Brimfield - Thrill Of The Hunt Prevails At This Springtime Tradition

BRIMFIELD, MASS.

:The first gathering of the faithful, May 8-14, for thrice-yearly Brimfield Antiques Market was good even though the weather was not. May weather in this small village about 70 miles from Boston is frequently not too pleasant, and this year while the temperatures were okay, rain was an ever-present threat. Even so, exhibiting dealers, show promoters and Tim May, manager of the most prominent parking lot in the area, reported that there was a great deal of good business.

The consensus was that while there may have been slightly less traffic, those who came were serious about finding some good antiques to take away from this world-famous market.

Tuesday morning there were the usual crowds at the fields, about 17 opened that morning with very few spaces for dealers who had not reserved ahead. The Meadows was very active, according to Don Schweikert and Larry Baum, who exhibit in a shared tent. The third dealer in the tent, Arthur Bear, said he nearly sold out of silver and was resting by 8 am.

Quaker Acres, like The Meadows, opens without an admission charge at sunrise. This year, the business there by 6:30 am was so intense that dealer Kitty Saylor of Hamilton, Ohio, had no time for small talk. Nearby was Jeff Andrews from Salisbury, Vt., who was offering a set of step back Windsor side chairs for $1,000. Architectural remnants were the principal offerings from Architiques of Oneonta, N.Y.

Jamie Buchanan and Herb Ouellette, trading as Grey Goose Antiques of Poland, N.Y., have held the front booth at Central Park for many years. Buchanan commented after the week's activity, the weather did not affect sales and his total volume in furniture and transfer ware was typical for the May market. Central Park is among the fields that open at first light with no admission charge, remaining open through the weekend.

Next to Grey Goose was Wyben Hills Antiques, Westfield, Mass., which sold furniture of early country style and primitive construction. Among the initial morning sales was an early livestock grain feeder that had been converted into a planter. Adele Dambrowski, Rochester, N.Y., was selling McCoy and Hull pottery, while Adelle and Robert Hammond offered Fiesta ware from their Durham, Conn., inventory. An unusual set of eight comb back Windsor chairs was offered by H.G. Webber from his streetside booth. The Hampton, N.H., dealer also had an unusual E. Howard clock, dated 1867 with its provenance.

Faxon's Midway was again the week's home for South Paris, Maine, dealer Magoon Bros. Among its antiques were a birch bark canoe and some other typical Maine items. Jon Magoon has been doing the market for many years with his collection of primitive early furniture, household accessories and many hunters' relics. Just across the aisle was Rich Lefkowitz selling his extensive collection of small decorative antiques in as-found condition. One example was a well-executed sampler in a broken frame without its glass for $600. This Gilbertsville, N.Y., dealer also had some early Lionel electric trains from the 1940s.

Dealer's Choice opened at 11 am on Tuesday morning with a large crowd in attendance. With more than 400 dealers on the site, owners Tom and Lori Faxon have been operating this field with only the one day of selling for many years. At the opening, there was a surge of visitors running to where they knew their favorite dealers had something for them. One couple, in town for the week from their native Japan, ran the 100-yard dash to the covered pavilion to shop for some textiles. Sally Whittemore, Washington, Ill., was left covering their exhibit while her husband, Michael, was off shopping for their next great acquisitions.

Newark, Ohio, dealer Tom Heisey had a large collection spread out on the grass along the fence without much fanfare. He said, "There isn't time to do too much here, for it all happens in just a few hours and I am doing okay." He added that Dealer's Choice is a good place for the buying and he had already done some.

In the pavilion on site, Jan and John Maggs, Conway, Mass., were holding court with a selection of early household articles, and across the aisle Bobbie Davis-Fionda of New Ipswich, N.H., was exhibiting a selection of Staffordshire figurines. Antiques show promoter Frank Gaglio was a dealer and picker before he began his shows, and he still likes to exhibit when time allows. The Rhinebeck, N.Y.-based dealer said his sales were very good, with several folk art pieces finding new homes, and, of course, he did some shopping while he was there.

Tuesday's offerings were not over until Brimfield Acres North opened at 1 pm with several hundred more exhibiting dealers on the grounds. One dealer near the entry was not present because he had sold all he had brought, including a set of eight Pennsylvania painted chairs. Presumably, he was out shopping for some more inventory to load onto his box truck. Auctioneer Bill Ekelberry from Spencer, Mass., has been a regular at this show for some time with furniture and folk art.

Tom Gessay brought a variety of early advertising and sales promotion props from his Vernon, Conn., home. Brimfield Acres North has become a favorite for other dealers with similar materials. Dave and Bonnie Ferriss from Lake Luzerne, N.Y., had a sign offering "Newspapers and Wholesale" by the proprietor, L.O. West.

