San Jose Capitol Flea Market — Attraction in San Jose

Lionel is the manager. Big white guy (short brown hair, white shirt and khaki shorts), with a white earphone in his ear. He acts tough, but he is unprofessional, rude, and heartless. He yelled at a girl and her family. He is unfit for such a job. WARNING!! DON’T GO HERE OR SELL HERE!!! They are SUPER DISORGANIZED. NO SIGNS ANYWHERE TELLING WHERE TO LINE UP. There are like 5 different lines and no signs. We arrived at 4am and no one is there to help. We chose a line to our best ability and after 3 hours of waiting in line in the dark, it’s our turn and he tells us to leave, because we were in the wrong line (again no signs anywhere). The manager Lionel needs to be replaced. He tells people to get out of line and go back to the end which wraps around the streets! Anyone with a heart would try to help make it work out for someone who waited, but didn’t know since it was there first time. Not Lionel, no, he just yelled at a family trying to make some money to support their family. This is a reminder that times have changed and people are growing colder and customer service is a thing of the past. It’s like we don’t live in The United States anymore. When I think about it I am glad I didn’t give them my $40. I rather keep that than give to such a dump. I won’t ever return to this place again. I use to go there as a child for the drive in, but it is super ghetto now. It is sad that good things end....

Update 01-18-2023 I gave the S.J. Capitol FLEA Market one more star for continuing improvements management has implimented. Those familiar with the FLEA market will notice visually the changes made. Sellers who neglect to keep their spaces/stalls clean were put on notice. Any unkempt areas are now clean, swept and nice looking. This invites customers into stalls to pursue merchandise, and hopefully make a purchase. Auto traffic has been properly routed, which helps new customers find easy parking. All along, I applaud management for the good job they are doing. It's evident they are the perfect people who know how to get things done. Come visit, the merchandise is plenty and the prices will make you happy.

UPDATE: AUG 28TH 2023 Midsummer is near over and I've been a regular at the Capitol Flea Mkt. I usually visit on Weds, Thurs, and Sat. These seem to be good days for collectors and bargain hunters. Dealers also know this so there are usually more sellers there than most other days. I collect several things, from coins to vinyl records and antiques. Most of the time I bring home something fun, interesting or valuable. Plus I shop for my vegetables those days. They are half the price of any local grocery store. Make a day of it and plan a few hours at the Capital Flea Market. I promise you will...

It's been FOREVER since I've been to this flea market. I just remembered that you have to pay to enter, but I remember the selection inside being pretty good.

There are different rates depending on the day and time you enter. They're open Wed - Sunday and it generally cost more if you want to be there when it opens because I guess it's when you can find all the good stuff.

It's pretty spread out, so I found it a little hard to keep track of which vendors I passed by already, but that was fine. There's a vast selection from groceries (fruits & veggies), candy, new/old clothes, new/old electronics, toys, tools, and basically what you would expect to find at a flea market.

Came on a Saturday around 1:40 pm and the admission was $1.50 /person. Towards 2:30 PM a lot of the vendors started packing up because they close at 4:30 PM, which I assume is so that they can clean up their whole area so that it can be converted into the drive-in theatre later. Based on the chart that they had at the ticket counter, it's cheaper the earlier on in the week you go, which makes sense.

If you want to exit and re-enter (like if you want to put something in your car), you have to exit through the front entrance and get a stamp...