Prohibition And Pop Stars

SPENCER: On this episode of "Flea Market Flip," two savvy design teams go head-to-head, hunting and haggling for diamonds in the rough. We can't go down to $50? Thank you so much. SPENCER: Then they'll reimagine these overlooked gems and turn them into chic, one-of-a-kind pieces. With soy sauce? Yeah. It's the cheapest way to stain something. [ Record scratches ] And finally, it's time to flip. Then I'll be back. Whichever team outsells their competition goes home $5,000 richer. I was gonna take my clothes off and lay down on the ground. New marketing strategy. -- Captions by VITAC -- Hi, everybody. I'm Lara Spencer. On this episode of "Flea Market Flip," we're about to set loose two teams here at the Elephant's Trunk Flea Market in New Milford, Connecticut, in hopes they'll find treasures they can transform. First up, it's Merry and Jessica. They've been collaborating on design projects since college. Between the two of us... ...we've got flea markets down. They're squaring off against friends Suzanne and Chuck. Now, these two are a fashion-minded pair... Look at this. ...who love refurbishing lost treasures. I feel super confident. We're ready. We're giving each team a list of three projects we call our flip list, along with a $500 budget and only one hour to find their three projects. Keep moving. The three projects on today's flip list are a "Storage Project" -- Find an item and create fashionable storage. "Inspirational Design" -- In which the teams must create tribute pieces honoring a personal inspiration. Let's do a tribute to the '80s. And finally, it's our "Upholstery" project -- Reupholster a piece of furniture to give it a fresh, new look. Don't let your personal style -- which is all very different, and I'm excited -- Don't let that get in the way of you spotting a potentially lucrative flip. Combine, mix-and-match, get in there, and dig. Let's go find it, guys. Let's go! Whoo! A lot of people start in the middle, so it's less-picked on the edges. Yeah. Just 'cause I'm a regular. Everything we make, we want to make sure that it's worth at least $500. For the win. So, right now, we're gonna be looking for the storage project. Oh, I see something really cool up there. Oh, wow. So, it's sturdy. It's tied together. [ Gasps ] It love it. It's a shelf. It's beautiful. It's a wall piece, and it's storage. Chuck is an artist. He's the one who's coming up with the great ideas on how we can... ...change them, turn them around, upside down. How much is this? MAN: You know, I'd like to get 60 bucks. We can't go down to $50? Sure. That's fine. Once it's hanging up, we're gonna make some extra shelves on it -- totally flip it into something completely different. Hi. How are you? I saw the other team. They're buying some really cool stuff. How do you feel? Nervous but excited. I mean, we've got vision. Yeah? Our theme is "Prohibition speakeasy." Oh. You're doing a -- All three projects? Now, why would you do that? I started with a vision in my head Yeah. And now we have to find the projects to go with it. You're already thinking about marketing? Oh, absolutely. For the storage project, we're hoping that we can find something that relates back to our overall theme of Prohibition Era. Yep. Look at that bookcase. I think that might be perfect. It's $15. Let's just do it. It could be for alcohol, for glasses, and it's gonna be a cabinet that opens up. Thank you very much. No problem. Oh, I see something really cool up there. I see the letter "R." I'm liking that. This would work really good for the tribute piece. Yeah. Let's do a tribute to the '80s. Oh, my gosh. Is this for me? This is not for you. [ Chuckling ] No way. I love the big "L." You can take the "L," for "Lara"... I want the big "L." ...'cause we're gonna go with the three here. What are you thinking with these letters? We're thinking wall hanging for the tribute piece. What'd you guys negotiate? How about $75 for the three? You feel like you've got a lot of profit potential Yeah. SUZANNE: $65? Sure. All right. So, we'll do it for $65. Is there anything here, Jessica? Look at that thing on the -- "Inspirational Design." Remember we were talking about the idea I think that this is it. I think that this is it. It's a tribute to Edith Head and all seamstresses everywhere. How much is this? Would you take $50? I would do $60. Thank you so much. We're using old sewing patterns to decoupage a top to go with it. Yeah. It's an apothecary cabinet. It says "speakeasy," and I'm a little bit in love. If we put legs on it, it could be a stool to go with the sewing-machine table. Excuse me. How much is this? $85. We can do $85. SPENCER: Yes, they can, but negotiation is the name of the game at a flea market. MERRY: So, that means that we have the "Inspirational Design" checked off. I can't believe an hour went so fast. People do like the word "me." That is really cool. It's all about me. MAN: $20. Let's get it, though. SUZANNE: Perfect find. We want to find something for the "Upholstery" assignment now. The "Upholstery"? Okay. What do you want to upholster? We're looking at possibly some chairs with some great detailing and bones, Yeah. Look at this. Chuck. "Me." That would be awesome. The dealer said it was from the 1920s. It's a really beautiful chair. MAN: The chair is $50. Um, could you do $40? $45 -- Sold. We want this chair. We love this chair. Yes. Do you see those chairs over there? For the "Upholstery" project? [ Gasps ] Oh, I love them. These are really cool chairs. How much are you asking for them? They're $450 for the two. We don't have as much money as you want for them. My bottom on them would be 300 bucks. Is there any way possible that these could go home with us today for $250? $275? $275. Deal. SPENCER: $275 might be kind of pricey. Hopefully, that won't come back and bite them. All we really have to do is just refinish them a little bit and then do the upholstery. So, we have all the bones for all of our project. It's all done. Check, check, and check. Those other girls better be worried. They better look out. That's a lot, a lot of big talk, but the proof is in the booth. Ooh. That's right. Welcome back to "Flea Market Flip." Our two teams are here working out the kinks on some truly one-of-a-kind pieces. That was a really good pick. Merry and Jessica plan to revitalize a vintage sewing table and turn a chest into a seat. They'll turn a $15 bookcase into a Prohibition-style hidden-liquor cabinet. And they'll reupholster some pricey chairs. Hey, is this so rad, or what? Chuck and Suzanne have some funky, artistic ideas. They want to transform these marquee letters into '80s-inspired art. They'll repurpose an outdated telephone table and turn it into wall storage. And they'll put the rock 'n' roll into this 1920s rocking chair. Our master craftsmen are working with the teams, since they only have one day to get their transformations done. This is our best find. For the "Inspiration" project, we found these marquee metal letters. It's gonna spell out "RAD." We're gonna spray-paint them black and build a collage in here. Are these gonna light up, like, somehow? We are gonna try and string lights in the back. I love your idea for that. Hey, Chuck. I feel a little loopy. For the "Inspiration Design," we're making a top to put on top of the cast-iron base, and we're gonna collage that with old patterns. We're gonna use that apothecary box. We're gonna turn it into a chair and then paint it black. There's a whole decoupage renaissance going on, apparently. Everybody's into decoupage again. I have all these patterns. To make them look old, we've got the... ...soy sauce. [ Record scratches ] Soy sauce? And I've done this before. It does not get moldy, and it does not smell. But it's free. It comes with your dinner. I love it. The woman is all about the profit. I'm wondering what she's doing over there. Are you guys decoupaging something, too? I'm decoupaging with soy sauce. With soy sauce? Yeah, it's the cheapest way to stain something. Did you bring some lo mein, too? SUZANNE: We have photographs. We have paper. We have magazine clippings. So, what's gonna be nice is we can have a lot of texture. No laying out. Just stick them down right away. Last one. Last one. Great. So, what are we doing with the "RAD" sign? Is this a rad project? It is, actually. This is the tribute to New York City. I want you to see, though, and I'm sure you know this -- These industrial letters are so in. If you go to any design blog, you'll see these used as art installations all the time. So I love the idea of repurposing something that was meant to be industrial as art. I worry a little bit about the backward "R." I'm not gonna lie to you, but I think if you guys can sell it that it's hip to be square -- You just have to figure out what somebody's gonna be willing to spend. We want this thing to be right here. See if it works. It's exactly what I thought. I think this will be our high-ticket item now. I think so. The letters are pretty hard to beat. MERRY: For the "Storage Project," we're gonna be taking a bookcase, putting a false front of books on it so that it looks like a library, and it's gonna serve as storage. We're hoping that people will... Yeah. We're gonna put the spines on the door... SPENCER: Right. ...so that