Ronald Zelnick, Mount Dora, Fla., has been in the business of dealing in hunting and fishing collectibles for about 20 years, and his merchandise ranges from decoys and duck and turkey calls to fishing lures. The pride of his booth at this show was a cypress hen mallard, circa 1910-20, from Louisiana.

Using the hood of his car as an impromptu gallery, Matthew E. Schwartz, a fine art dealer from Cherry Hill, N.J., was testing the Brimfield waters for the first year with a small display of Nineteenth Century paintings. "People love the quality of the work," he said, as he showed a few gems, such as a landscape on canvas by Carl Christian Brenner (1838-1888). who was born in Bavaria but was active in Louisville, Ky., until his death, as well as a mystical scene with snow by a Belgian artist and a landscape with cows by a Danish artist.

John Barney of Cape Cod, Mass., had his share of rarities, including a Civil War-era shipping casket, used, he said, to ship home the remains of slain officers. Lined with zinc or tin and insulated with horsehair, the macabre relic featured a portholelike lid for viewing and drains in the back to remove water from the melting ice. Among Barney's early sales was a rare flensing tool - made for scraping whale blubber in the late 1800s - which came with its wooden storage case and yellowish cosmoline-smeared blade intact.

A 24-piece Tiffany bouillon set in floral motif and with 22K gold decoration was among the featured items at TLC Antiques, Pottstown, Penn. Antonio and Linda Carannante specialize in glass and have come to Brimfield for the past five years, always at New England Motel. "We have met a lot of nice people and made many good customers," said Linda Carannate.

A fully restored Hoosier, circa 1915-20, had all the bells and whistles at Sweetheart Cottage Antiques, Richmond, Mass., which is the business of James and Marcia Farley.

Near the front entrance to New England Motel, Michael Cardin of Capitol Salvage, Tolland, Conn., was doing a brisk business with his firm's Victorian architectural designs. A big seller that morning, he said, were the 35 factory linen carts he had acquired from a defunct textile factory in Fall River, Mass. "I sold 12 of these this morning," he said, demonstrating how by simply adding a tempered glass top, the rolling square carts could be transformed into a coffee table.

After a couple hours at New England Motel, the Wednesday crowd heads across the street to get in line for Heart-O-Mart's opening at 9 am. Embracing a small lake, this field features more than 500 dealers in ten sections and it is one of the central attractions during Brimfield week. It, too, was celebrating an anniversary this year - its 25th.

"It's been an exciting and rewarding 25 years for Heart-O-The-Mart staff," said Pam Moriarty, show promoter, who with husband, Don, built it into one of the must-see shows for the week. "We've made countless friends whom we look forward to seeing again each spring. Providing a clean, comfortable venue where our dealers can do business has always been important to us, and we know our dealers appreciate it."

When the front and back gates swung open for the 75th time at Heart-O-The-Mart's opening, a large crowd swarmed onto the 17-acre field and the dealers were ready.

Ron and Joyce Bassin of Bird in Hand, Florham Park, N.J., were there with their usual great selection of stoneware rarities. One such piece was a two-gallon, two-handled jar by Jonathan Fenton, circa 1794, with a fish incised on both sides. Nearby, John and Dannette Darrow, Binghamton, N.Y., had set up a display of their Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Chinese Export porcelain, including the always popular Rose Medallion and Canton. Highlighting their merchandise was a rare pair of rouge de fer jugs, circa 1820-30, the only known service by Robert Bennett Forbes from the Boston area.

Near the back entrance to the field, Rick and Jane Jackman of Canastota, N.Y., were set up as Silver Lining Antiques. There, a couple of furniture finds included a pair of Morris chairs, one by J.M Young and the other by the Brooks Brothers, and a set of six Thonet chairs, circa 1950.

Folk art rugs were featured by Laura McCarthy, Rockland, Mass., including a compelling table rug, circa 1906, from Rhode Island. A perfect Mother's Day buy, the "Mother Albro" hand hooked rug represented a unique family history in its lamb's tongue scallops listing all of her children.

Hertan's again provided the afternoon's entertainment, opening at 1 pm with ritual ringing of the bell by show owner Jeanne Hertan. Almost hybrid antiques show and auction, the no-admission market suddenly swarmed with people who conducted bidding wars with one another as merchandise was quickly pulled out of trucks, vans and cars and set up on tables by some 180 dealers. An unforgettable sight was auctioneer Ron Clarke of C&C Auctions standing like a colossus above the crowd holding a fistful of money aloft in one hand while the other was throwing silver flatware onto a table where anxious buyers competed for it in a feeding frenzy.

