: Each and every Sunday between April and early December a devoted
group of antiques vendors from near and far make their way across
Route 7 in the predawn hours to one of the largest and most
popular weekly flea markets in the area. The Elephant's Trunk
Flea Market, with its humble beginning some 30 years ago, has
grown into a highly respected and ever- expanding show.
The number of dealers varies from weekend to weekend and
accordingly so does the selection of merchandise. A variety of
factors regulates the number of dealers that make their way onto
the field on any given weekend, weather being a main one, yet the
field has room to accommodate almost 500 dealers and has more
than 1,000 parking places for an eager public.
"The market started in 1975," commented manager Greg Baecker,
"and I took over in 1976. At that time we were setting dealers up
on the front lawn of the house, usually about eight of them, and
the spaces were $8 a spot. As other regional markets began to
close down, more and more vendors made their way to the
Elephant's Trunk and soon the fields in back of the house, once
leased to a farmer for haying, were being cut for exhibitor
space. The market continued to expand, finally reaching its
current configuration in early 1990.
"We still have two of our original vendors with us on a
weekly basis," said Baecker, "Doug Sinclair and John Perry;
unfortunately we just this year lost two of our regulars including
Newtown vendor Al Karcheski."
When thinking back on the old days at the market, Baecker fondly
recalled, "There used to be a farmer down the road a little ways
that had a lot of cattle; every now and then some of the cows
would get loose and they loved to come up to our fields. I can
remember mornings when we arrived at 3 am to get ready for the
market, that the first thing we had to do was somehow herd these
cattle back down to their barn."
With the farm long-since gone, when Baecker and his crew arrive
these days all they find is a long line of dealers patiently
waiting admittance onto the field. "We can handle 490 dealers,"
said the promoter, "but on an average Sunday between May and
October, we get around 300." Last Summer, the market filled to
capacity on a couple different occasions and has come close this
summer as well.
The "Trunk" was admission-free to buyers for many years, although
with spiraling costs of labor, insurance and other amenities, and
in an effort to keep booth rents in check, the market began
charging admission in 1998.
Die-hard antiques shoppers are in line before daybreak and
pay a premium of $20 to enter the show during setup at 5:45 am.
Admission drops to a buck after 7 am, but it is still in time for
serious buyers to do some good shopping.
The pace is quick and more often than not there are rumors of
treasures, some of which are even confirmed. Virtually all of the
regular shoppers have their own tales of glory - decorated
stoneware jugs for $10, an early cobalt pontiled soda bottle for
50 cents, and then there was the fish weathervane that came off
the field for "$300 a couple years back only to sell at a local
auction for $7,500," according to Baecker. There was also a
Seventeenth Century bible box that surfaced on the field that was
ultimately consigned Hyde Park Auction with it selling at
$11,200.
At least half of the vendors bring antiques with management
roughly estimating that of the remaining half, 20 percent deal in
collectibles and 30 percent in crafts and new merchandise.
The Sunday shows just before and just after Brimfield, and
holiday weekends are extremely popular. The furthest any dealer has
reportedly traveled to the show is from Texas, claims the promoter,
adding, "We also have one from Louisiana that regularly does the
show." They are both Brimfield exhibitors and they set up the
Sunday before and after Brimfield week, he said.
Other dealers we have seen on the field have traveled as from as
far as Maine and there are even some Cape Cod dealers that make
the trip to set up once or twice a month.
The Elephant's Trunk is open annually from the first weekend of
April through early December, with the exception of Easter
Sunday. This year the market will close down on December 11,
baring a early season snow storm that leaves an accumulation, at
which date the market will close for the year.
For further information 860-355-1448.
