If you are looking for great bargains year around - this is the place to go. This is a flea market - not the Ritz. If you want to look for bargains and/or collect antiques, Uncle John's is well worth a visit. If you want the atmosphere (and prices) of a mall - then this isn't the place for you. Every weekend in the warmer months, the outside selling spaces are sold out. The inside barns are at full capacity or close to it year around. The place is packed weekend after weekend with shoppers so definitely get there early if possible. read more

It's July (so it's Hell Hot) We just got home from Uncle Johns Flea Market but will never go back. Not because of the vendors or the merchandise' but because parked in the beating sun, was an old rusted red truck with TWO very large dogs panting inside. I could see they were desperately hot and drooling. We asked several people where to get help. Everyone seemed to be aware of the problem and gave directions to the owners of the property, who were driving around in a golf cart. When I found them, they said they notified the dogs owners but that was it. I called the police and prayed they'd come and remove the dogs. The owners got very snippy and threatening when I told them more needed to be done to either remove the dogs or remove the owner from their market, because they were accessories to the crime if they didn't do more to get the dogs removed, or worse, if they died. It's disgusting how greed outweighs the protection of innocent voiceless animals. Dogs hate hot weather just as many of us do, and their wearing fur, they Don't need to be stuffed in an un air conditioned, vinyl seated car, parked with the full sun beating through the windshield or any car in this July heat. I can't support anyone who puts money/profits over lives. read more

It's a cooler day so everyone is keeping warm. Toasty heaters and a lot of heat. A love it here. Brings back childhood memories. I come here A lot. See you there. read more

Depending on what you expect from a flea market this either is the perfect place or a waste of time. If you're looking for old vintage things, it's worthwhile. There are often many vendors who have very vintage items. They do know their value, though, so it will be close to prices. If you're looking for clothes, THIS IS NOT THE PLACE. Overall, I think it's fun to kind of search for things you could use... That being said, the buildings hold nothing but garbage- don't even bother with them. They had Mexican corn when I went, and that alone is a win. read more

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Well, first off I am pretty sure I contracted asthma, tuberculosis, mesothelioma, asbestosis, and COPD simply after being here for an hour. This place is a horror show of the highest order and sadly as you walk around it just kept getting worse, not better. There are a smattering of barns on this property and apparently the deal is you can either rent out a space inside or just throw your shit on the ground outside to sell. This is definitely the preferred option as the barns are so bad they need to be condemned and torn down. There is little ventilation, are filthy inside and out and the interiors are a mycologist's dream. In one barn the smell of decay and rot was so bad I barely made it through to the other side. In another, someone had decided to put carpeting down on the concrete floor at one point. Except that side either had a leak or had flooded, because I stepped into a hideous soup of what-once-was-carpet/mud/water/mold/etc/etc/etc in FLIP FLOPS that was so disturbing I am still having violent flashbacks about it. The dust is so thick you can taste it, and god knows what is living in some of the far corners. The wares ranged from glassware, to mouldy books, mouldy records, pictures (with mold on them), sports memorabilia, some furniture, items in their original packaging sold as "new" (except the packaging on some things was so old the plastic was disintegrating in my hand)...and yep! FOOD. (*gags*) Pricing is absolutely ridiculous. Yes, a leather and chrome chair from the 1970's is normally a great steal at $20, but not when the leather is speckled with grey fungus and the possibility of the smell of dry rot NEVER coming out is at about 99%. I wouldnt even TAKE half the stuff if they were offering it to me for free. Normally, with places like this I say to people come and see it simply for entertainment value. Except with this place I say stay away unless you have one of those haz-mat suits or wish to contract some kind of incurable disease. Seriously. read more

went to uncle john's this morning. ive been a few times in the past and its quite a show. the outside vendors are there early and start packing up to go around 1 in the afternoon. you can find a lot of things you didnt even know you needed here. i liken it to going to 30 or 40 garage sales at once. lots of junk, but one mans junk IS another mans treasure. today i struck out on looking for what i wanted, but in the past ive come away with what i wanted and more. venture into one of the many buildings and your instantly treated to an aroma that reminds you of a basement. the buildings stink. but...if your looking for some bootleg dvds, vintage star wars figures, furniture or a washer & dryer, then your gonna need to step inside. an additional feature at uncle johns flea market is that food is available. I have not sampled the any of the delicacies offered, but possibly will in the future (no way in hell). all in all, taking a trip to uncle johns is interesting. even if you go for no other reason but to people watch. it doesnt cost anything to look, and you never know what youll find. read more

