The Brimfield Antique Market, a week-long event that takes place annually in May, July & September, is an exercise in sensory overload and quadrupling your daily step goals. There are 21 independent shows spaced throughout the week, some lasting only a few hours. It's a crazy carnival event ... involving thousands of dealers, hawking all sorts of goods (from "junque" to "gems") from all over the US and beyond.
The May 2022 event, the first May event since Covid shutdown, was blessed with sunny, breezy weather & was particularly busy. Fresh stock abounded ... Buyers of every age including many Gen Z / late Millennials (which is encouraging) trudged through the fields & compared notes at tables set around the food trucks ... Usually polite crowds queued for favorite shows to open; (sometimes not so politely - as 3 guys with an obvious agenda knocked a delicious frozen lemonade out of my hand in a shove to get through the gates of Hertan.)
Once experienced, one tends to identify favorite shows such as: Heart of the Mart, the aforementioned Hertans & May's ... To develop a preferred list of sellers & their locations ... To learn the most convenient parking lots for each day & show ... To return to the same food vendors / restaurants (like that frozen lemonade stand or Francesco's for its friendly service as well as quick & reasonable Italian food) ... And, to fine tune the best methods of hauling their treasures. (for me, it's upper body strength and sometimes a compact yet expandable wheeled bag.)
When all is seen and done, hopefully you have found what you searched for OR found what you never knew you wanted! My recent take-away included: some wonderful antique wicker pieces which will work well for a few coastal design projects; some beautiful vintage fabrics to make bespoke cushions; a few mid-century Scandinavian enameled bracelets that just look so fresh and modern; and, a cache of sterling scallop shell serving dishes which we often sell as soap dishes.
Actually, I was amazed at the amount of silver on display there. For so long, you couldn't give away your grandparents "good silver and china". It appears a younger generation is waking to the quality and value of these pieces. Why not use "the good stuff" for everyday!
2022 Dates for Brimfield: May 10 - 15, July 12 - 17, September 6 - 11
2022 Dates for Brimfield: May 10 - 15, July 12 - 17, September 6 - 11
For more information, consult the website: www.brimfieldantiquefleamarket.com
Francesco's Restaurant, 45 Palmer Road (not fine dining ... but the pizza and lasagna hit the spot after a long day of walking)
