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THE
MAY 2011
BRIMFIELD
ANTIQUES FAIR
By Carlton
Hendricks
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16
pages - 16,521 words - 33
photo pages |
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1000
BRIMFIELD PHOTOS
AND
NOW WITHOUT FURTHER ADO
THE PRIMARY FEATURE OF
OUR STORY
MAP
OF BRIMFIELD - CLICK TO ENLARGE
Map
courtesy of Quaboag Hills Chamber of Commerce
BRIMFIELD
- HOW IT ALL WORKS
The
next day Tuesday was the big day, the start of Brimfield. The small rural town of Brimfield where the fair is held, is located
in western Massachusetts about an hour and a half west of Boston
and about a half hour east of Springfield MA. My hotel was in West
Springfield about a half hour from the show. Brimfield is renown
in the antiques world, and is reported to be the world's largest
outdoor antique event. I've been going to antique shows, flea
markets, and antique events of all kinds continually the last
twenty two plus years, and Brimfield is definitely the biggest
show I've ever seen. Matter fact, if there is such a thing as too
big, Brimfield would be it. The Brimfield Fair
started
in 1959 and is held three times a year, spring, summer and fall.
The spring fair is considered the best. By the way, the term
"spring" is used loosely at Brimfield, as the weather
has a reputation for being unpredictable. I'm
told the spring show can be anywhere from sunny to rainy to snow. Fortunately
other than a few sprinkles I never got rained on during my visit.
Although I've never seen a
show like it, the way Brimfield works is pretty simple. There's
about a mile stretch of a two lane road and on each side are
fields, twenty two total. Most are contiguous, or side by side,
see map above. Each field rents space to dealers. Some fields are
free to come in and shop and some charge five or so dollars; but the best shows charge. The fair stretches six days from
Tuesday thru Sunday but the fields don't open all at once. Some
are open all week but many stagger their openings throughout the
week at different days and times, as seen in the schedule below.
Serious
collectors know the schedules and are  lined up waiting to get in
at the openings throughout the week. Some fields are more renown
for having the best stuff. The May's field for instance seemed to
be considered the best field of the week by people I spoke to.
Some dealers move from
field to field through out the week hoping to tap fresh customers
that just arrived. You would think there would be a general plan
among the fields as to when each would open but there isn't. Each
field opens independently at their own discretion and it all works
out. Which in my mind serves as an interesting micro example of
free market enterprise, i.e. keep out cumbersome government
restrictions and watch business soar!
Schedule
courtesy of Quaboag Hills Chamber of Commerce
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