Brimfield: Finds, Tips & Bits

Creepy religious dolls and grecian tumblers. Yes, I did purchase everything on this table.

Mariah, appropriately garbed for the muddy day, checks out some vintage magazines & books.

She makes antiquing look mighty chic.

Brimfield MA, host to the annual epic flea market to end all flea markets, debuted this month with its first sale of the year.

Antiques, reclaimed, repurposed, and recycled goods all for the taking, bargaining and dealing. I love antiquing and hitting up flea markets, in fact, I was raised on them (remind me to tell you the story about my grandfather's flea market some time....I still have dreams about reopening it and starting a new career).

This year was especially exciting for me, as I had my trusted sidekick in antiques, Mariah of Quite Continental (who posted about the outing here), and importantly a house to furnish!

I went in looking for paintings, wall hangings (a Suzani perhaps?), and carpets. I left with creepy religious dolls, Grecian inspired tumblers, Parisian plates and a Cari Cucksey sighting (of Cash & Cari one of my favorite shows!).

Helpful tips for Brimfield:

• Leave early! We did not this year and ended up sitting in traffic for an hour getting into the town. 
• Bring a GPS, it saves time when you want to navigate around the traffic jam leaving the town. The scenic route was beautiful and shocking, still so much devastation from the tornadoes that swept through the area last year.
• Consider a cart on wheels- I think I may upgrade to this next year from my oversize shopping totes.
• Wear comfortable shoes (wellies or moccs are my choices) and layers (sweaters, parkas, the works), you never know what the weather has in store in May.
• In my humble opinion, pay up for parking. It's important to have a lot that is close to the action, that you can get in and out of easily (to drop goods off) and that you can have a clean exit from at the end of the day.
• Bring cash. Always king.
• Drive an SUV or have a plan for shipping if you plan to buy oversize objects.
• Expect some deals, more likely than not, expect to pay a fair price. Brimfield is large, and popular, with crowds (or professional decorators and shoppers) willing to pay top dollar in many cases. The dealers can be a cantankerous lot but are willing to negotiate if you offer a fair price. 
• I'd recommend you leave the pups at home, it's a long day and a lot of walking. Some fields do not allow pets.
• Stock up on water and snacks.
• Bring hand sanitizer, the porta-potty's are use at your own risk, especially towards the end of the week!

And I'll leave you on that note! Have you been to Brimfield before? Feel free to leave additional tips and insights in a comment below!

For more info on the upcoming dates and tips on the trek, check out the Brimfield site here.