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Antique hunters from far and wide are about to descend on a little town in Massachusetts for the return of the Brimfield Antique Flea Market.

Brimfield — a western Massachusetts town of less than 4,000 — has hosted New England’s largest outdoor antiques market for more than 60 years. And the upcoming July 14-19 run marks the second of the market’s three yearly runs. The event boasts “thousands” of vendors and attracts more shoppers than organizers can even count, according to Lori Faxon, owner of the Brimfield Antiques Center.

“For those three weeks, we pretty much overtake the town,” Faxon told me.

Over the course of the six-day stretch, there will be more than 20 different antique shows set up on fields in the town for customers to peruse. “Different fields can have more than 400 dealers. Some will have fewer than that. It varies from show to show,” Faxon said. (Faxon is also the owner of two of those field shows: Dealer’s Choice, which is open one day only, and Midway Antiques, which is open for the length of Brimfield’s run.)

As the years have gone on, it’s not just antique housewares and furniture on display. Vintage clothing and jewelry have become hot commodities at the flea market among the younger crowd, Faxon added.

In other words, there are a lot of hidden treasures to discover. But the search can be daunting if you’re a first-time visitor. So I chatted with Faxon to get a few insider tips on navigating the expansive offerings at Brimfield and how to make the most out of your time:

Editor’s note: This conversation has been lightly edited for clarity. 

Hanna Ali: Vendors are scattered, usually, over different fields. Where should a visitor start?

Lori Faxon: “When you come to town, it’s important to know where you’re parking because it’s like a mile-long strip.  There’s going to be parking signs everywhere you go. You can park at the [First Congregational Church] for $20. As you go in [to Brimfield] you might find other spots that are charging $10, $15. From Wednesday through Sunday, we offer $5 parking at the Dealer’s Choice. So if people’s budgets are tight, that’s always a good option for them. You might want to park your car more on the west end, because a lot of stuff’s going on on that end of town at the beginning of the week, and maybe on the east end later in the week.”

HA: Are there admission fees?

LF: “So some of the shows do charge admission, but generally they only charge admission either their first day or the first few hours they’re open. And there’s plenty of fields every day that are open that don’t charge at all. But if you want to be a part of that excitement of getting onto the field the moment it opens on a paid admission field, then you pay your $5 or $10 admission. It varies between fields. But if your budget’s tight, you don’t have to do that.”

HA:  Do you think it’s really worth it to come as early as possible? 

LF: “ It depends on why you’re there. We run the Dealer’s Choice and that field, although we do have a retail crowd, it’s on opening day of Brimfield. And the reason it’s so popular is because sometimes those antique dealers will [come to] my show on Tuesday and they may do another show later in the week.

“Say, for example, you’re a camera dealer. And I am a furniture dealer, and I went in and I bought a house full of furniture, and in the back corner there was a box of old cameras. And the guy says, ‘Do you mind just getting rid of those?’ So I say, ‘All right, I’ll take those.’ So when I set up at the show, I’m basically a furniture dealer, but I’ll throw that box of cameras out for 25 bucks.  Well, unbeknownst to me, there’s a $2,000 camera in that box. Well, the first camera guy that spots it, he just made himself a cool about 2,000 bucks.  And that’s why they’re willing to pay that extra money to go in early — because they want to get to it before someone else does.”

HA: In that case, is it worth it for the average retail shopper to come early?

LF: “If you have specific things in mind and you’re able to come earlier, it’s the better thing to do because you’ll get a better selection. I don’t want to say it’s picked over, because some of the dealers bring out new merchandise throughout the week, but it dwindles as the week goes on and it’s to your advantage to come early. Also, it’s less crowded.”

HA: Are there any food vendors you’d suggest?

LF:  ”There’s a ton of food to be had there. Every field has multiple offerings in the food department. We have a woman that’s from Worcester, her name’s Teri, she’s been on my field for years, and she sells the best grilled cheese sandwiches you’ve ever had in your life. They’re to die for. And people come to Brimfield just to eat her grilled cheese sandwich.

“But you know, once again, if the budget’s tight, they can pack a lunch, go back to their car, and enjoy a meal there. They can bring their own drinks and snacks or whatever. But if they have a few extra dollars, there are so many food options to choose from. It’s great.”

HA: Is there anything else people can or should bring?

LF: “Especially in the summer, I tell people to bring drinks, stay hydrated, because we do have issues, especially with the elderly, the heat gets to them a little bit.

“And to wear good walking shoes. These are actual fields, so you don’t want to be wearing your flip-flops. This is a good day to put on a good pair of sneakers, and sometimes there’s a little bit of mud if it’s rained the day before. And also — because I don’t know that there’s anywhere in town that sells sunscreen — bring your sunscreen with you.”

