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The springtime Brimfield Antique Fair is this week in Massachusetts. It's a huge outdoor show that goes from Tuesday through Sunday. I'm tempted to go, but I really can't spend the money. And I've actually done some very good shopping around the Essex area recently. But the weather is really great for browsing the stalls. Hmmm....
When I lived near it I would go every day. You couldn't see it all in one day, field after field after field. Of course, back then it was really huge, much larger scale than it is now. At the time I had a booth in an antique mall and things were much more expensive than what we charged. A lot of New Yorkers went to Brimfield and thought it was cheap!
OTOH, you can get ANYTHING there. If you want it, they've got it!
If you have the time and want to save money, crawl around the antique shops in WMass or southern NH or even Maine.
Almost forgot--there are a lot of flea markets in the New England area that are open all summer. Is Todd's Farm in Rowley still going? There's a small weekend flea market in Ipswich too. How about that flea market at the Cape where the Welfleet drive in used to be?
I was in a flea market this past weekend in Torrington CT--indoor, so it was fine even on a rainy day.
Thinking of setting up again in September. It's near the Litchfield Hills, prime fall foliage territory.
Todd's Farm is still going strong. The die-hard shoppers still try to arrive in the wee hours of the morning to poke around the offerings with a flashlight.
I've had better luck with finding underpriced treasures in the shops. Dealers bring their best to Brimfield and of course, in their opinion, their entire stock is antique and a potential treasure... so bargains are less likely, plus there is the added competition of all the shoppers running around.
Wow. It didn't rain this week for the May's field opening day!!! Weirdly, it usually rains on Wednesdays of Brimfield weeks.
My daughter and I were supposed to go yesterday but something came up on her end. It was her idea. We'll go in September. I just bought a table in a small antique shop locally and I don't really need anything, but it's fun to look.
I ended up thrift shopping and did very well. Spent much less than I would have buying known antiques at Brimfield and also saved on gas and tolls.
Have you ever been to the thrift shop in Salisbury MA. Leeward Light, I think, right on the main road. They have antiques and they even have a building out in back for the big furniture like couches, desks, rugs. They have a twin in southern Maine called Leeward Landing. The REALLY valuable stuff gets sent to Boston antique shops but you can still find some decent things in the shop.
Well one of the things I bought at my thrift store this week is a framed large Smithsonian poster of a Wayne Thiebaud painting of a dessert display. The poster is 46" x 35"!! He is famous for only painting desserts, gumball machines and open pails of paint. My little sister loves his work. It was only $24.99... and a seller on eBay wants $399.00 plus $30 for his unframed example.
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