The Sandwich Bazaar Flea Market

When you buy a home in Sandwich, you'll quickly begin experiencing life like a local, which means immersing yourself in the history and character of Cape Cod's oldest town.

There are some quirks to living in Sandwich, Massachusetts, as well, including the Sandwich Flea Market, also known as the Sandwich Bazaar.

The market is like a scene out of a movie, as there doesn't appear to be any rhyme nor reason to its structure. Vendors sell items out of their cars or set up a few tables to display their goods, while people wander through Oakcrest Cove Field to see what kinds of deals they can find.

A typical scene at the Sandwich Bazaar is a customer who buys an item of interest from a vendor before turning around and selling it to someone else minutes later. It's a free-for-all, but that's why shoppers come from the Cape and beyond to see what's available for purchase on any given day.

The summer market runs from on Wednesdays between 6:00 AM and noon from the middle of June until late October, and on Sundays between the middle of June and late September from 7:00 AM till noon.

A visit to the Sandwich Bazaar Flea Market is a necessity to experience summer like a local.

How to Get There

The Sandwich Bazaar's home base is Oakcrest Cove Field, an open space surrounded by trees on the north end of Peters Pond in the town's Forestdale neighborhood. The park is relatively easy to find, although you could miss the driveway if you aren't paying attention.

When coming from the Mid-Cape Highway, you'll take Exit 2 and head south on Route 130, following the signs to Mashpee. Route 130 becomes Forestdale Road, which you can follow all the way to Quaker Meeting House Road. Take a left on Quaker Meeting House Road, and the park will soon appear on your right. 

If you're arriving from Mashpee or taking Route 28 from elsewhere on the Cape, you can turn onto Route 130 near the Cahoon Museum of American Art in Cotuit and follow the road to Quaker Meeting House Road. The other option, which is a little quicker, is to exit Route 130 at Cotuit Road and take it to Quaker Meeting House Road. In this case, you'll turn left onto Quaker Meeting House Road, and the park will be on your left, as well.

There's a strip mall with a grocery store, pharmacy, and hardware store nearby, which you'll see as you approach on Cotuit Road. You'll also find the Sandwich Police Department and some Pop Warner football fields in the area.

As for parking, Oakcrest Cove Field has ample space, so you'll just park in one of the designated areas. The lot is free to use while attending the market.

What You'll Find at the Flea Market

There's a little bit of everything available at the Sandwich Flea Market, as vendors come from all over New England to sell their goods. On any given day, you might come across antiques from a shop in Boston, jewelry from Providence, or furniture from Maine. Cape Cod shopowners also sell items at the market.

Photo of sandiwch flea market courtesy of https://www.capenews.net/sandwich/news/sandwich-flea-market-a-world-of-its-own/article_65d01fc8-9fc2-557f-a58a-a34dc6c0f56c.html 

If you're heading to the market early in the morning, food trucks offer a quick breakfast and coffee while you wander. There's also a selection of local artisan crafts, making for memorable, one-of-a-kind gifts for the special people in your life.

Since vendors don't commit for a full season, the Bazaar is different every week, and you never know what you'll find. In fact, vendors don't even require a reservation, so sellers will sometimes randomly show up and sell whatever is in their vehicles.

There's a setup fee of $30 on Wednesdays and $25 on Sundays. If you have some items that you want to unload, head to the park on one of those days, and you may find a buyer.

The Mattapoisett Markets

In addition to the summer market in Sandwich, the same organization holds summer and winter markets off-Cape in Mattapoisett. 

The summer market takes place every Tuesday between 8:00 AM and 1:00 PM and operates from early June until the beginning of September. 

There's also a winter flea market in Mattapoisett. This market runs between 8:00 AM and noon on select Saturdays between the middle of November and early April. Generally, there will be one market per month in November, March, and April, and two in December, January, and February.

The Knights of Columbus Hall on Fairhaven Road, across from the Reservation Golf Club, hosts the summer and winter markets in Mattapoisett.

If you miss the Saturday flea market in Sandwich or want to check out some great Christmas gift ideas in the winter, Mattapoisett is the place to visit.

Don't Miss the Sandwich Flea Market

You'll want to visit the flea market as many times as possible during the summer because it's different every week. You never know if a vendor will have something you're looking for, and there's really no way of figuring it out besides heading to the market.

When the weather's nice, make the trip to the Sandwich Bazaar and see what you can find.