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I want to start off by saying yes. If you're a stuck up princess then I suppose Uncle Johns flea market is not for you. This is a place for people looking for a great deal, working class, blue collar people who aren't too fond of the idea of spending $30+ for a pair of jeans that they plan on wearing to work, or $20+ for a toy for their children who will more then likely break them within the week anyway. This is a place for the hard working individual to get ridiculously cheap food to feed their families, who want to watch a new movie with their children but can't afford to spend well over $50 taking them all to a theater. While it may be true that some barns could use some work, MOST of the barns are in great shape for their age, containing a misc. variety of items most people would appreciate and love, and in these barns the vendors take excellent care of their merchandise to appeal to the customer. The vendors are friendly, willing to negotiate price and are always bringing in a new array of goods to share with the world. They're just trying to make a living, and people like princess down there might not understand it, but there's a bigger majority of Americans who do. Get your head out of your ass, princess. Seriously. As far as the "hillbilly" jokes. Really? These people didn't ask for you to come in and make fun of the way they chose to live or make money. I'm offended by your ignorance. For those of you who are too stuck up to appreciate a good deal then stay away and leave the savings for those who need it. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm personally a fan of walking into a place, filling a huge bag full of new (yes new, and with the plastic firmly in place and sparkling, thanks) and like new items for a fraction of the cost of what one of the items originally retails for. I think it's great. The barns are making a lot of positive changes and I hope people give it a chance for themselves, especially the hard working, middle class people who appreciate saving a buck, and go see for yourselves. I know I'll go back. read more

Uncle John's Flea Market - Scanned flyer from Uncle Johns. Top of the hill barn really is turning out great. check it out for yourselves!! - Flea Markets Near Me - Cedar Lake, Indiana

Me and my father take a trip out to this flea market every sunday from April to sometimes early november if its not terribly cold (or dead in terms of how many sellers are left) Little bit more backstory before i get started with the review. I am a huge collector of video games, anime, and occasionally i'll buy some things that catch my eye like Diecast ww2 planes. Now my father collects alot of beer related stuff like tappers, signs and just alot of random stuff that also like me catches his eye (old cameras from before the 50s as well.) There are 3 parts to the Uncle Johns Flea market. 1. Outside sellers. 2. Barn sellers. 3. People selling from little shops. So lets start from the beginning. 1. Outside sellers. This is typically where the most interesting stuff is sold. I say that because all of the people in the barns and shops dont ever really change so if you've been in the barns before there's a good chance if you come back a month later nothings really changed... Outside is ALWAYS packed with people up your ass and getting in your way. Seriously you can be walking in the middle of the pathways and there will be a family of jackasses speaking a foreign language and just standing where people are trying to walk by. Then when you walk by to get past them instead of you know doing what polite people do and getting out of the damn way. They either dont move at all or worse decide its cool to walk directly in front of your way forcing you to move instead of them. The sellers on the outside i'd say 70% of them you'll see every time you come here. The other 30% are just average people using the flea markets as a yard/garage sale. We come for that 30% because they tend to have more interesting stuff for sale and typically they arent overpriced either. They're also usually really friendly. Majority of the 70% of the typical seller you see every week have expensive stuff which you can easily get much cheaper online (amazon or ebay) For instance... There is a Dealer there who for the most part sells video games (actually there is 3 of them who do this here and 1 that does this at the I80 flea market). What these people do is have their wife, husband, child whoever run the shop while they go around and pick up games from other sellers for dirt cheap and jack up the price to either retail or what they feel the game is worth (tend to be even more than retail). Some of the things i saw this particular person selling at one point was $35 Goldeneye 007 n64 $20 sonic 2 sega genesis $70 original xbox with 3 sports games. None of are even close to what they cost retail and even if they were spot on with the retail price, you dont go to flea markets to spend retail... Now let me just say this isnt exclusive to games or anything. Tons of people do this with stuff like DVDs, beer collectibles, or anything they feel they can make money off of by throwing it on there table with a much higher price. We tend to avoid these people not only because their prices are outrageous but for whatever reason they are very arrogant. The rest of the sellers are pretty nice for the most part, they are more willing to deal and bundle than the people inside. 2. Barn sellers. There are about 4 or 5 barns at this flea market that are fairly big on the inside but 2 of these barns either never have anyone inside selling or its just impossible to walk in due to the amount of crap laying around... basically one of the barns is a hoarders paradise. Oh and I'll add these places smell like wet rotting paper... not terrible but its not a nice smell. The stuff they sell on the inside is for whatever reason always more pricey than the outside sellers. Even if its the same exact item they're selling like a beer glass or collectible Disney figurines. Not only that but anytime we've tried to buy something for even a tiny bit less than their asking price we're always replied with a no. There really wasn't much interesting things in the barns outside of numerous people selling pirated DVDs... which I cant believe the owners are ok with since you know its illegal and all. Outside of that their isnt much else to say about the barns. 3. People selling from shops. The little shops are I wouldn't even say 500 square feet places where one person sells their stuff from. The stuff sold you'll most likely see again from either the outside or barn sellers so nothing these guys are selling you cant find elsewhere in the same market. We don't really go to these places often because much like the barns nothing really changes on the inside. So if you been there once you wont have any reason to go back there again unless you saw something you wanted but didn't have enough money. I'm giving this place a 2 out of 5. Its not a terrible flea market. There's loads of stuff to look at but we've been to other flea markets that gave us a much more enjoyable experience both with the sellers and the stuff they were selling. read more

