Dan Freeburg Antiques, Wilcox, Penn. -Hertan’s

This small town faces the thrice yearly weeks of Brimfield Antiques Market with an equanimity gathered over the more than 25 years the antiques shows have been in operation. What used to be a small farming community is now a worldwide destination, the Mecca of the antiques world, almost.

Spring rains continued into the early summer for the July 11-16 session of this world-famous weeklong series of antiques flea markets. Monday was the setup day for many of the exhibiting dealers, a day to erect the tents and unload their fresh stock of chairs and tables, quilts and rugs, dishes, pottery and more. All were working feverishly to be ready for the first light of Tuesday when the visitors came with cash and checkbooks in hand.

Rain threatened most days early in the week with fast moving storms of heavy rains and high winds Tuesday afternoon, but this did not seem to adversely affect the business of the week. Tim May, who runs the most prominent parking lot in the market area, said his lot’s business “was typical for July. We filled most days but not as early in the morning except of course on Thursday and Friday when the most popular fields of those days are next to us.”

According to several promoters, their business of renting spaces to selling dealers was typical for July with spaces available for the last minute decisionmakers. “We can usually accommodate the weather birds [those dealers who check the weather reports before committing to a space in an outdoor show or market],” said one field owner who wanted to not be quoted by name.

Tuesday

A selection of Eighteenth Century Irish silver offered by Robert Lloyd, New York City. -Shelton’s

In the early dawn the street was filled with shoppers combing the exhibits that open at the start of Brimfield Week. Traffic begins in the early predawn with experienced shoppers picking around at The Vermont Tent of Green Acres to see what there is in Stone Block Antiques’ collection. For this session there was an early desk, mahogany veneer with the secretary top and rope turned columns of American Sheraton design offered for $900.

American Spirit Antiques is the business of Bill and Kay Puchstein, from Ohio, but now living mostly in Florida. They favor early country painted furniture which was filling their oversize tent on the street space in Heart-O-The-Mart.

Central Park, Faxon’s Midway, Sturtevant’s; they were all getting ready for the crowds and starting to sell to the first arriving customers. Collins Apple Barn Cafe is primarily a restaurant in the middle of the market area, but even it has a variety of vendors – about 20 to 30 – in its front yard. The owners Suzanne and Joe Collins have a big business with their restaurant for breakfast and lunch all year, but the three weeks of Brimfield create extra demand.

Later in the morning Dealers Choice opened to very large crowds. This show owned by the Faxons has a reputation for fast deal-making. The buyers came to get something special for their collection or inventory but they are in a hurry, for the next field opens at 1 pm. The crowds surged when the gates opened at 11 that morning. Lori Faxon was pleased with the results for the day for as she put it, “The rain was threatening but our dealers were ready for it so when it came there was little impact on our show.”

The crowd finishes up at Dealer’s Choice around noon and begins to filter across the street for the 1 pm opening at Brimfield Acres North. With space for about 400 dealers, this show has gained a lot of popularity. Rain and lightning were among the visitors to make their way onto the field about an hour after opening, but customers saw it coming and did their work fast. Sales around the field were reported as good overall

Wednesday

A nice Eighteenth Century chest in the booth of Sandy Diog, Somers, Conn. -May’s

New England Motel opens at sunrise, or nearly so, at 6 am, as it has for 20 years since Marie Doldoorian and Howard Pratt began it with about 150 dealers in the spring of 1986. By 5:45 am it was almost impossible to get to the gates as so many customers were pressed against them. Over the years Doldoorian and Pratt have made many improvements and, most importantly, have constructed three pavilions – Dealer’s Row – where 75 dealers exhibit their antiques and collectibles in room settings.

By 6:15 am Pat Farley, from Merriam, Kan., was busy fielding questions from shoppers about his collection of still banks, toys and a signed, 1929, Sabino art glass vase, “La Danse Gaite,” that was in front of his booth inside the second pavilion. “I’ll be here all week, but right now I’m pretty busy,” said Pat as he posed briefly for a picture.

Right next door, Bob Nowicki, Edgewater, Mass., was also showing an eclectic mixture of paintings, Civil War items, burlwood tables and a few pieces of American architectural stained glass. “The stained glass is mine,” said Richard Kurtz from Phillipsburg, N.J., who was just storing his purchases in Nowicki’s booth. “I don’t come to sell anymore, just to buy. I’ve been coming up from New Jersey for over 15 years.”

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. “The smaller items are going fast,” Cardin commented. Paul Caron found 12 cast iron urns and a wrought iron bench that he promptly loaded onto his wagon to take away.

“Brimfield in the summer can either roast you or drown you,” said Sandie Fowler from Dunstable, Mass. She was proudly sporting a T-shirt that read, “New England Motel 10 Year Vet, 1987-1997.” “Hopefully, they’ll make a 20-year shirt!” With Wendy Harvey, Fowler said their shop, “www.antiqueartiles.com, is the largest tile dealer in the country.” Her featured piece was a 1950s Harris Strong tile design approximately 3 by 4 feet, with 60 tiles. It showed a mounted knight with flags flying, which could be mounted on a wall, for $2,850.

