Everyone knows Orlando is home to Disney World, but not many know that just 30 minutes north is Mount Dora, a tourist town famous for hosting one of the largest antique flea markets in the country each January, February and November. Even though we weren’t there on the Extravaganza dates, the year-round flea market had a lot to offer.

One point of interest is the privately-owned Modernism Museum, known for its Memphis furniture collection. Most of it belonged to David Bowie, who both collected it and used it. Yes, the musician himself sat on the chairs and walked on the rugs. The museum is a treat – small, but with everything invitingly displayed. It is the only place you will see this quantity of Memphis displayed.

The museum owner also opened a restaurant across the street, furnishing it in antiques and offering food prepared by James Beard-winning chef Norman Van Aken.

Nearby is the Renningers flea market. Two large buildings and a number of open-air shopping areas house produce stands, clothing shops, oddity vendors, high-quality antiques and collectibles. We found the usual flea market items, including lots of dollar tables, costume jewelry, DVDs, frames, dishes and cookware.

The indoor market features higher-end items. As you can imagine, you can find almost anything. We picked up a Michael Graves Big Dipper coffeepot and filter for $150, with some minor staining inside, that we thought would look good in our dining room. Once we got it home, it easily cleaned up with just dish soap and water.

 

Digging Deeper

The Memphis Group (1981-1988) was an international design collaborative known for combining unusual materials and shapes. It was founded by architect and designer Ettore Sottsass. This group of architects and industrial designers drew inspiration from the Pop Art and the Futurist Movement to create cutting edge furniture, lamps and glass that has become very collectible in recent years.