This place literally had hidden gold! In one of the barns you can walk thru there was a lamp trimmed in real 14 k gold. My girlfriend and I couldn't believe it. The owner knew what she had but still was offering a good deal, we just couldn't afford it after all the other deals we already took advantage of read more

It's obvious from the other two reviews that Andy and Carolynne or not from the Cedar Lake area. If I had my guess they are a couple of arrogant, pretentious Illinois/Chicago individuals who look down upon the humble Cedartukians. Yes, I affectionately referred to Cedar Lake as Cedartucky!! You see I can do that, I grew up there!! We are also negatively referred to as Lake Rats do to the rather "dirty" lake water. Which I take GREAT pride in being a Lake Rat. Ironically they bitch about the lowly Cedar Lake but have no problem arriving every Friday evening to use OUR lake, getting drunk, starting fights and destroying MY lake with they're garbage dumping and general rudeness, before trying to trailer they're boats drink out of they're minds on Sunday evening. Uncle Johns may not be the newest most beautiful flea market, but it's a flea market for christ's sake. At least the vendors are real people who majority are from Illinois that know the value of hometown America!! read more

It's a flea market, there's everything you can think of. Some near finds some total junk. I go during the nice weather and only stay outside, I do not go inside the buildings. They are gross. I feel like i shouldn't breathe in them without a military issued gas mask. However, there are more than enough outdoor vendors to make it worth driving out to to waste a few hours on a Sunday afternoon. We have also rented outside spaces a few times to sell our leftover garage sale stuff and made out like bandits, so that's awesome :) read more

Great place. Uncle John's it what the true meaning of what a flea market is. Not over priced new thing's

I knew I should have turned the car around. As we entered, I saw a strange looking kid sitting on a rock playing the Banjo. Secondly, I swear I saw Ned Beatty running round in his underwear. Talk about a Deliverance flashback. Uncle John's Flea Market is about as Rural as you can get. The Flea Market is a series of poorly laid out barns that smell like they haven't been cleaned since Kennedy was President. They have that musty basement smell that my Aunt Ethel had in her basement. For those who aren't familiar with the story, my Aunt Ethel was a hoarder who's house was condemned back in the 70's. Everything was being Peddled but the Kitchen sink. There was a guy selling old jars, some of the most hideous art you have ever seen, ugly rugs and overpriced furniture. I actually did end up finding a bargain. I purchased an old Mickey Mantle Heartland statue for $7.00. Not only did the lady who ran the shop not know that Heartland statues from the 60's are valuable, she didn't know who Mickey Mantle was. She made a comment about how happy she was that someone finally bought the Baseball guy statue. I wanted to tell her that there were Housewife's in the Ukraine who knew that Mantle wore #7 for the Yankees. But I didn't have the heart to do it. After two hours of breathing toxic mold, I wanted nothing more than to get out of Cedar Lake as fast as I could. The bottom line on Uncle John's Flea Market is short and sweet. The whole thing is a mess. The best way to see this Bargain basement extravaganza is through your rear view mirror. read more

