The line to get into Heart-O-The-Mart began more than an hour before the field opened.
Review & Onsite Photos by Andrea Valluzzo & Carly Timpson
BRIMFIELD, MASS. — One could not ask for better weather for Brimfield Week than what shoppers were treated to for the fall edition of the Brimfield Antique Flea Markets that ran September 8-13. Temperatures were mild, and the only rainy day was Sunday. Decent crowds of buyers descended on the small town, whose population more than doubles for these thrice-yearly antiques markets.
“The crowds were really very strong and even on Saturday, they were exceptionally strong said Don Moriarty, who runs the Heart-O-The-Mart field along with Pam Moriarty. Business looked brisk on each of the more than 20 fields that hosted a variety of dealers, vendors and events along Brimfield’s Route 20. “It was nice fall weather and that’s helpful.”
Brimfield Meadows
Brimfield Meadows, the field run by Klia Ververidis of Brimfield Antique Shows (BAS) and Scott Mesnick of Black Swan Meadows, closed its first full season as a new entity with its run September 8-13. Ververidis explained, “We took over marketing and vendor recruitment of the field, and the result is that it went from being one of the smallest shows to one of the biggest…. Under the new ownership and management, the field saw a significant increase in both dealers and attendance. We were over 250 booths in September compared to about 100 last September, and even the July show had a respectable 150 vendor booths, which far exceeded past years.”
Artemis, proprietor of Opossumancy, said this Dr D. Jayne’s blood purification sign, reverse painted with gold and silver leaf, is one of less than 10 known. —Brimfield Meadows
“The September show exceeded expectations in every way,” she continued. “Both the gate and the number of vendors blew away our benchmarks.” One thing that contributed to the increased success was having specialized sections dedicated to specific collecting categories. “There was a lot more energy on the field this year, and with the addition of our oddities section and the vintage clothing section, we brought a whole new audience and younger demographic to the field.”
The shared oddities tent, billed as “Opal Opossum Meadows,” was hosted by Artemis, the owner of Opossumancy. Artemis showed off some of Opossumancy’s handmade leathercrafts combining mystical stones and small antiques as accents on finely tooled leather. One such example was an exotic leather corset featuring a large, kite-cut amethyst — repurposed from a Schonbek chandelier — set in ostrich and further detailed by royal purple pirarucu among other leathers. Aside from leatherwork, Artemis highlighted antiques on display in their booth, including an exceptional scarce reverse-painted sign with an image of an angel holding a lily and reading “The Best Blood Purifier / for scrofula, cancer, epilepsy, dropsy, skin and liver diseases / Dr D. Jayne’s Alterative.”
Some dealers reported slower sales in the morning but noted the afternoon would bring greater luck since the gates open to the public with free admission. One dealer told us that there’s added excitement to the day even if you start slow, knowing that a whole new crowd will rush in later, rather than thinking the whole day will be a bust. The varied entry times are to “provide people options and experience levels,” shared Ververidis. “If it’s important for you to be first on the field to get the first pick of the merchandise, then it’s worth it to pay the early entrance fee. If it’s not as important, you can come in with the second wave, the general admission folks. If you’re just browsing or having a day out with friends, then you may not want to pay the entrance fee in which case all you have to do it wait until 3 pm or don’t come on opening day, as we are free to enter for the rest of the week.”
Dealer’s Choice
As is tradition, shoppers lined up to buy tickets and then moved on to the next line to wait for the 11 am opening of the one-day-only event on the Dealer’s Choice field. Don’t tell anyone, but we’re pretty sure the gates were actually unlocked at 10:59 on September 8.
Beneath the Dealer’s Choice pavilion, shoppers could find anything for any taste.
Right at the opening, dealers closest to the entrance were shocked into action, as shoppers tried to find the best pieces before anyone else. Justin O’Hara — whose booth would have been one of the first stops for those who ventured down the first aisle to the left when they walked, or ran, in — said that he made lots of sales right at the beginning. These sales by the third-year dealer included rugs, a variety of artwork and decorative items.
We were able to get a pulse-check from Barrett Menson, who has been selling here for about 30 years. “I sold some frames — not as many as usual though,” he said. “They’re liking country smalls — things they can just pick up and walk away with. Bigger pieces can draw people in, but they’re harder to sell.” In addition to the small country pieces, he noted that “Clothing and canvas bags are very popular right now,” adding that he looks kindly upon these newer neighbors because “that brings in new, younger people as well. They’re here first for vintage clothes, but they see things in our booths they like, too.”
One of those new neighbors was Andy Bissanti of Yard Crew. The vintage clothing dealer shared that he was “selling a mix of everything, not just one thing,” explaining that “trends are influential, but everyone has a bit of personal style.”
Andy Bissanti showed off the back of this 1960s Roncelli studded jacket. Yard Crew, Rochester, N.Y. —Dealer’s Choice
Under the large pavilion at the back of the field, shoppers could find a wealth of silver and jewelry, among more clothing, nautical antiques and photography. Antique Cupboard traveled from Wisconsin with their supply of sterling silver, silver and silverplate materials. Drawing interest was a table filled with miscellaneous sterling that pickers could rifle through and select pieces to be purchased by weight. Items included spoons, serving utensils, cream pitchers, small trays, charms and more. Elsewhere with Antique Cupboard, collectors could purchase silver cups and goblets, napkin rings, dishes and jewelry.
