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Treasure hunter

Flea market enthusiast Tiina finds colorful vintage treasures: “Smaller towns have better flea markets than the Helsinki region”

Helsinki-based thrifter, 41-year-old Tiina, gets flea market tips from friends all across Finland. Once she even found Finnish designer glass at a London flea market! You can check out Tiina’s finds on her Instagram account @tiina.midmod.

August 11, 2025Lue suomeksi

At flea markets, I look for... 1960s and 1970s pieces that match our home’s era and style. I have a weakness for colorful glass and space-age style plastic items.

My magic power is... that I’ve gained a collector’s reputation among my close circle. I get messages from friends all over Finland about flea market finds they think I’ll like. I wouldn’t even need to physically go to a flea market for these treasures!

My best find... is the orange Quadrifolia vase by Nanny Still, which I stumbled upon at a flea market in London. I had seen a photo of it a few months earlier and became a bit obsessed with finding one for myself. I felt a spark of national pride bringing such a beautiful vase back to Finland from abroad.

“I get messages from friends all over Finland about flea market finds they think I’ll like.”

I’ve acquired too many... candlesticks. I collect Finnish Matti Honkanen’s wooden candlesticks, and I already have around twenty of them. I also own far too many glass candlesticks. They’re such a wonderful, often affordable way to get older Finnish design.

The best flea markets... are Secondhand Market and Aarresaari in the Salo area. I’m also fond of Reissukirppis in Mäntyharju, which we pass on our way to the cottage. Smaller towns often yield better treasures than the capital region.

I wish that someday... I’d find an Oiva Toikka bird or Lisa Larson’s ceramics at a bargain price. I once found one of Larson’s cats for next to nothing, but I’m still hoping to spot a Toikka bird on some flea market shelf.

“I collect Nanny Still’s orange vases. The square Quadrifolia turned up in London for about 100 euros, far cheaper than in Finland.”
“My husband and I decided that if we came across a Taisto Kaasinen walrus at the Billnäs antiques fair, it would be my birthday gift. It cost 260 euros, but a promise is a promise.”
“I admired this Muurame vanity at the Reissukirppis flea market in Mäntyharju over several visits for a year. It was 60 euros, and I can’t believe such a gem sat there for so long.”
“I got my first Russian wooden tower as a Christmas present from my brother. The rest have cost between 2 and 15 euros at flea markets.”
“I found the red lipstick mirror at Femma-tori in Riihimäki for 15 euros. It’s a copy of Roger Lecal’s 1970s classic.”
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