selling very similar food items, and I picked up some dried peppers to use in cooking and to try my hand at making some spicy olive oil. While we were walking about we also stopped and had a bite to eat at one of the stalls. There are quite a few options for food here as well and we randomly picked one and got some tacos. All the sellers that we spoke to were very friendly and had some really good deals on a wide variety of products. This is a fun one for pretty much anyone who enjoys flea markets. read more

I would give 4 stars as a cheap flea market if it weren't for the live animals being sold at a few stalls. I was pouring water on myself to stay cool yesterday which was over 90 degrees in the shade. I didn't get up close to the animals because I really didn't want to see them. They were in small metal cages baking in the heat being sold to anyone with cash. Kids were poking their fingers in and slapping the cages of the scared animals. Chickens and birds looked healthy is the best I can say. Then I saw baby turtles- illegal by the way, because they can spread salmonella. Rodents, in their little plastic ovens. And of all animals that shouldn't be in heat: rabbits. Otherwise healthy looking rabbits were all laying down and shaking. They have thick fur for cool weather and cannot sweat and cannot throw up. The only way they can cool themselves is by breathing as fast as they can for ventilation and they are unable to drink. I didn't get close enough to see their water supply. Above 84 degrees is considered dangerous for rabbits. Instead of trying to come up with rules about what kind of weather, what kind of treatment, what kind of animals, and what kind of people can buy these animals that's all up for situational speculation, Montana Charlie's just needs to ban the sale of live animals altogether at their flea market. If Montana Charlie's bans the live animals, I will change my review to 5 stars for taking action. read more

Montana Charlie's is a "meets expections" kind of flea market. You can expect to find a predictable variety of items including knockoff handbags, jewelry, Mexican candy, produce, perfume and cologne, t-shirts, belts and belt buckles, tools, VHS and DVDs, to the less predictable: pregnancy tests, mattresses, and turtles. I brought home some Mexican candy (50 cents), a bottle of perfume ($20), a necklace ($10), a pair of earrings ($1), and 2 beer coozies ($1). I spent nearly 2 hours here and got my first sunburn of the summer. Even if you don't find anything here, you'll get a tan, sweat in the blistering sun, and do some people watching. While the perfume and cologne is most likely stolen (how else can they offer such a discount?) I've purchased Dior and DKNY perfumes for $20, while in department stores these cost $60-80. My suspicion for stolen goods comes from both the price they offer, and the loosely re-shrink wrapped packages. If you like a deal, you're not going to care. It's their ass on the line, not yours. The knockoff handbags are nothing special, and for $30 I could get something better quality at Kohl's. The ladies who run these spaces don't negotiate much either. Go for the people watching. A lot of the vendors, surprisingly, didn't carry change. Parking on Saturdays is $2, and $3 on Sunday. I don't know what the difference is, but since there were 3 of us in one car, $1 per head isn't bad. Hungry? There's tons of fresh produce and bagged Mexican snacks like duros and chicharrones. There's also a shack in the middle of the grounds selling popsicles (paletas) for $1.50 in a variety of flavors from chocolate and vanilla to coconut and "el lote." Avoid this place if you've got a stick up your ass and like complain when people don't speak fluent English. Most of the vendors are Hispanic, some speak fluently and others do not. Some vendors will barter with you, and others won't. My dad wanted a skillet frying pan, and the guy claimed, "the stuff isn't mine," when he tried to barter with him. Unless you're buying a big item, most of the stuff is so cheap you'll feel like a jerk bartering anyway. Oh, and don't buy the MAC cosmetics here. They sit out on the table in the blistering sun, and they aren't real MAC products. So you're paying top dollar for cheap cosmetics. There are a lot of vendors with $1 nail polish in funky colors, so I'd suggest that for your make-up fix instead. read more

Stolen bicyles........check! Knockoff purses....check! Fresh tacos............check! Amazing procude..check! I love the flea market. It makes for some sweet deals and even better people watching. Everything you could possibly need is just a stall away. Aside from maybe Cosco where else can you buy toothpaste, groceries, mattresses and then ride a camel? The best part is the fresh fruits and vegetables though. Green peppers 3 for a dollar and everything else a dollar a pound. It was all great quality too and super fresh. It is quite tempting to do all my grocery shopping here, for produce at least. read more