Sean B. Randall was another seller who sold jewelry, though these pieces were the focus of his selection rather than just an addition. The majority of the examples in his collection were purchased from estate sales on Cape Cod, Mass., and included sterling bracelets, gem-set rings, Rolex and Cartier watches, diamonds and gold rope necklaces. “No one has what we have. It’s all original. No janky or aftermarket pieces,” a representative with him said.
New England Motel
Some shoppers come and stay all week but Wednesday is a fine option if one can only stay one day to cherrypick the biggest selection of fresh goods. Three of the largest fields open on Wednesday, starting in the morning with New England Motel. This show always has a wide array of goods from vintage suede furniture to Japanese woodblock prints and everything in between across several buildings and long tent-dotted aisles.
PatsPots, Westport, Mass. —New England Motel
PatsPots does not have to travel far to get here from its base in Westport, Mass., only about 90 minutes. A longtime exhibitor here, the dealer features fine Rookwood and other American art pottery along with Japanese woodblock prints.
Other dealers come from far but do well enough here that they come back show after show, year after year. Jody Wilson and Jaque Froy of J & J of Tucson (Ariz.) are among those who enjoy returning to the Brimfield markets. Their booth this year featured a fine selection of Southwestern turquoise necklaces, bracelets and earrings, with fine metalwork and having large stones with fine matrices that created elegant lines and patterns.
Heart-O-The-Mart
Next up with a mid-morning opening was Heart-O-The-Mart, which Moriarty said had a bigger gate than last year’s fall edition. “It’s the best it’s been in a decade and the dealers for the most part, they did very, very well,” he said. “And that’s really all we can ask. I can’t speak for the other shows but my general impression is it just went well.”
Showrunners Don Moriarty and Christine Laverdiere greeted the crowd at the entrance to Heart-O-The-Mart.
Brimfield Antique Shows – Hertan’s Field
At noon, the final market of Wednesday opened on the Hertan’s Field, run by Brimfield Antique Shows, which also operates Brimfield Meadows and a Weekend Warriors show brings dealers back to Hertan’s over the weekend.
“It was a great show, and we couldn’t have asked for better weather. We had full houses and strong gates at both Hertan’s and the Brimfield Meadows,” said Ververidis. “The mood of the show was upbeat and positive all week. Everyone had a blast at our events, the auction on Thursday and the Friday evening appreciation party. We had one of the busiest Saturdays ever and our Weekend Warriors were very happy even though it rained on Sunday. The week went off without a hitch.”
Brimfield Week is no monkey business! —Brimfield Antique Shows – Hertan’s Field
May’s Antique Market
The “Brimfield rush” does not only describe shoppers eager to get into the fields. In the case of May’s Antique Market, which opened for one day only on September 10, dealers were also moving expeditiously, as they are not allowed to set up their booths until the field’s 9 am opening.
When the bell rang, it was all hands on deck to move items from bins to tabletops, from trunks to shelves, from bags to display cases. All the while, shoppers stampeded through the aisles, stopping to talk to these scrambling dealers, hoping to catch a bargain early. As to be expected, early buying was mostly small pieces that could be moved quickly. As we ventured through the booths, many dealers were making fast exchanges between unloading and organizing.
Tom Nagy, who has been setting up at Brimfield for more than 60 years, kept it classic with antique furniture. This chest-on-chest from the 1760s was made in South Windsor, Conn., and had known provenance, originally belonging to Captain Samuel Rockwell (1729-1794). Chelsea Hill Antiques, Hampton, Conn. —May’s Antique Market
One dealer who likely had a more challenging task as far as setup was Tom Nagy. Nagy’s Hampton, Conn.-based business, Chelsea Hill Antiques, focuses on traditional antiques, including period furniture, art and decorative objects. Having more than 65 years of May’s experience under his belt, Nagy reported that this most recent edition brought a lot of shoppers despite some changes throughout the years. “This used to be known as the furniture field, you know,” he told us. “Now I have less competition!”
Though the focus of the market has shifted and new dealers have come into the trade, Nagy still reported strong sales before 11 am. “It’s been good. There’s a lot of people coming through and I have sold a lot of paintings already.” One of the best items in his booth, he told us, was a 1760s chest-on-chest that had provenance to a Revolutionary-era military captain who lived in East Windsor and Colebrook, Conn.
Another long-time veteran was Mark Stockton, who also had more formal furniture than most. Stockton shared that he has no storefront and does not sell online, calling all of his material “Brimfield-exclusive.” One of the pieces in his booth, a Victorian or Renaissance Revival marble-top dresser with attached mirror, that had once belonged to President Chester Arthur.
You always have to watch where you’re going at May’s Antique Market because you never know when someone will step out to assess an object’s size!
Exhibiting the transformed tastes at May’s, Ashley Troy of Trunk & Disorderly (Worcester, Mass.). Within her booth, she featured 1920s through Y2K clothing and accessories, vintage décor and unique art. She shared that many shoppers coming through were looking for specific things — velvet art, Elvis-related pieces, leather, fringe… Thankfully, she had something to suit just about every request.
Vintage clothing was a popular category across the field, and Martha Camarillo had one of the largest booths dedicated to the trend. Though she could only chat briefly between transactions since she was so busy early in the day, one individual in her booth came over to report, “The energy is great! It’s much better than last year, it seems.”
The Brimfield Antique Flea Markets will return in 2027 May 11-16, July 13-18 and September 7-12. For information, www.brimfieldantiquefleamarket.com.
