The Red Barn.

Byline: MARTY FUGATE Correspondent

Let's say you have a need a desperate need that just can't wait. A need for, say, an animatronic Dean Martin to croon your favorite tunes. Or a life-size model of Betty Boop as a roller-skating waitress.

Maybe you're in the market for a tiki-head guitar or a flock of plastic flamingos. Or an authentic Aussie hat made from buffalo hide that Crocodile Dundee would envy. Or jewelry, vintage vinyl albums, perfume, a pound of bananas or a bottle of locally produced honey.

Whatever it is you want, need or crave, chances are good you can find it at the Red Barn Flea Market in Bradenton. Like a modern-day casbah, this huge, rambling flea market has a little (or perhaps more than that) for everyone.

As the name implies, this celebration of market forces looks like a red barn. It just happens to be a red barn the size of several football fields at the juncture of old and new U.S. 301 just south of downtown Bradenton. It's not hard to spot -- but it's easy to make the wrong …