BARGAINS\Shop smart, then save big at Rose Bowl Flea Market.

Byline: Trisha King and Deborah Newmark

One of the best places Southern California has to offer for exploratory shopping is the Rose Bowl Flea Market.

With at least 1,500 vendors, you never know what you'll find, but here are some of the specific bargains we saw:

On our last excursion we came home with 20 sticks of incense for $1, as well as a few pewter frames in various shapes and designs for $10 each (retail $25 to $30).

There are the basics you usually find at swap meets - personal-care products, housewares, clothes, arts and crafts, old furniture, and the stuff somebody found in the back of the garage.

Warm-up suits you might find on sale for $25 to $45 in department stores have been sold here for $10. The same goes for denim overalls for $10 rather than retail $30 and up. Ugg boots made of sheepskin and fur that can set you back $100 elsewhere were $50.

To fill a large space at home or the office, good-size, beautifully framed mirrors (at least 3 feet by 4 feet) were $100 (retail $300 to $400). Prints about the same size that looked as though they came straight from a museum were $125. Mounted and matted in elegant to ornately carved frames, the frames alone would retail for more than $125.

Shoppers should always be alert to the fact that mixed in among the bargains - $3 to $5 mugs for 99 cents, $10 nature tapes for $5 - there are vendors selling at full retail.

Admission is $5 for adults and free for children under 12 accompanied by an adult. For a $10 entrance fee, early birds who want first crack at the merchandise can start their exploratory shopping at 6 a.m., which is when antique dealers and other retailers shop the Rose Bowl.

The Rose Bowl is located on Rose Bowl Drive in Pasadena. For information, call [phone], Ext. 11. Flea market hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. the second Sunday of every month.

Inside info

Get cash for your old batteries, including automotive, motorcycle, RV or marine from Battery Co. They also sell new and reconditioned batteries at savings of 25 percent off retail. For example, a factory-reconditioned battery is $19.95 with a 90-day warranty (elsewhere $25-$30), and a new Exide auto battery is $29.95 (elsewhere $39.95). Battery Co. is located at 2220 E. Foothill Blvd., Pasadena; [phone]. Hours are 8:30 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

Bodybuilders definitely want to stop at Discount Medical Pharmacy for Met RX and RX Fuel. They sell a box of 20 packets of Met RX for $36.99 (elsewhere $53.99) and a box of 10 packets of RX Fuel for $19.95 (elsewhere $25.99). Other bodybuilding supplements are available at 15 percent above cost.

This pharmacy also fills prescriptions at discounted prices and will handle your insurance billing. Discount Medical Pharmacy is located 2716 Griffith Park Blvd., Los Angeles; [phone]. Hours are 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.

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Photo Shoppers at the monthly Rose Bowl Flea Market can find many bargains among the 1,500 vendors, but beware of those selling their wares at full retail.