Mongers Market — Attraction in Bridgeport

As someone who loves estate sales and thrift shops, Mongers Market was like that but on steroids - AMAZING!! The range of items here is immense, and to properly see all the vendors takes a few hours. The place just seems to keep going, and you really have to see each vendor booth thoroughly to make sure you’re not missing any treasures.

The prices tend to be fair considering what you’re getting, and certainly the majority of these items would be extremely difficult to find anywhere else.

How good Mongers Market is, is really down to the vendors themselves. The one purchase of our first trip was a bit of a disappointment. My wife found a great “leather” jacket, but she was not sure if it was real. The vendor assured her it was (the tag on the inside of the jacket with the list of materials it was made from being cut off should have been a red flag), and she wouldn’t budge on price. My wife really liked it and since she was assured it was real leather, she knew it’d last a long time. When we got home she finally found that same jacket online, and that brand only makes jackets with faux leather. So either the vendor cut off the tag saying it was made of something other than leather and willfully misinformed my wife, or the tag was already removed when she got it and she genuinely doesn’t know the difference between faux and real leather… either way, not great.

That said, we’ll still return to Mongers Market, but will be more...

Chock full of industrial containers and bins, many of each size (premeasure before you come, and bring a tape measure with you). Many carts/tables of unusual sizes. Also aplenty are schoolhouse chairs, folding chairs, stacking chairs, unsized stools (think factory floor). Doors for days! Small and large, arched, windowed, and carved. A decent amount of ironwork panels and windows/frames. Limited on lighting although many similar pieces of large globes/light covers, and street lamp style lighting. Toward the back you'll find ladders-wood, metal, extension and A frame, scrap lumber and moldings, and carved pieces. Limited commercial signage. Lots of unpriced items and limited help on the sales floor. Independent vendors sell in booth space at the far end, but nothing that you wouldn't find at a decent weekly flea market-mostly items from the 70s-just old enough to be nostalgic, but not so interesting that you want any of it in your house. With only 6 open hours a week, it gets crowded and parking fills quickly. It will take a bit of time to get your bearings and make sure you see everything. Bring work gloves-most all items are dirty/aged, and have some kind of blanket or wrapping for putting purchased items in your car. There are no shopping carts or dollies, although there were a number of mismatched hand trucks, but at this place, I don't know if they were for shopping or purchasing (truly). The main desk takes...

Mongers Market is a fun thrifting experience. You never know what you'll find, so it's a fun place to wander around and just see what strikes your fancy. If you're specifically looking for home or industrial furnishings, vintage clothes, tools, vinyl records, and rugs...this is the spot! Cash is welcome and you can haggle a bit with the different sellers if you want something but the price is more than you want to pay (be reasonable!) and many also take Venmo.

There's a bit of everything here and it's a lot to take in. Don't rush. Look low and look high. Everything is stacked and piled on and spilling over, and you just never know what you'll find around any corner. It's a fun place to spend a few hours.

I didn't need furniture, but if you're looking to furnish your home or replace something with a high quality one of a kind piece, check here first. I loved so many of the finely crafted wooden dressers and cabinets I saw and in styles from different eras from Victorian to modern.

They're only open on Sundays, but it's well worth planning a Sunday trip to explore all of the nooks and hidden gems as you stroll the giant...