Community Corner
Hillsborough Couple Competes On ‘Flea Market Flip’
Thom and Melissa Almendinger recycled used household items to create brand new pieces as they compete on HGTV for $5,000.
HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — Hillsborough husband and wife, Thom and Melissa Almendinger, teamed up to compete on HGTV’s "Flea Market Flip" recently.
The couple had always been "garbage pickers" — scouring roadsides and garage sales for rare finds.
"It’s me more than him who does it," Melissa Almendinger said. "I bring stuff home and since he’s a woodworker he will create and make things out it."
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The couple also works as ecologists at Duke Farms.
"I work in the community garden and Thom is the director of natural resources," Almendinger said. "We try to avoid buying new things and try to upcycle and recycle."
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The show follows two teams of contestants who go to a flea market and select unique items that they then upcycle into brand new pieces of furniture and sell for a profit. The team who raises the most money through sales is the winner.
On a whim, Almendinger signed up for the show and eight months later she was selected. They filmed the episode, "Time to Make Some Dough," this past spring where the Almendingers and another couple battled to win the prize of $5,000.
The shopping for items part of the show was filmed in Massachussettes and then the teams went to the show’s workshop in Connecticut to create their one-of-a-kind pieces. Last they went to a flea market in Brooklyn to sell their goods.
The Almendingers created three pieces where they reupholstered oval stools, turned a wooden bowl into shelves and a shutter into a mail center.
The episode initially aired in May, but is slated to run again on Sunday, Aug. 25 at 9 p.m. and Monday Aug. 26 at 1 a.m. on the Great American Country Channel (channel 288 on Xfinity). The show also replays often on HGTV. Or you can pay to watch the show immediately on YouTube or Amazon Prime.
Spoiler Alert!
The Almendingers ended up winning the competition and the $5,000 prize which they are using this summer to visit a dude ranch to go horseback riding in Montana.
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