you have a hidden storage space. I love the idea of cutting up this -- the books. There are wallpapers that cost thousands of dollars that look like faux bookcases. First of all, how did you cut the books? A guillotine. So, you can actually cut books and use the spines as decor? Right. What'd you pay for this, again? $15. $15, and what'd you pay for the books? We found them in the trash. So, $15 -- There's a lot of room for profit there. A lot of wiggle room. Oh, it's all starting to come together. Very exciting. Great find, right? Yeah, it was awesome. I don't know how you spotted it. We saw this amazing old telephone table, and Chuck had the idea to... Thank you. ...turn it on its side. Hanging right up on the wall somewhere. The old table part becomes a basket. We're gonna do shelving here. We're gonna paint an abstract, kind of black-and-white design on it. Wow! That looks fantastic! It's very spontaneous. We're making the chair an art piece and a functional piece, so it's, like, I think we have really cool ideas. JESSICA: For the "Upholstery Project," we found these beautiful chairs, so we're just gonna fix up the wood a little bit. We bought some new fabric for it. They were $275, which is a large portion of our budget. So, your upholstery really does have to shine. A little nervous. Thanks for putting the pressure back on. Did you give it the sit test? Oh. We didn't. They're pretty comfortable. My only concern with this is that they're not a matching pair. I know they come from the same place, but they're not the same. Who wants perfection? Character. It's all about the character. Yeah. If we don't sell these chairs for a large profit margin, we're in danger of losing to... The other team. We got this fabulous, old, 1920s rocking chair. What we're gonna be doing is refinishing it, give it a little darker coloration. We have a canvas that I painted that we're gonna use to reupholster the chair. This painting that was done by me a while ago... It's different. I've never seen anything like it. I love the idea of finding an old painting. If it's on a canvas, why not? And where is that going? We thought back here, up here, but now it's gonna be adhered here as art. I hope it gets you a lot of moola. CHUCK: That's perfect. That's outrageous. I think that when you do such a specific thing, it limits your audience. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. SPENCER: Welcome to the Brooklyn Flea. It's a must for savvy shoppers from all over the world. Aah! CHUCK: We're gonna be on top of each other all day. Who knows? It could get pretty intense. For a little added pressure, our teams must sell side-by-side and do whatever it takes to sell their refurbished finds. I was gonna take my clothes off and lay down on the ground. New marketing strategy. SPENCER: Both teams have kept their purchase prices to themselves in hopes to gain an edge over the competition. It's really hard to do the math when you don't know what the other team spent. The team that makes the most net profit leaves $5,000 richer. We're gonna take that prize home. I think this piece came out really well. Is there any piece that you're gonna be sad to see go? Really? At some point today, if you're not getting enough attention, I might move the "R" down, as well, Right. Your stuff looks great. Are you ready to sell? We're ready to sell. $5,000 is at stake. You want to make a profit. You don't want to get greedy. CHUCK: All right. Got it. Let's sell! So, how much for something like this? MERRY: We're looking to get $800 for it. Thank you. SUZANNE: They're old marquee letters. Especially here in Williamsburg, with the hipsters, they'll really get it. You guys wouldn't happen to have a "J," would you? MERRY: Come on in. JESSICA: Sit on the stool. It's the perfect height. [ Laughs ] MERRY: Come on. Commit to it. Set your coffee down, and imagine yourself at the desk. Watch her. She is a master salesperson. I'm gonna do whatever it takes to make you go home with this piece of furniture. Would you guys do $500? Sold. JESSICA: It needs to go to a loving home. Oh, I'm so happy. I'm so happy. So, what did you like about this piece? I was looking for things that are a little bit rustic-y, something that has a little bit of a story to it, so... Well, this does. I'm so excited. Yeah. Thank you so much. Look over here. Don't worry. We're gonna sell them. Don't worry. Your stuff is still rad. They're ahead by one, but that doesn't mean anything. It's early. Put these on the ground. Let's sell some rad pieces! What do you think about these? It's a telephone table turned sideways. I'm gonna think about it. I'll be back. Okay. Thank