You get more than 800 chances to find what you're looking for...or to experience that serendipitous moment when you find what you didn't KNOW you were looking for...at the Long Beach Antique & Collectible Flea Market Sunday, Sept. 16. That's in Long Beach, California.

How much space do 800 sellers take? More than 20 acres. Be sure and take your walking shoes. Drive the 405 Freeway to Lakewood Blvd. North, turn right on Lakewood Blvd to Conant St, turn right again, and you're there!

Admission is $5, but you can show your Cochran's Collector's Guide (Pg 15) and they'll knock off fifty cents.

This outstanding show (called "Best in the US" by Good Housekeeping Magazine, is held the third Sunday of every month, plus a couple of special sales on April 29 and Sept. 30 (so you get two chances this month to score that special find!)

Get a taste of what you're in for at their website, www.LongBeachAntiqueMarket.com. Which is the source of these photos.

Antiques in the Streets of Albany, OR

We love festive antique street fairs, and today's 15th Annual Antiques in the Streets fair in downtown Albany, OR, looks like an awesome one. A traditional pancake breakfast, live music by the Main Street Band, all those fascinating finds...what's not to love? Get more details at their web page.

Simultaneous Sales at Solvang Stores

Fascinating animated singing bird in a gilded cage, French, 1875, at Solvang Antiques

Dwight and Arlene Steffensen are excited to announce that Solvang Antiques is showcasing its finest in a new location at 1693 Copenhagen Drive in Solvang, CA.  The new location will allow Solvang Antiques to showcase its entire inventory at street level making shopping easier for its customers.

It's a busy time for the Solvang Antiques staff. They're in their final weeks of the Moving Sale at the old location, 486 First Street. Everything is on sale. If these items don't sell, they will be going back to the consignors. This motivation has created the lowest prices in the store's history, some items more than 90% off! 

Meanwhile, the Grand Opening Sale ends soon at the new location, 1693 Copenhagen Dr. Save 10-50% for a limited time on a wonderful variety of items at the new store. Visit their website at solvangantiques.com for a sample of their exquisite collections.

French Provincial biblioteque complete with cozy reading nook, c. 1900

FREE Parking, FREE Entry, LIVE Music and an unusual mix of one-of-a-kind artifacts from flea market bargains to unique creations and rare investment pieces –

* 70 plus Booths, juried Artisans, Vintage Collectors & Antiques Merchants

* Antiques Appraisal Clinic fundraiser at the Museum of the SRV from 11-2pm 

* Live music - a French organ grinder/singer and Stony Ridge Bluegrass Band

Vendor booths feature Antique & Vintage Silver, native American artifacts, fine wood period Furniture as well as Shabby Chic finishes, Rugs, handmade and antique Purses, original Paintings, Linens, Lamps, Depression glass, seasonal Halloween & Christmas folk-art, Vintage-inspired Altered-art, loose and assembled Beads & Buttons, Ephemera, hand-painted modern and old-fashioned porcelains, vintage Mirrors, Garden accents, re-purposed wood/scrap art, felted hats, old iron and tools, bird houses, beads, Bakelite, frames, plus a full range of fine, costume and period Jewelry in every price range

Where: Meander along Railroad Ave in historic downtown Danville, from in front of the Museum of the San Ramon Valley and Cottage Jewel on Prospect Avenue to the parking lots in front of Handworks and Pascal on Railroad Ave

Museum Fundraiser – Antiques Appraisal Clinic! 11-2pm inside Museum

$10/item donation for an informal verbal estimation of value/identification

Enjoy our local version of the Antiques Road show with stories from Anita Venezia of Danville, Joseph Silva of Lafayette, Marcia Harmon of Danville’s Cottage Jewel, Lynne Peterson of Walnut Creek and other specialists

Next EVENT – Saturday, Sept 15 – Tinsel & Treasures Folkart Sale

sponsored by the Discover Danville Association (www.DiscoverDanvilleCA.com), the Town of Danville and Cottage Jewel Antiques

For more information contact Marcia at Cottage Jewel (925) 837-2664

News Flash:

Serendipity Antiques is having a Labor Day Weekend sale August 31-September 3 with special deals on selected shop and garden items. They're at 41950 Main St. in Old Town, Temecula, CA. Check out their blog for regular updates.

An intriguing clutter of country-style furnishings at Serendipity Antiques

At work on our 24th Annual edition!

The Cochran's Crew has launched production for the 24th Annual Cochran's Collector's Guide, to be published in late October and distributed in early November.

We've come a long way since 1989, when we produced our first annual antique shoppers' map guide, covering three counties in Northern California. For several years we were limited to California, then we expanded by producing a Southwest book and a Northwest book along with California (whew! What a lot of work!) and finally combined the three into one handy reference book you can carry in your glove compartment on trips throughout the West. It's still distributed free within our publishing area: Washington, Idaho, Oregon, California, Nevada and Arizona, and can be viewed online from anywhere in the world here at our website, www.cochrans.com.

Since last year we've launched a new Facebook page (Cochran's Collector's Guide), where we plan to share some of the hundreds of great photos our participating stores provide us.

We still create free web pages, attached to this website, for all participants who don't have their own presence on the Internet, giving them a place to share photos of their merchandise and specialties even if they don't personally own a computer or have computer skills (some of them are still wistful for the old typewriter days, that's why they're in this business).

Look for this website to have the new 2013 Guide uploaded by January 1. And if you have a shop or event or antique-related service in the western states, and want to find out how we can help you expand your business and raise your profile, click ADVERTISE on the menu at the top of this page, or call us toll-free at 866-585-6162 or email us at info@cochrans.com.

You always wanted to dress up as a flapper...

The Niles Boulevard Antique Row in Fremont, CA is going to be a blast from the past this weekend, April 14 and 15, when Les Belles Antiques holds their 35th Anniversary Party. They're planning to have live jazz bands, vintage cars, food and prizes for the best Roaring Twenties period costumes. If you've always wanted to "put on the Ritz" and dress up as a Flapper or Rudolph Valentino, here's your chance!

Fremont treasures its heritage as the earliest home of California's motion picture industry. From 1912 to 1916 the Niles district was the site of several movies filmed by Charlie Chaplin, the most well-known being "The Tramp." It's their Silver Screen heyday that will be the theme of Les Belles' anniversary celebration.