A Flea Market Documentary is a new PBS special and an all-American celebration of open-air shopping across the country. On any weekend, there may be no better place to find out what makes America great than at a flea market. A Flea Market Documentary is an unabashed celebration of the unusual people and the enticing things that can be found in parking lots, fairgrounds, drive-ins, sidewalks, and wherever else someone has posted a sign saying "Flea Market." It's capitalism mixed with craziness. It's amazing old stuff, great salespeople, the ancient tradition of the open-air market, and the possibility of finding a bargain, all uniting shoppers across the nation. Produced by WQED Pittsburgh, A Flea Market Documentary travels from the gigantic Rose Bowl Market in Pasadena, California, to the busy but modest- sized Eastern Market in Washington, DC, talking with organizers, vendors, food merchants and shoppers.
Direction
Rick Sebak's cozy, unhurried storytelling style.
Production
Captures flea market atmosphere without sanitizing it.
Director
Rick Sebak
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Rick Sebak built a career on hyper-specific regional documentaries for PBS, making Pittsburgh-adjacent minutiae feel universally cozy.
The Eastern Market segment quietly documents a D.C. institution months before 9/11 security changes permanently altered public gathering spaces.
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