It’s always on my calendar, the first day of the first Brimfield flea market of the year. At this point we have a plan in place. Drive up Monday night to get a hotel, wake up early and have breakfast in Palmer and then we do the show for exactly one day. By late afternoon we head back –this time making a detour to see Mr. Frank Pepe– and then back home. Easy as can be, and just enough Brimfield until next year.
Two things to say about this year’s outing: 1. the weather was perfect, good temps and no rain. 2. I didn’t buy one thing. That’s never happened to me before, but it doesn’t really bother me either. I enjoyed just being out there and seeing the people and all of that old stuff. This time around it felt like I was having plenty of fun just taking pictures. No promises for next year when I’m sure I will be back to my old tricks.
Go to Brimfield at least once in your life. Walk around, be at a field when it opens, eat a Pilgrim sandwich and maybe even find some treasures to buy.
Thanks for the great photos. I haven’t been in ten years, and I didn’t appreciate what it was when I went.
That looks like a Spanish Chair by Børge Mogensen, see http://www.danishdesignstore.com/products/borge-mogensen-spanish-chair
They are quite expensive
Where’s Doug?
Everything looks amazing, but that box of stamps! OMG… what a treasure
Great pics.
Are all those leather club chairs actually old, or do you think they’re repros?
Always wanted to go when I lived on the East Coast. From the photos it looks like it blows the Rose Bowl Flea out of the water.
whos the babe with the snowshoes?
Awesome post Michael. Was there yesterday, and your photos make me embarrassed of mine.
Loved that back wall of stacked suitcases.
Canton OH!
I was just there today! Love all the pictures.
I’ve been thinking about attending this market for thirty years. Your photos may have been just the impetus I needed. Can you give me the name of the show where these pictures were taken?
The old suitcases in the first photo look like that kind issued in the British Army in the 1960s. I have a couple of hammers like those in third photo. They came from my father-in-law, who inherited them from his father. I wonder, however, where all the leather covered chairs came from.
That map of Africa is sweeeeet!
I am guessing that the leather club chairs came from Paris. When I was at the big Paris flea market a few years ago, there were many booths there that had rows of chairs like that.
Nice to see what appears to be a photo of a corner of my buddies from Hartford Denim’s setup.
I am pretty sure those club chairs come from a seller in Miami, but I don’t know where they are originally sourced from.
Great photo choices!
Re the club chairs: I live in Paris, and yes, they are all over the place at the main puces and the local fleas that pop up every week. HOWEVER, I strongly suspect that a lot of them are artfully aged reproductions or re-upholstered originals. The real vintage ones seem to be few and far between. Caveat emptor if you really want them. (I am not suggesting that the ones in the photo are being misrepresented — just that there are a suspiciously high number of vintage-looking leather club chairs in the world right now)
Oh yeah, the other “vintage” item I suspect is being widely knocked off are those roller maps — I’ve seen the same colonial Africa map here at a number of puces — and while it’s possible that every French lysee had the same one in 1938, and that they were miraculously preserved for 70 years, it’s highly doubtful. I really think at this point I’d want a map expert to sign off before paying more than $50 for one.
Looks like an amazing flea market. Too bad I live so far away!
So awesome. We are headed up tomorrow morning but only have a couple of hours. Would you recommend any particular venues (i.e. fields)? Thank you!
I can’t believe all those old cases behind the leather lounges, that would put me into heaven. Great pictures wish I was able to get there
These are quite a treasure in the real sense! The leather chairs seem new although they designed quite old-fashioned. The wooden cabinets would look neat in an a study :)
Looks like a great place to shop. Are things priced at retail or are there bargains to be found?