Definatly a fleas, flea.market. rows of stuff I have at home to get rid of. The buildings were musty as others have mentioned. Don't plan to eat while your there. read more

wow! you guy are hard on this place.Im not from around there but i did visit.Its not that bad. I GUESS TO CITY FOLK THAT DON'T GET OUT MUCH AND EXPECT EVERYTHING TO BE NICE AND CLEAN AND WANT IT CHEAP TOO SHOULD NOT EVEN COMMENT. read more

I remember going to Uncle John's Flea Market as a kid. They have everything that anyone could want. The "Top of the Hill Barn" now is one of the best barns at Uncle John's. There is no odor and is filled with new vendors with nice merchandise and collectibles. If you haven't gone lately, the "Top of the Hill Barn" is well worth the trip. read more

I am not a hoarder. I have a hobby with one type of item. I thought I would give this a try. I know it was still cold out today. I arrived at the crack of dawn no employee to tell you what to do or go. They catch up with you later. I was in outside spot cost $15. I was hit by regular sellers right off the get go one smelled like he was still drunk from last night and offered me $300 everything I said worth more turns out he wanted my brand new trailer all my stuff $300 I said no he harrased me all morning. Other regulars also came wanted my stuff said I was to hight. I have been doing what I do for years and sell same item same price. I understand it is a fle market haggling part of it they not even wanting give me my cost and the first guy came back with few to harass me again. I sold some by noon it was dead I packed up went home had few calls ad I placed made what I wanted did not have pay to sell it. I did walk around some and as other revies state the barns stik. There where few bargans outside. I will never go there again to sell be harassed there was nobody keeping them in check. I wander how many others they run out how much they cost the flea market in sellers fees. What ticked me off most these guys had crap they most likely took from my trash but said my stuff crap cheap expensive. They either do not know what they are doing or afraid somebody has a good thing going. I would barganed with them if asked. There you have it if you go be careful and get your shots. One guy said he get used barrels Greek marked $15 I said then go Grece leave me be. read more

Uncle John's Flea Market - MY DAY SELLING AT UNCLE JOHNS FLEA MARKET - Flea Markets Near Me - Cedar Lake, Indiana

Listen, it's a flea market. In the way of flea markets, it rocks. If you're expecting pristine shopping conditions, it's called Rodeo Drive. Saks Fifth Avenue doesn't set up shop here. I bought three pieces of beautiful antique furniture for under $40. WIN! read more

After reading the two previous reviews, people have to wonder if they thought they were going to the Ritz.. Its a rural flea market. On Sundays the outisde vendors have almost everything you can want. Sure at times there is junk, but its a flea market. Tools, gloves, dry goods, gum , laundry soap, you name its usually for sale... There is even an Elvis look -a-like on the grounds selling antique jewerly and collectibles. What more can you ask for.. There is enough to see outside without going into the barns if the smell bothers you. Who wears flip flops at a gravel road flea market? read more

I've gone to this shit hole for the last time. The barns on the property stink so bad inside of rot and mold you need a tetna shot before you walk through. But I have a bigger gripe with this loud mouth slob seller in barn 9 I believe. He has booths about in the middle with lots of old beer signs and lights. This guy got smart with me years ago when he tried to jack up and agreed to price on a sign and I would not take it. Anyway this morning I was walking through the same barn and he had an old Coke machine I was looking at. He comes over and starts giving me the sales pitch. I then asked him how much? He said $1800.00. I just snickered quietly and started walking away. It must have pizzed his fat azz off. He has a big mouth. He says " I don't need your snide remarks". I stopped and and said " did I say something to you". He starts yelling like some little bitch in school. " Well you act like I don't know the price of stuff". What a dick head. I told him he should mind his own business, and I can say what I want. I just kept walking for the back door, and he still had his mouth yapping to other vendors. I bet this azzhole never sells anything with such a great customer attitude. Uncle Johns needs to be condemned. I'd like to see the health department go into some of those barns that stink to high heaven of mold, mildew, and rot. read more

