[photo credit: Pasadena City College]
The PCC Flea Market, open today from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. with free admission, directs vendor-fee proceeds to the PCC Foundation, which uses them to fund student scholarships and campus activities. The college’s Student Information page says the market distributes more than $32,000 in scholarships annually to students who have demonstrated leadership or volunteerism. Parking is $2 in Lot 5, off Bonnie Avenue.
What draws collectors and casual browsers alike to the campus at 1570 E. Colorado Blvd. is a vendor mix that ranges from high-end antiques to rummage-sale finds — and a record swap that PCC’s website calls the best in Southern California. More than 50 record vendors set up on the top ramp of Lot 4’s parking structure, offering everything from big-band albums to contemporary releases.
The market has operated on the first Sunday of every month, except January, since the late 1970s. The PCC Flea Market’s own accounts date it to 1977, while co-founder Tom Selinski has said he and his brother started it in 1979 as PCC students.
“The great thing about this market is that the purpose has always been to support student scholarships and student activities,” Selinski said in an interview with PasadenaNow.
The event is now formally operated by the PCC Foundation, which took over ownership from the Pasadena Area Community College District under a 2021 transfer agreement. A board of directors that includes community members, a vendor representative, students, staff, and administrators governs the market and meets quarterly, according to PCC’s website.
The scholarship mission extends beyond the vendor fees. Student organizations chartered at PCC can reserve discounted vending spaces for $20 to raise funds for their own activities, according to the college. The Foundation also sponsors the Lancers for Life ambassador program, which pays students a $1,000 scholarship to staff the market monthly and work Foundation events throughout the academic year.
For context, the PCC Flea Market operates on a different scale and pricing model than Pasadena’s other major market. The Rose Bowl Flea Market, held on the second Sunday of each month, draws more than 2,500 vendors and charges $13 for regular admission, according to VisitPasadena. PCC charges nothing to enter and serves a different audience: travel guides and attendee reviews consistently describe it as more manageable, more neighborhood-oriented, and more accessible than its larger neighbor.
The market is in Parking Lots 1, 3, and parking structure 4 on the west side of the PCC campus. Customer parking is in Lot 5, accessible from Bonnie Avenue, for $2 per vehicle. The flea market office can be reached at (626) 585-7906 or fleamarket@pasadena.edu. Upcoming dates are April 5, May 3, and June 7, 2026.
“In 1979 with my brother, we started the first market here in this lot with vendors that my brother and I went out and hustled at swap meets and flea markets, to come participate here, and to buy a space, and to support students,” Selinski said.
The next market is April 5.
