Some of you may have heard of my plans to go to the Brimfield Antiques Fair. I’ve wanted to go for years and finally finagled my schedule to get out of town for a few days. After hunting around the Internet, I found very little about what to expect at Brimfield. So I thought I’d give you a little down and dirty info on what you should anticipate when navigating the Fields of Brim.
What its like:
It’s a hunter’s heaven - field after field, acre after acre, strung together by temporary not-so-bad food stands of all ethnicities manned by cheery folks with thick Boston accents. And no joke, the place is fairly bustling at 5am, booming by 6. Hot coffee and port-o-potties abound.
Each field opens on a different day at a different time and is named. Some are open throughout the fair and long time attendees certainly know which fields specialize in what, which are predominantly Americana, which are industrial, which ones have lots of smalls or jewelry.
And then there’s the people - couples in matching red nylon jumpsuits emblazoned with their hunt for vintage Mah Jong sets, people pushing cats in those ridiculous animal strollers stopping to look at Bakelite, and designers, shop owners, trendsetters, J. Crew and RRL employees with wads of petty cash and walkie talkies. All of these hard-core types know just what they’re looking for and come in all varieties. Think Trekies without the costumes. There are regular folk too, but not so many so early.
The town road through the fields is small, people are tired and literally schlepping furniture for miles, but 99% of the people I encountered were happy to be there. Like, really happy. I marveled at cars easily pulling out of parking lots into bumper to bumper traffic, with nary a honk or scowl. The shoulders of the road were overflowing with people awkwardly carrying their loot and there was not a shred of hostility from a passing motorer.
How to get your stuff home:
Surprisingly there were several makeshift UPS type places ready and willing to send your loot wherever you desired. And porters. Sweet, sweet porters. Can’t get that credenza back to your truck? Hire a porter who will happily cart it back to your parking spot for a few bucks. Genius.
What to bring:
Duh and duherer. You must bring comfortable walking shoes and layers of clothes (some suitable for rain). I recommend also having a medium sized tote to haul around some of your smaller treasures. You should also have a vague sense of direction, a memory for where you parked, and the other obvious things like a hat, sunscreen, pertinent measurements, a measuring tape, cash, checkbook, and ID.
Bring a friend or two – but only ones who are at least as enthusiastic as you. The days at Brimfield can be as long as you’d like, starting as early as 4 and ending as late as 6. And while I was fully prepared and even looking forward to spending several solo days, antiquing for hour after hour and holing up in my hotel room at night, I wouldn’t have had nearly as much fun. More on that in another later post.
Most importantly, I encourage you to bring a sense of adventure and a spirit of kindness. The vendors in Brimfield can be extremely knowledgeable and are mostly an extraordinarily friendly lot. Ask them questions about their wares. Share a story or a laugh. I heard stories about items that were gleaned from glamorous Upper East Side apartments and thing found at the local dump. Make connections with everyone. You never know when they’ll provide you with some new insight to your own creativity or that perfect treasure for your next big project.
