The Neiwei Flea Market (內惟跳蚤市場) — known among collectors as “a well of memories” — is a local hidden highlight riddled with treasure troves of curios and antiques in Kaohsiung’s Gushan District (鼓山).
At weekends, shoppers and strollers might rub shoulders with dealers of antiques and collectibles, or find vintage-style movie posters in busy stalls under the market’s old factory roof.
History Survivors, itself a 10-year institution of the market, deals mainly in artifacts of 20th- century US industry obtained via storage auctions and estate sales across the world, the vendor’s Bolivian owner said.
Photo: Lee Hui-chou, Taipei Times
The shop’s diverse collection of analogue items reflected the owner’s personal affinity for mechanical gadgets, many of which were repaired by hand in a workshop tucked into the back of the stall, he said.
Objects ranging from waistwatches to mailboxes can be seen on display, including irreparable items being offered as ornaments.
“Antiques will only become more rare as time passes; preserving old objects helps maintain value and ensure that culture continues,” he said.
Many of the store’s visitors are parents bringing their children to show them everyday items from the past, or to use the display as educational material for Western life during the past century, he added.
Sound Reproduction (光音到留), another antique store in the market, showcases antique records, players and merchandise from the Japanese TV series Ultraman, which originally aired in the late 1960s.
The Chinese name of the store, literally translated as “Remains of Light and Sound,” stems from the items’ association with audiovisual production, such as cameras, projectors and other artifacts associated with old cinema, owner Wang Shih-hsiang (王錫祥) said.
“Record players are considered a luxury, because 100 percent analogue sound is unbeatable in reproducing presence,” he said.
The Ultraman and Godzilla merchandise on display come from Wang’s private collection, he said.
Tseng Ching-tien (曾清田), a 65-year veteran movie theater billboardist, maintains a stand at the market, where he hangs up examples of his work for cinema enthusiasts.
Tseng said he started drawing movie billboards commercially after graduating from junior-high school and now mostly paints posters on commission for old friends and restaurant owners.
He has hired an apprentice to be his assistant in creating fresh movie billboards, he said.
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