Honestly is a flea market you would find in the city. Selling lots of fruits second hand tools and little dollar things for kids. Lots of small vendors and second hand things. Which is what you would normally find in a flea market. The bad reviews are hating. If you have high class taste this place is not for you. Lol read more

I have lived in the area for several decades. I am writing this only to protect the people that want to take their children. This flew market has steadily gone down hill. I used to sell there over 20 years ago. It is sad but not a place for small children. All the advertising is not up to date. It is filthy, shabby, and dangerous if a child got lost. I can appreciate that there are people trying to make a little money. But owning and operating a flea market is a full time job. read more

We LOVED THIS PLACE!!! Tons of vendors, everyone was friendly and looking to barter. We were looking for specific items, so we did a quick run through the market first, and found that prices did vary from vendor to vendor. In the end, we got what we wanted for about $15 less than another vendor, woo hoo! Lame that they charge for parking, but oh well. We still thought the $3 on a Sunday was all right. Make sure you bring plenty oh cash and get there early, the parking can get out of control if you are a late riser. ALSO, check out the fruit stands, I got a great price on limes and cherries....mmmm...cherry limeade! read more

Ahhhh ok?? I haven't been to this flea market for about 10 years?? And for me who can buy something at a gas station it was weird that there was not one thing worth buying!? Booth after booth of highly ethnic things!! We went later (around noon) and waited nearly an hour to approach the door to get in! Not ONE thing was bought! I was looking for vintage toys- in good condition but there were none! read more

This Flea Market really went downhill. On a Sunday it is half empty of people selling and a quarter of the parking lot is taken. Used to be the place was packed and you had to drive around for a parking space. A great place to go though if you want anything counterfeit, knockoffs or are in the market for peanuts, straw hats and Mexican wrestling stuff. Just not right seeing people selling animals plus the camel ride is really bad. read more

It is affordable to get in $4 a car. It's a lot of the same stuff at most booths a lot of junk but you can find a few good things. My main issue was the quality of animals being sold. Big parrots in tiny cages with no food or water, baby rabbits, chickens and ducks crammed in cages with no food or water and puppies being sold read more

check out the taco truck in the back of the lot. Great food clean and cheap. Great Tortas. No pork chop sandwiches or polish sausages. that would make this place a great food experience. This place is also know as El Gallito or the Rooster. Spanish speakers don't know what you mean by Montana Charlie. Ask for direction to "El Gallito" read more

Best flea market i have ever been to...I used to go to a lot of different ones until i discovered this one.They have a ton of vendor's. This is where I go for all my fitted caps and they sell a lot of Hispanic snack food and just about anything you may need u can find there, I even got my Chicago bears jersey there. only compliant i have is that there parking keeps going up every year, over the course of 3 years there parking has nearly tripled from one dollar to three dollars. except for this.........I love it! read more

This was my first time here and I LOVE it! I was looking for Mexican cookware that was lead free. Beautiful art pieces people were very friendly. read more

This place is a total dump and mostly garbage collector stuff and cheap overpriced junk.Went wy downhill and a lot of spots are open because no one wants to try and sell stuff to a 99 percent Mexican crowd.Save the 4 dollars and go get a burger ! read more

Do not get caught in the wrong lane when trying to get in this place. You will not be able to get in the correct lane. Also, the people who won't let you in view what you are doing as trying to cut in line. You will get sworn at both in English and Spanish. After pleading my case to a dude in a Yukon loaded with kids, not a one in a seat belt, he did let me in after yelling at me that he shouldn't and I should be in the back of the line. Really??? I could have sworn I was entering the flea market version of Mecca or sonething. This was very serious business, this entering the parking lot of Montana Charlie's flea market. Once we were inside, I picked up a very nice knock off bag for $28 bucks, a deal. But after that I wasn't impressed with anything. Many Hispanic items from clothing to cookware. Some big vendors with fresh fruits and and vegetables, along with beans, dried chiles and snacks. Lots of the same old sunglasses, socks, tshirts and car stereo stuff. I waited for 30 minutes for two bland asada tacos. I am not coming back anytime soon. read more

I frequent this flea market on a regular basis. Most of the sellers there are selling flea market items at a flea market price. The good thing is if you go looking for something specific, you have a good chance of finding it cheap. There are some sellers there that I think make a living selling at the flea and they charge high prices for used items. I would say be wary of some of the sellers there but go in knowing that that is what you'll get. read more