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| Brimfield Markets, Left: Pic courtesy of Apartment Therapy, Right: Aerial view of the Show |
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| Photography: Marcus Hay |
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| Photography: Marcus Hay |
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| Photography: Marcus Hay |
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| Photography: Marcus Hay |
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| Photography: Marcus Hay |
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| Photography: Marcus Hay |
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| Photography: Marcus Hay |
Brimfield is not for the faint hearted, especially last week with
the weather, if you don't do well with mud, sludge and being rained on, One may
turn quickly in your Hunter rain boots (If you remembered to bring them) and
hot tail it outa there, but for the dedicated and chronic collector like
myself, It’s like being a pig in mud -literally!
In all these years of living in the U.S, I am kind of sad to say
I have never attended this legendary affair before. I have always intended too
but then last minute something comes up work wise as it does when you
Freelance. This year however I blocked it out to make sure it happened when my former
Assistant and now dynamic Prop Stylist Jeanne Lurvey and her partner Chris
Tilden of Hewn Bros invited me to join them on a journey some months ago, well in advance to plan.
Brimfield happens three times a year, In May, July and September.
May is supposed to be the biggest and the best of the three! Brimfield Antique Show has been going over 50 years. It has been said it is the largest flea market
in the U.S. Over 6000 dealers from all over the country all congregate in this
small town in Massachusetts.
Imagine a strip of road that runs through fields on either side,
Route 20 in fact! There are 21 fields each approximately 3 to 5 acres each! The
key to a good hunt is to know when each Field opens. Many of them are gated off
and your only way in is to cough up $5 per field to get in, once your in, it’s
game on! It’s a frenzy of activity as people literally pick up the thing you put down, paused on and buy it before you can think twice..hesitate and it’s gone! Large companies
send teams of very experienced “snatchers” as I like to call them, who sweep in
like a pack of expert sniffer dogs and tag everything and anything that they can use
in fitting out their stores within 5 minutes it seems, forget about securing
beautiful old display cabinets, shop fittings etc unless you are prepared, they
go quick!..very quick!!
I have to say it helps if you have a big budget and project in mind,
with a show this huge you need to be focused and be able to edit quickly and with extreme efficiency. This time was definitely a primer and a teaser for me, I got some great stuff including a 1950’s Knoll coffee table but it
can be brutal, best be prepared! I can't say I got everything I wanted as it was already gone.
I managed to get some shots of the Show;
Mainly details that intrigued me. Dawdling around with a camera however can distract
you from the purpose of actually buying stuff so I hope you enjoy my snippets ..but really my eyes were on the prizes!
This is a great description of the show...and it was fun, despite the weather!
ReplyDeleteJan
Wow, it looks amazing and a bit intimidating! I think I would go broke in a place like that - or maybe not - I'm too easy-going these days and I'd probably miss out on everything. Good hunting!
ReplyDelete