The weather was overcast and humid in the morning, but no rain to force dealers into their tents so their wares spilled out, giving shoppers a chance to browse. Joe Perkins of Plymouth, Mass., took advantage of the space by placing his Victorian couch with dark pink stripes outside of his tent. Inside at #9, where he has been for 17 years, he was doing a brisk business with perfume bottles, commemorative plates, books, candelabras and things you really might find in your grandmother’s attic. His company name is “I Sold Grandma’s Stuff.”

Mario Pollo, Woodstock, N.Y., at Brimfield Acres North.

It was barely 8 am when the crowds seemed to thin, an indication that many were wandering down Route 20 to await the 9 am opening of Pam and Don Moriarty’s Heart-O-The-Mart. With sons Eric and David, Pam and Don were calm while dealing with the usual host of logistical issues that dealers were bringing to the show office; even when one dealer rushed in and asked if they still had a spot he could set up, Pam just smiled and nodded and sent him to register.

With a small lake at its heart, the market features dealers in ten sections. From the dealers who set up in the spaces closest to the road to those in the back fields, there is an excitement evident as customers await the opening. Many rushed to the back fields where it was reported that the dealers there would only be open for a couple of hours.

In the rear, with the lake and lily pads for a backdrop, Tim Kiser and Gil Hahn were unconcerned about the rush. “Our customers know where we are; they enjoy visiting us here, especially in July when the lake lowers the temperature and there’s usually a breeze,” said Gil. Featuring impeccably polished sterling silver, The Silver Butler from Flourtown, Penn., had tables laden with pieces but when asked the inevitable question, they both agreed their most interesting item was a sterling Royal Windsor tea set. Circa 1930, by Towle, the elaborate set filled the tray and required both of them to hold it.

Nearby, David Vargo and Mark Sample had set up their simple tables from the back of their cars with art pottery, Arts and Crafts and European pieces. David was sporting a straw hat that was a good idea as the sun, something not seen at Brimfield for the past several shows, made a brief appearance. An Art Deco plate with a deer was by Charles Catteau for Bosch Freres Keramis was just one of several special pieces they had brought.

Tradewinds Fine Art, exhibiting at “Heart” for the past 20 years, was filled with Nineteenth and Twentieth American paintings – from Gruppe to Chase to an Impressionistic 1950s oil on canvas of wildflowers. Tradewinds has its shop in Newport, R.I.

Wooden Nickel Antiques, Cincinnati, Ohio, had a truck filled with architectural antiques such as a set of four carved wooden panels, two of which sold moments after the show opening. Taken from a large, Victorian house built in the late 1800s, two of the panels were approximately 25 feet long and two were approximately 20 feet. Dealer Patty Williams thought they had been used like crown moldings when she pointed out the tapered edges of the panels.

Amey Antiques, Buck’s County, Penn., also comes each year with items ranging from antique hand pieced quilts to antique one-armed bandits (slot machines) that took either a nickel or a quarter. The dealer also had a large board filled with beaded purses of various ages.

With a wonderful assortment of furniture and some decorative items, Dan and Chris Seldan, North River Auction Gallery, said they have been coming from Saugerties, N.Y., for 12 years. They had a set of ten original paint decorated, stenciled chairs, signed Walter Smith, from the 1840s out front and a French Art Nouveau oak sideboard, circa 1895 “in the manner of Marjorelle,” tucked into rear of their booth.

Dan Dennis from Conesville, Ohio, was showing off his “PC barometer” – “It doesn’t have any mercury in it, it was removed before I bought it,” he noted. A primitive but attractive piece from circa 1850-60, anyone could buy it without fear of breaking any laws for $495.

Steven Still Antiques was showing a York County, Penn., decorated jelly cupboard, circa 1850, on which he had several crocks and Shaker boxes, all brought from his Elizabethtown, Penn., shop. Sitting and watching the opening run, were Ernie and Dina Barker from Springfield, Mass. Ernie mentioned he is planning to set up an auction on the Moriarty’s back field in September; his trade name is The Auction House.

As it turned 11:30, there was a general exodus toward the many food vendors and toward Hertan’s, which was scheduled to open at noon. As people began wandering into Hertan’s, which is free to enter, most of the dealers were in place prior to the opening bell. This year, Jeannie Hertan was not at the show, she has retired; David Lamberto has taken over running the show, and the job of ringing the bell to officially open the booths.

Dealers sit idly by awaiting that signal under normal circumstances, but this year, with the weather deteriorating, many dealers were setting up a bit early and no one was concerned. So when the bell rang, many had been doing business for a while and those who had waited were quickly trying to unload everything while watching for the rain.

Tony and Maria Versace of Indiana, Penn., at Absolute Antiques, North Palm Beach, Fla. -New England Motel

At Three Dog Antiques, Carol Edfeldt was pulling braided rugs out and setting up her furniture and paintings. From Royston, Ga,, Carol had brought several New England items with her. She had a mid-Nineteenth Century painted chest, blue over red, and on top of it a Victorian squirrel cage made from sheet metal and wire. “You know those Victorians,” Carol commented, “they collected everything, and made pets from any animal around.”