Another visual metaphor was provided by the truckloads of "great stuff" brought in by Paul's Antiques, Frederick, Md., which sprawled into a veritable bazaar of large wicker hampers, pottery, wooden barrels, baskets and stools when disgorged after the noon bell rang.

It is de rigueur to quiz dealers about treasures that may be out of view before the show opens. So it was that Lance Fromme of Andover, Mass., a furniture restoration specialist, brought out a miniature mahogany two-over-three chest in original finish and with working locks on every drawer.

There was a phalanx of vintage radios at G. Frey Associates, Millersville, Penn., a wealth of ephemera and prints at Paper Art, Newburyport, Mass., an antique lighting enthusiast's dream atop the tables set up by Bob Milner of Hope, R.I., and even a funky Day of the Dead folk art chair offered by Log House, Doylestown, Penn.

Another dealer who had come a long way was Jeff Butler from Venice, Fla. Butler had several New England pieces with him. A circa 1800 blind cherry corner cupboard was one of the first pieces he brought out. It had two middle drawers that were cutaway and divided.

Tom Pendergast, a dealer who was shopping, was examining a Chinese belt buckle made of jade, gilt and bronze. He had left his partner to set up while he walked the show, something many dealers were doing.

Darrell Dirr's area was crowded as he unloaded some of his items. He had a running horse weathervane with a cast head and zinc coating marked for $2,200. It had some spots of wear and repair, but pointed the way into Dirr's booth where crowds found a coin flip gambling machine with a sailing clipper ship painted on the glass. Charles Kemp of Asheborn, N.C., purchased it. Barbara and Phil Evans from Glen Gardner, N.J., were searching for pond boats and found three nesting pond boats they purchased from Dirr, who said that he has been coming to May's for 20 years and "always has a great time." Even the rain did not bother him, a sentiment repeated throughout the day. "Just have to keep more inside the truck than I like to, but everyone knows they can come in to look," he said.

Inside Dana Nickerson's truck - Nickerson's Antiques, Brimfield, Mass. - was a Victorian mantel from a local colonial home. It was quarter sawn oak with a large center mirror, about 7 feet high, with carved columns; Nickerson was happy it was raining, "then we don't have to lift it off the truck, it weighs a quarter ton." A Victorian baby carriage with its original parasol, stick and ball construction and original upholstery was lightweight and sat on the damp grass, ready to roll away.

Fine art dealers seemed to be the most concerned about the rain. At Jesse James Antiques, Bristol, R.I., James Dumas was showing a signed Don Freeman (American, 1908-1978), Ashcan school lithograph, 40/50, of a dapper gentleman sitting at a restaurant table with other working-class men, for $575.

Nearby at Marta Kartsonas, Chicago, was a Russ Webster (1905-1984) "Harbor Scene" for $2,200. The image resembled an Emile Gruppe painting of Gloucester harbor and indeed Webster was a Cape Ann painter and a longtime friend and student of Gruppe.

Unbothered by the rain, a Schwinn "Wizzer" 1950 motor/bicycle was ready to go. In completely restored condition, with only two miles on the engine, it was at Roland Amey's area. Amey said he had been approached by a museum near his Bucks County, Penn., home to donate the bicycle but hoped to get $6,500 for it from a collector or possibly someone who wanted to counter high gas prices.

While May's was replete with fine art and antiques, it is also known for its unusual offerings. Philip Gallant's Antique Circus had a ticker tape machine, circa 1908. Labeled "N.Y. Quotation Co.," it was one of two he had brought from Baltimore, Md., and was $7,500. He had sold a similar machine long before 10 am.

The dealers were also very pleased with the sales. Art Gillam has a shop in Marlboro, Mass., and does this show. During the show, he had "very good sales. I sold a lot of silver, some Wallace Nuttings [prints], some pottery and glass. Funny thing was the silver sales were mostly Saturday in the rain." He added, "On Monday, I had some sales at the shop to a customer who saw the [antiques] at the show."

Warrensburg, N.Y., is near Lake George and home to Don Miller, who had a presentation of late Nineteenth Century oak furniture. Characterizing his results as "good," he added, "I really sold well with one piece I never even took off the truck. The guy is coming to pick it up next week."

With sports paraphernalia as their collection, Diane and Doug McElwain, Goldsboro, N.C., "did great" they said. "We sold some stools that were made from baseball bases to someone who was decorating a new restaurant and a lot of other stuff." Doug McElwain said they packed up Friday night concerned about the weather, but they will be back in the summer for more.

The week was billed as a big success by most of those in attendance; buyers, dealers and show promoters, for the people who came were there to build their collections. Sales were strong in all categories, with buyers who were building inventories and others who were decorating the home or adding to a collection.

Look for the repeat of this market July 11-16. For information, www.brimfieldexchange.com.