I am from Tampa been here for a year. I look up reviews. I read what andy said. Well I went anyway when i got up here. At first was cold and few out side, the warmer it got the bigger the market got. Lots of deals, needed to fill apt. while living here. I did all that took awhile being picky. But I will not agree with andy it is a nice market, inside it had a little odor, but guess what A H, that's because antiques, keep warm because of humidly for the older pieces. Try it you will like it. It is safe, lots of people, and no A H like andy, oh I will not capital his name because he is small. I have waited for the weather to break so I could find new bargains. Warm again 2012 read more

I had a good experience here I came early got good deals on stuff good parking nice people and quality stuff for sale I wish they had it everyday and not just on weekends read more

Well let me just say that I for one love spending a day on the weekend roaming throught the flea market. Yes there are points in some barns that have that old smell , and yes some of the vendors there have their stuff so piled high and deep that you couldn't get to it if you tried. But you are coming out to rural indiana where it is nothing but farmland. And I think that it is cool to go there and get some great deals on some stuff, yes it takes time to look around and really find some cool stuff,especially in the outside vendors spots, you know the ones who just throw their shit on the ground, but for us country folks thats just another way for us to pinch our pennies since we can live within our means and be happy unlike the snotty city people. Sorry you think your too good for our family oriented flea markets but I know I would rather be living in this area than a drug and violence infested city where you have to lock all your doors and windows at night. Such jerks read more

I like this flea market. You can find real treasures here if you take your time to sift through some real junk. This market comes in two stages. Indoor and outdoor. The indoor market is open year-round on weekends. It is held in a series of 'barns' (five) which are long narrow free-standing buildings. For those that don't know and choose to complain about the condition and smell; this property was once a chicken farm. The 'barns' are not barns and never were. They are old chicken-raising buildings; hence their smell and general draftyness. They were never meant to house people or retail stores so, yes, there are some convenience issues; but for those of us left in this country with some common sense and understanding, this adds to the character and charm of the flea market experience. So, if you think this place is going to 'kill' you because it smells, then don't come. If you're offended by uneven parking lots or getting farm mud on your car tires or worse yet, on your shoes, after a rain, then stay in your BMW and just drive-on-through; because you're probably not wanted here anyway. OUTDOOR: when the weather is warm, the outdoor market is in full-swing. Sunday is the best day. Starting at 5 or 6 am vendors start setting up. There can be close to 70 or 100 vendors during the summer with tons of treasures and one-of-a-kind items! There is never an entry fee or parking fee for shoppers. Lastly, don't be critical of this market, vendors or people that shop here. There are many retirees, disabled and hobbyists here trying to make ends meet. Most are hard-working honest people. Same goes for the shoppers. If you look in judgement at these people while you shop here, then shame-on-you. If you walk away from a booth and think that you're glad that you're not them, then the laugh is on you. Most vendors watch you and your significant other walk away and are glad that they are NOT YOU. read more

wow yes the buildings are very old but with in the past few years there cleaning up some. but on warm weather its loaded with outside sellers . but no matter what go inside the buildings there is from used to new vintage to current you name it they have it great deals . once people come around they always come back .... read more

Truly the last of the great flea markets!! Do you want to bargain? Do you want to find something from your childhood that you thought you only could get on ebay just to find out that its not really what you thought? You just may find it at Uncle John' s Flea Market. This place has tons of stuff to sort through, so be sure take your time! I live in Chicago and can tell you this was a great experience! I saw some bad reviews on Yelp that sounded like they came from some snooty, bratty, little city kids that made me hope they never go to Uncle Johns Flea Market again!! Jeez whiny, whiny, go to Bloomingdales if you want vintage stuff you dont have to put your heart and soul into to make look good again. Consume that! Its a nice drive from Chicago and a break from the city. This is a true country market. You can escape the heat in the buildings that house some of the wildest characters. Truly a gem in this day and age. A must see, be prepared to spend a few hours, because once you get there you find yourself wandering for a long while and meeting some really nice people as well. Have fun!! read more