At Thomas G. Thompson Antiques, Carlisle, Penn., there was a pair of life-size cast iron whippets, painted in the 1930s, Tom thought, but most likely by Fiske. They were flanking a very folky, freeform cement bird from the 1930s and a fountain, almost definitely Fiske, from Hanover, Penn. The 4 1/2-foot fountain had two levels for water topped by a childlike figure holding a parasol from the top of which would come the water. Complete to the small knob on top of the parasol, this cast iron fountain was marked at $5,500.

A painting that might or might not have been signed was at Upper Canadian Antiques from Ottawa, Canada. It showed the West Point Narrows on the Hudson River, New York. With a small tear in the canvas and on its original 1838 stretcher, the painting sold quickly for $3,500 to an unnamed, intrepid buyer willing to “take a chance on it.”

By 1 pm the rain that had been threatening all morning finally came. Greg Hawriluk and Ben Masin hustled their early Nineteenth Century Continental gilt mirror under the tent. Greg said he had bought it in Key West, Fla., when he was coming back from breakfast. “I saw it on a porch of a house and stopped the car. My wife just sighed. I walked up to the house and asked them if they were interested in selling it – and they were!” He brought it back to Point Pleasant, N.J., where he operates Point Pleasant Galleries, and then to Brimfield, Mass.

Thursday

Dark and foreboding clouds hung in the sky as the crowds began to grow on Thursday morning for the opening of May’s. The first people in line were in place well before 8 am and by the 9 am opening, the crowd had swelled into a large mass that all but blocked the road to vehicular traffic in front of the market. Dick and Laura May concurred that it was a good-sized crowd for a July event, especially in light of the weather.

Management, as it has in the past, once again lifted the no-tent rule, allowing dealers to get their tents set up a few minutes prior to opening. “Tents Only” announced Dick May over the loudspeaker. May is strict about no merchandise being displayed or offered prior to the buying crowd making its way onto the field.

Despite extremely dark clouds blowing across the skies, the rains held off, at least until the gates opened to the public. A brief shower kept some merchandise in the dealer’s vans; within ten minutes, however, the rains passed and everything was back to normal.

There seemed to be a very good representation of paint decorated furniture on the field. Nice blanket chests and groups of chairs were seen in the booth of Orchard Park, N.Y., dealer Robert Perry.

Thomas Peper, Lewisburg, Penn., offered what he termed the “rarest and most desirable” of the Grenfeld rugs, mallards in a snow storm. The rare piece was displayed among a good selection of painted furniture and was stickered at $2,500. Lancaster, Penn., dealer Steve Smoot had a nice assortment of painted furniture as well, although it was the Pennsylvania country smalls that were attracting attention early on. The dealer had a nice assortment of painted tole, chalkware and redware.

A nice four-drawer Chippendale chest was getting quite a few looks in the booth of Somers, Conn., dealer Sandy Doig.

Bill & Lil Antiques, Rockville, Conn. -New England Motel

“Buy, Buy, Buy” was the slogan on an early red, white and blue war bonds poster that was offered by Holyoke, Mass., dealer Chris Swain. When asked if people were “buy, buy, buying,” she commented, “Not yet, but I have hope.” A nice robust horse weathervane was attracting attention in the booth of D.L Straight, as was the apothecary chest on which it was displayed.

George Browning III came to the show with a truckload of stoneware. The dealer uses the inside of the truck’s cargo box as a display area with pieces inside ranging from an early signed Paul Cushman jar to a vibrantly decorated Bennington churn. “I sell privately and only do three shows a year, Brimfield in the spring, summer and fall,” he said.

Friday

J&J traces its roots to the very beginning of Brimfield. Now owned by sisters Judy Mathieu and Jill Lukesh with support from Judy’s daughters, Jill Balderelli and Laurie Prescott, this is the largest of all the fields. The founder of Brimfield was Gordon Reed, father of Jill and Judy, who created the flea market in 1959 as an outgrowth of his auction business conducted on their Brimfield home site.

The show is now the last to open each week but with usually the biggest audience for its large collection of dealers. This July the weather for the early morning opening was excellent and so too was the crowd. Numerous exhibiting vendors were expressing their joy as early as 9 am Friday, just three hours into the show.

Michael Rouillard, Sterling Conn., said his Friday sales were “really good but Saturday was slow. I probably didn’t bring enough.” Jan LePore, Northfield, Mass., and Wendy Cornwell, Orange, Mass., were too busy Friday morning to stop for a conversation. Gene Hays, now living in Lititz, Penn., said about his stoneware collection, “I think I must have priced it too low; I have sold so much and there seems to be a lot of interest in the rest.”

Postshow interviews reflected that dealers had generally sold well. Their expectations were met in terms of what they sold, but not always in the prices as July customers are always looking for the best deal. Promoters said for July they “did ok with the attendance about the same as the last few July’s. The weather probably kept us from having more because while the totals were off early in the week Friday and Saturday were busy.”

Brimfield will repeat September 5-9 with all the fields and all the visitors. For more information, www.brimfieldexchange.com.