Royal Oak Antiques Market: The People Behind a Sunday Tradition

Every Sunday, the Royal Oak Antiques Market transforms the Royal Oak Farmers Market into a completely different kind of community gathering.

The produce, flowers and farm goods associated with Saturday are replaced by records, vintage signs, jewelry, paintings, furniture, plants, coins, clothing, custom woodwork and countless items that are difficult to place into any single category.

Some shoppers arrive knowing exactly what they want. Others simply walk the aisles and wait for something to catch their attention.

That sense of discovery is part of what makes the Royal Oak Antiques and Collectibles Market special. You can come looking for a record or a lamp and leave with a handcrafted table, an old photograph or something you did not know existed until you saw it.

The items are interesting, but the people are what give the market its character.

The History Behind the Royal Oak Antiques Market

The Sunday market is held inside one of Royal Oak’s oldest community institutions.

The Royal Oak Farmers Market began as an open air municipal market in 1925. The permanent building opened in 1927, and the Sunday flea market was added in 1978. The broader Farmers Market celebrated its 100 year anniversary in 2025.

Over the past century, the building has hosted far more than shopping. It has been used for public meetings, square dances, Halloween parties, craft shows and community gatherings. At one point, it even stored fire trucks while a nearby station was being built.

One couple who met at the market was later married there in 1996.

That history helps explain why the building still feels like more than a place to buy something. It has always been a place where people gather.

A little bit of everything

The Sunday market brings together dozens of longtime and rotating vendors, so the experience changes from one week to the next.

On any given Sunday, visitors may find antique photographs, vintage clothing, watches, fossils, coins, sports memorabilia, books, furniture, toys, artwork, records, architectural pieces and handmade goods.

During my visits, I saw baseball cards, old signs, lamps, video games, jewelry, sculptures, plants, garden accessories, custom furniture and stacks of records waiting to be searched.

There were serious collectors moving carefully from booth to booth, families walking together, couples browsing, dogs following their owners and regular customers catching up with vendors they have known for years.

You do not need to be an antiques expert to enjoy it. The market can be a treasure hunt, a casual Sunday stop, a family outing or a fun date. You can spend ten dollars, spend much more or simply walk around and enjoy the experience.

The variety brings people through the doors, but the relationships are what keep many of them coming back.

Alvin: Creativity, humor and a little optimism

Alvin has been connected to the Royal Oak Farmers Market since 1983, when he began selling plants at the Saturday market. In 2001, he joined the Sunday antiques market.

Today, his booth reflects a mix of creativity and personality. He sells succulents, books, records, sculptures, handmade concrete stepping stones, planters and other unusual pieces.

His concrete face pots are especially memorable, as is the playful sign his children made for him. The sign explains that the face pots come with a bag, while their single father comes with baggage of his own, including a son and a daughter.

Alvin embraces the joke and brings a positive, easygoing energy to the market. He even suggested it may not be a bad place to meet someone.

What keeps him returning, however, is not complicated.

“My favorite part about being a vendor at the market is meeting people,” he said.

Crazy Bob: “Buy interesting things”

Bob estimates that he has been part of the market for approximately 38 years. He

remembers a time when hundreds of shoppers would wait outside for the opening

bell and then rush into the building looking for the best finds.

His advice for anyone interested in collecting or reselling is simple.

Bob has little interest in ordinary items that can be found everywhere.

“If you see the same thing at multiple garage sales, don’t buy it,” he said.

That instinct has led to some remarkable finds. He once purchased a painting for $5 and later sold it for $10,000. He now owns more than 1,000 paintings and still enjoys the uncertainty of discovering something unusual.

Although collecting habits have changed over the years, Bob’s favorite part of the market has remained the same.

“It’s like a family,” he said.

Leonard Christian: Solving a problem with craftsmanship

Leonard Christian of LChristian Crates is a Navy veteran, retired Chrysler engine designer and longtime music lover.

His woodworking business began with a practical problem. Leonard had a large vinyl collection and worked as a DJ, but the inexpensive record crates available at the time did not hold up. Rather than continue replacing them, he decided to build his own.

Other people noticed the quality of his crates and began asking for them. What began as a personal solution eventually became a business.

Leonard has now been selling at the Royal Oak market for nearly 10 years. He creates record crates, storage for 45s, CDs and DVDs, coffee tables, end tables and custom pieces.

His engineering background is visible in the durability and function of his work. He uses quality materials and leaves much of the wood unfinished so customers can appreciate the natural grain or choose their own stain and finish later.

Regular visitors know where to find him, usually in the same corner surrounded by handmade crates and custom wood pieces.

“This isn’t just a market,” Leonard said. “It’s a community and family.”

More than the things being sold

The three vendors I spoke with arrived at the market through completely different paths.

Alvin came from a farming background and now creates handmade concrete pieces. Bob built a life around finding objects that other people overlooked. Leonard turned a problem from his DJ business into a woodworking company.

Yet all three described the market in nearly the same way.

They talked about the people.

That is what stood out most during my visit. The objects create a reason to stop, but the conversations are what make the market memorable.

A shopper can ask where an item came from, how it was made or why the vendor decided to buy it. Vendors remember what their regular customers collect and may keep an eye out for those items at estate sales, garage sales and other markets.

That kind of personal connection is difficult to recreate online.

You may come to the Royal Oak Antiques Market looking for a lamp, a record crate, a plant, an old sign or nothing in particular. You may leave with a unique piece for your home, a strange object with a good story or the name of a vendor who will remember what you are looking for the next time you return.

Sometimes the best find is the item.

Sometimes it is the conversation that comes with it.

And according to Alvin, there is always a chance it could be your soul mate.

Plan your visit

The City of Royal Oak lists the Sunday event as its Flea Market, featuring antiques and collectibles year round from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. For anyone looking for something different to do in Royal Oak on a Sunday, it is an easy recommendation.

The Royal Oak Antiques and Collectibles Market is held year round on Sundays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. inside the Royal Oak Farmers Market at 316 E. 11 Mile Road. Check the City of Royal Oak calendar before visiting on a holiday weekend.

The 11 Mile Garage, located just west of the library, is a short walk from the market and is free on Sundays. Parking rules for the surface lots immediately surrounding the Civic Complex may differ, so the garage is generally the simplest option.

Whether you are a serious collector, a casual browser or simply looking for something different to do on a Sunday, it is worth stopping in.

There is a good chance you will find something interesting.

There is an even better chance you will meet someone interesting.

Continue Exploring Metro Detroit

Explore more about Royal Oak’s neighborhoods, lifestyle, and real estate in my local Royal Oak guide.

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Sources

City of Royal Oak, About the Royal Oak Farmers Market

City of Royal Oak, Farmers Market Hours and Information

City of Royal Oak, Antiques and Collectibles Vendor Information

Vendor interviews and original photography by Keith Fitzpatrick III.

Keith Fitzpatrick III is a Huntington Woods based Metro Detroit Realtor who writes about the people, places, housing, and community traditions that make Southeast Michigan special.