The sun was shining and people were buying!
Review & Onsite Photos by Carly Timpson
NEW MILFORD, CONN. — As if Mother Nature was in the know, the cold and dreary early spring weather cracked just in time for the opening day of The Elephant’s Trunk Flea Market’s 50th season on April 12. You really couldn’t have planned it any better, and everyone on site was sure to let you know just how perfect the day was.
As the show promoters shared on social media, “The field is buzzing with energy, amazing vendors, great finds and smiling faces everywhere. What a perfect way to kick off our 50th Anniversary Season!” With the field opening at 5:30 am for early buyers, plenty of great finds were already snatched up by dedicated pickers ahead of the 7 am general admission.
Before the show opened, its promoters thanked the community, writing, “For decades, The Elephant’s Trunk Flea Market has been more than a market… it’s been a place where memories are made, stories are shared, and treasures are discovered. Whether you’ve been coming for years or planning your first visit — you’re part of what makes The Trunk so special.”
This sentiment was shared by many of the longtime dealers who look forward to “The Trunk” every year, where they know they will see returning customers, excited new buyers and friendly neighboring vendors with a vast array of merchandise. Even several shoppers stopped to share their excitement with us, one noting he drove nearly three hours for “The best flea market ever,” adding that “You can’t find anything like this just anywhere!”
Stephen Weeks was had a great opening to the season, as he told us, “I’ve been doing really, really well. It’s the perfect day!” Bethlehem, Conn.
In addition to antiques and vintage dealers, the show regularly hosts local artisans, up-cyclers, food vendors, farmers and florists and various other creatives — a true one-stop-shop, and you never know what kind of treasures you may find.
Stephen Weeks, who has been dealing at The Trunk for about 15 years, was in high spirits when we stopped by his booth around 9 am. “I’ve been doing really, really well. It’s the perfect day! Sometimes, since there’s so many people here, there’s so much stuff, it’s overwhelming and kind of hard to home in on what you actually want, but people are buying today. It really is just the perfect day.” In his booth, he had an assortment from concert posters, old books, a 1920s Royal typewriter, vintage tools, street signs and cultural artifacts.
Jacey Bradshaw echoed Weeks’ praises, saying, “I haven’t seen it this busy in a long time. And I don’t think there’s ever been an opening day so good.” Bradshaw has only been selling at The Trunk since 2024, though she said she’s been shopping it since she was eight or nine years old. On her tables were many porcelains — including pitchers, serving pieces and figurines — glassware, candlesticks and trays. And, she had a selection of framed art and mirrors displayed beneath them. As we were talking to her, a buyer came over to inquire about a pair of antique etched mirrors. As Bradshaw noted, “It’s the perfect day, so energy is high and people are buying.”
Despite the bustling flea market environment, Jacey Bradshaw still took the time to artfully arrange her wares. Waterbury, Conn.
Mike Casey, from New Britain, Conn., was busy helping an interested shopper with a traffic light he had on offer. With only red and green signals, the light, which had all its wiring and was in great condition, would have dated to 1914-30, as the yellow light was added in certain US cities around 1923 and became the standard by 1931. This rarity prompted Casey’s declaration about The Trunk: “You can’t find these kinds of things just anywhere!”
Craig Andrews of Birdhouse Brokerage (Upstate New York) stated that The Elephant’s Trunk is “the best flea market in the country.” He creates one-of-a-kind birdhouses using reclaimed materials, advertising them as “eco-friendly and rich in charm.” The 25-year veteran said, “We come from two and a half hours away in New York, and it’s more than worth the drive. Where else can you go that’s like this every single week?”
For folks looking for pop culture collectibles or nostalgic pieces from childhood, several dealers were on site with toys, games, cards and music that would fit the bill. One such vendor was Steve Alstad. He has been selling at the flea market for about five years and noted that “anything and everything” was selling on opening day: “nostalgia stuff, Pokémon, even Switch 2 games, which is crazy, first that they’re at a flea market and because they’re only about a year old.” Items still left on his shelves included comic books and magazines, board games, Star Wars figures, Disney items and CDs. In the few minutes we were with him, he sold a Star Wars Lego set to one young child and another was “ripping” packs of Pokémon cards.
With 2026 marking the 30th anniversary of Pokémon, early trading cards have been selling for record prices. This savvy young shopper opted for the flea market opposed to an auction house and reported a few great finds, including one with full art, in the booth of Steve Alstad, a New Milford local.
Tom Sutton was also in the collectible market, though most of his focus was on music. He had an entire table set up with CDs spanning genres and generations, offering them as singles or three for $10. He told us that most buyers were choosing to take the bundle deal. At about 8:30 am, he reported, “I’ve made almost $200 from CDs alone.” On another table, he had a smaller selection of vinyl records, so we asked, between the discs and records, which were doing better. “I’ve sold some vinyl, but they’re slower today. Young people are driving older cars that might not have Bluetooth, so they’re buying CDs to play while driving.” In addition to the music, Sutton also had some related band merchandise, as well as sports jerseys and golf clubs — “golf stuff has been moving as well,” he said.
Oddities collectors rejoice — Lin Vitarbo was back with her specimen jars, fossils and taxidermized displays. Her business, Endurvinna, specializes in diaphonization, which, she explained, is the use of multiple chemical baths to render a specimen clear while only dying the cartilage and bones, and it is used for studying a species’ anatomy. For a truly unique jewelry piece, try one of her vibrant green seahorse necklaces, or perhaps you’d like to sign off with a fish pen! A scientist and researcher by trade, Vitarbo also offered editions of Annals of Improbable Research, Science, Skeptical Inquirer and the first issue of DC’s 100% True?, a short-lived series of “fact-filled comics from the fringe.”
The Elephant’s Trunk Flea Market runs at 490 Danbury Road on Sundays through December, weather dependent (weekly weather updates are posted on their Facebook page). For information, www.etflea.com or 860-355-1448.
