Vintage goods fill Canfield Fairgrounds all weekend | News, Sports, Jobs

CANFIELD — The vintage items Paul and Betty Perelman are selling include a few “One Way” signs, but when it comes to describing a long-running swap meet, you could say it’s oriented in many directions — and it’s anything but black and white.

“I collect things big and small,” Paul Perelman of Chesterland said Friday. “It’s a hobby that got away from me.”

That assessment could be subject to another perspective, but the miscellaneous, nostalgic items the couple were selling were not up for debate: from crates of rock ‘n’ roll LPs to a three-slot pay phone, from drive-in movie speakers to parking meter parts, some dating back to the 1930s. There were also two large vintage gas pumps he had purchased from collectors.

Perelman, who retired after 33 years as a service technician, is also one of the approximately 3,000 local, regional and outdoor vendors who are the heart of the annual Dave and Ed’s Super Swap Meet, indoors and outdoors.

The rally, which began in the early 1990s, kicked off Friday and continues from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday throughout the Canfield Fairgrounds.

Although the speakers he sells are decades old, some have Bluetooth capabilities and can be installed in vehicles, said Perelman, who also has a variety of old speed limit signs for sale.

The two gas pumps are also hard to miss, with one bearing Sinclair’s famous green and white logo. The other is a 1950s Gilbarco lighted pump, for which Perelman purchased a new piece of glass to cover the front of the machine.

Additionally, the vintage flavor is alive and well in Bill Flesher’s tent and its surroundings.

“I bought these license plates at auction, and people sold me more,” said Flesher, of Mingo Junction.

He notably had a display table of license plates in varying conditions, most of which were made between the 1940s and 1970s. The majority of them came from Ohio and neighboring states, with one of the oldest being an Ohio plate from 1951.

Henry Osborne of Osceola Mills, Pennsylvania, meanwhile, took a red 1968 Florida license plate that was among the items he bought Friday with the intention of reselling. Diversity also seeped into his selections, which also included a sheet metal cutter, an aquarium panel and the sides of a red wagon, along with random pieces of iron and metal.

Other items for sale include many vehicle parts and tools, leaf blowers and trimmers, knives, tires and model car kits.

“This is the buying and selling area for boats, cars and motorcycles. Anything with a title, you can buy it here,” said Cory Ward, the show’s owner, referring to a section of the fairgrounds that resembles an outdoor classic car show.

Free notarizations are also offered, he added.

Stacy Neubecker, who works in the Pace Performance department at Cochran Plant #1 in Boardman, had several engines on display, some of which were removed from certain vehicles and then re-engineered for others.

“We (also) sell high-performance GM crate engines,” he said.

These engines are fully assembled and usually sold as stand-alone products in crates. They are often used to improve the performance of muscle cars and hotrods.

Some of Neubecker’s older engines from the 1950s and 1960s can also be upgraded with modern fuel injectors and power steering capabilities, for example, he noted.

An engine designed for crate racing was fitted with a series of seals to prevent tampering and give the racer an unfair advantage, Neubecker explained.

Despite the proliferation of eBay and other competitive buying and selling websites, Dave and Ed’s swap meet continues to thrive and grow, Ward said.

“It’s affordable for everyone. It’s all in one,” he said, adding that the exchange also provides an opportunity for buyers and sellers with similar interests to interact with each other and with the commodity.

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