A Norman flea market is holding a “Dig and Pick” sale until the end of September, with everything priced at $1.
Marine veteran Col. Dick Ross, owner of Colonel Dick's Flea Market, is holding the sale to clear out one of his 34 storage units. The sale is at the freestanding storage unit, which Ross said must be empty by Oct. 1.
Originally an auctioneer, Ross has been frequenting estate sales for nearly 40 years. Soon after earning his auctioneer license and colonel title at auctioneer school, he met estate salesperson Linda Kacmarcik, who helped him start his own flea market.
“She walked me through everything,” Ross said, “Then I decided I want to start my own flea market, which I did at the Cleveland County Fairground and have been for 30 years.”
Ross often attended Kacmarcik’s estate sales and said he would purchase so much that he had to rent storage units to hold his finds.
Lauren Lackey, a friend of Ross and former antique shop owner, is helping Ross with the sale by advertising on social media.
Lackey grew up visiting thrift stores and garage sales, and she co-owned Elusive, a Norman antique shop, with her mother from 2005 to 2016. As a teenager, Lackey met Ross at one of his flea markets and the pair have been working together since.
“He’s been a good friend for a long time,” Lackey said. “Dick's always helped all of us in this business out here and the community.”
Shoppers can expect to find anything from vintage clothes and couches to records and decorations dating as far back as the 1950s. Lackey has posted several videos to her TikTok showcasing her daily finds.
@lololackey Hwy 77 + Cedar Lane, Norman OK. 9/13 - 9/30. 8AM until dark thirty. #Vintage #Antique #Thrift #Dig #Pick #Collector #EstateSales #OneDollar #Deals #Resell #NormanOK #ColDick #FleaMarket ♬ original sound - ✨LoLo✨
“I've got an entire bathtub full of vintage clothes,” Lackey said. “My friend found a little vintage jewelry box and inside of it was a Wedgwood tie pin.”
New items are added to the sale as they continue emptying the storage unit, but many are not immediately visible.
“You might look out there and you see nothing but a lot of cardboard boxes,” Ross said. "But when you get down in the boxes, there’s some really nice stuff.”
Some things might be broken, dirty or untouched after 30 years in storage, but Ross and Lackey said that customers will find interesting items if they're willing to put in the time to search and clean.
“You gotta be willing to dig,” Lackey said. “It's a gamble, especially if you're looking for something specific. But if you're willing to dig and clean some stuff up, you’re going to find something.”
Ross plans to continue the Dig and Pick sale in the near future with other storage units.
Colonel Dick's Flea Market Dig and Pick sale will continue until Sept. 30. Sales start at 8 a.m. and end at sundown at 3490 Classen Blvd.
This story was edited by Shelby Emery. Kylie Caldwell and Grace Rhodes copy edited this story.