you. Their "Me" sign is blinding me. CHUCK: Oh, let's see. It won't hurt you. You can lean right on it. Oh, it's really comfortable. Told you. [ Chuckles ] Ooh. It's from the 1920s, and... [ Dog barks ] Quite comfortable, right? You feel good in that? TIFFANY: No, I feel really great, and this would actually go in my boutique. SPENCER: At a flea market, you just never know who might be a customer. SUZANNE: You know what? You look perfect in it with your hair. It does. I think it's hers. You guys are working. She really owns it. What's working for me? Would you? Oh, my chair. In a perfect world, $300 is working for me. No. We can't do that. That's definitely not -- I mean... I would say $500. My husband would definitely say, "Walk away," right now. What about $450? $400 flat? Um... $420? SUZANNE: Okay. Thank you so much. I was very nervous when they sold the chair because there was no way to calculate whether we were ahead or not. SPENCER: And Merry doesn't know how right she is. Tiffany has just tied up the game. Tiffany, everybody knows you for your songs. We did not know that you were a collector of art pieces. Well, I am now. Hello? What attracted you? Well, I mean, it's funky. And these are my colors. We found a vintage bookcase. Oh, my God. [ Gasps ] We hand-cut all the books, and then we made these doors for them. We turned it into a storage unit. $500. Brad, you got to see this. BRAD: Oh, yeah. Your wife is very, very interested in this piece. [ Chuckles ] Do we have a sale? $350, and we'll figure it out. I think it's a fair deal. Ooh! I knew you'd sell this piece. I love this piece. It's the right buyer. We can overcome that. We just know that they spent less originally. Right. Clock is ticking, and we got to unload them. Nobody's glancing at our chairs. Nobody's even really looking. It's freaking me out. SPENCER: Our teams have been selling their inspired wares here at the Brooklyn Flea. Jessica and Merry's speakeasy theme has been paying off big time. Ooh! SPENCER: And Suzanne and Chuck hit a high note by selling their funky rocking chair to '80s pop star Tiffany. That's you! It spoke to you. With the $5,000 prize still up for grabs, the teams must try to sell all of their pieces before time runs out. Now, remind me -- What do you have in these? Ooh. I personally think you spent too much on the buy on these. Okay. If you could get $350, that'd be a home run. Yep. $1,200 to $350? Boy, if I had a spot for it. Oh, my gosh. Please help us. We don't want to just give them away. Do you like the look of these chairs? Yes. They are very sharp. Would you like them in your home? Please sit. We're selling them at a very discounted price. What are you asking for them? $600 at this point. Are you feeling a little bit closer Yeah. I think so. How about $250? You will help us win the game. Ooh. Can't do $250 right now. Will you take $500? $575? Let us think about it. Oh! We can't close the deal. Will you do $200? I wish I could. I can't right now. Can't right now. I think, honestly, just overpaying for the chairs at the flea market could have ended our chance at the game at all. Wait! Come back! Come back! Come back! Come back. Can you do $100 for the pair? SPENCER: Taking a loss and selling the chairs for just $100 hurts, but it's better than eating the whole purchase price of $275. $80 and we carry? All right. He's in charge. All right. They bought those chairs. They're nice chairs at a cheap price. Yay. We sold everything. We have one minute left. Why don't you each buy a letter? It's inspirational. Despite a last-ditch effort to hustle up buyers... All right. Come on. ...time is now up. You both did a beautiful job. You were true to your artistic aesthetic. You guys loved your pieces, and you believed in them as you sold your hearts out. The rocker sold to a rocker! How cool is that? She was cool. The bookcase -- beautiful -- caught a lot of attention and did pretty well. However, the pair of chairs you bought high, and that problem plagued you throughout this competition. You ended up taking a loss of $195, and it hurt you. The "RAD" letters -- You had an offer. Will you take $500? If you had taken that offer, you would have won. Ladies, you are the winners of "Flea Market Flip." Yay! Merry gets the credit for the win for being the salesperson of the year. Definitely disappointing, but at the same time, fun to sell the chair to Tiffany. That was, you know -- It was, like, a good time today, too. $5,000. Whoo-hoo! Thank you. I know you will be finding more treasures with that money to transform. Great job, everybody. And that is "Flea Market Flip." Closed Captions provided by Scripps Networks, LLC.