I am that annoying person who has to walk every aisle and see every booth of an antique market no matter the size. Total FOMO. After years of visits to Scott Antique Markets here’s the route I take to make sure I get the best deals and don’t miss a thing.

1. Plan to arrive ideally on Thursday when it opens (10:30am) or Friday (9:30am). I start with the South building. SEE MAP BELOW.

2. If you arrive first thing on Thursday, head inside first and follow the 1 and 3 on my map. This is where you will find Donny from NC and Harold from NYC. With both of these gentlemen, you will go to them and them only to ask about prices. Expect a line of people. Both of them will tell you the total of all your items combined. That’s where the similarities end. Donny is a polite Southern boy and Harold fits every stereotype of a brusque New Yorker. If the price Harold quotes you is too high (which it often is first thing) and you try to take out one item and get a new price, he will shut you down. You might as well go visit Donny and the rest of the market and come back later. Day 1 with Harold, you must go to him with just the things you definitely want and know what you want to pay. Harold buys up whole NY apartments and so you will find furniture, art, kitchen items, and even family photos. Donny will have new NC furniture plus an assortment of small vintage items.

3. Area 2 often has good deals and is a nice laid back experience after negotiating with Harold.

4. Shop outside. By this time, most people will have set up their spaces outside. These are the best deals in the whole market and you can find everything from furniture (I have gotten two beautiful dressers in the last months each for less than $200) to baskets to old windows to 70’s clothes. At the end of the outside area furthest from the expo building, is a permanent building with primarily old windows and doors at good prices. Come with your measurements ready if you want to retro fit something in your home.

5. By this point, you will probably be ready for lunch. Head back inside. Nothing fancy here but there are a few choices from BBQ, Mexican (what I normally grab) to basic salads and sandwiches.

6. Browse the rest of the South building. I skip the whole left side because it’s primarily new furniture and I want to leave time to get to the North building.

7. Revisit Harold if you want to try again.

8. Head over to the North building. You can either drive (keep your ticket and show on that side) or take the shuttle bus. I always drive because I always buy something too big to fit on a shuttle bus.

If you got on a Saturday, a few notes. By Saturday Harold and often Donny will be sold out and packed up. You can peek your head in, but typically your best bet is to start outside. There’s a different vibe on Saturdays as well. On Thursday and Friday, it’s a lot of designers and people who frequent Scott’s often. On Saturday it’s just people looking for themselves or casually browsing.