HA:  If you’ve got a whole day versus a few hours, or you’re staying in the area for the whole week, what would you recommend doing? 

LF: “I would say it really doesn’t matter. Like, deep down, it’s wherever you end up, wherever you park your car, just you basically start hoofing it in one direction. When you reach the end, you turn around, you start in the other direction. If you have a few hours, then you’ll just see what you see. And if you’re there for the whole week, you’ll see more of it. You don’t want to rush it because there’s so much there to see — you could spend a whole day in one booth.”

P.S. — Before you hit the road for Brimfield, check out these tips from two Boston vintage store owners on what sorts of labels and quality markers to keep an eye out for as you search for secondhand treasure.

A vehicle crashed into a hair salon in Danvers, Massachusetts, leaving three people injured on Thursday.

Police said the crash happened shortly before 3:30 p.m. at Beijo Beauty on Newbury Street.

Three people inside the business suffered injuries that are believed to be non-life-threatening, police said. All three were taken by ambulance to local hospitals.

A fire official at the scene said the three patients’ injuries are considered minor. The building was evacuated after the crash.

One customer told NBC10 Boston she stood with an injured person while someone called 911, adding that her own car had been damaged.

“I was done, I was just about to get up. If I had been in my car, I would have gotten really hurt,” she said. “My car got totaled.”

Police did not say whether the driver would face any charges.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

Governor Maura Healey said in a statement that she was “deeply disappointed” by the president’s decision and would keep fighting to secure federal dollars for Massachusetts.

“Our first responders, public works crews, and local communities worked around the clock to keep people safe and begin recovery,” she said. “They did their job, and now President Trump needs to do his.”

Climate advocates say the denial — which came on the same day that Trump rejected three other Democrat-led states’ requests for winter storm relief — reflects the administration’s politicization of disaster aid.

“Communities in Massachusetts and everywhere deserve a federal government that makes decisions for all people, and not just those that they perceive as having voted for them,” said Kate Sinding Daly, senior vice president for law and policy at the Conservation Law Foundation.

The president can declare a major disaster when a natural catastrophe is shown to have exceeded a state’s capabilities and resources. An analysis conducted by POLITICO in March found that it is three times harder for blue states than red states to get disaster funding under Trump.

According to the analysis, the president has approved just 23 percent of disaster funding requests from states with a Democratic governor and two Democratic senators, compared with 89 percent of requests from states represented by Republicans — an unprecedented discrepancy.

The analysis also found that Trump takes an average of 80 days to respond to disaster requests from Democrat-led states, compared to 39 for Republicans.

Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, strongly disputed that the Trump administration was politicizing decisions on disaster relief. She did not comment on why Trump denied Massachusetts’ request.

“President Trump provides a more thorough review of disaster declaration requests than any Administration has before him,” she said in a statement. She said the president was ensuring tax dollars were used by states “to supplement — not substitute, their obligation to respond to and recover from disasters.”

Former Washington governor Jay Inslee described the president’s approach to disaster aid as “outrageous, immoral, and illegal.” During Trump’s first term, the president reportedly ignored Inslee’s request for wildfire relief because of a personal dispute.

“He will consciously, willfully, and joyfully deny people aid who are at the most difficult moments of their lives,” said Inslee, who co-chairs the advocacy group Climate Power. “It is so infuriating to see an American president use disaster aid as a cudgel.”

The Healey administration announced in early April that it had requested a major disaster declaration for the February blizzard. It sought to reimburse state agencies and local governments in the southeastern part of the state for snow removal and other storm-related costs. The blizzard downed hundreds of power lines and trees, and nearly 300,000 people lost power at the peak of the storm.

Last week, Trump rejected disaster declaration requests from four Democrat-led states who had sought aid for the February storm: Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, and New Jersey. The president’s decision came just days after he approved aid for six Republican-led states.

“Trump is either politicizing disaster declarations or he is attacking states where it snows — neither is good,” wrote Senator Ed Markey in a social media post. “The February blizzard was costly for our communities, and Trump must approve the Commonwealth’s need for assistance.”

Senator Elizabeth Warren said a statement that the president’s decision was “cruel and makes clear he doesn’t see himself as a president for all Americans.”

“Communities in Massachusetts were hit by one of the worst storms we’ve seen in decades, and instead of sending a lifeline, the President is leaving everyday Americans out to dry,” she added.

Rhode Island officials also slammed the Trump administration for denying the state’s request. The winter storm hit the state with the intensity of a Category 2 hurricane. Providence had to cap spending for the rest of the fiscal year after record-setting snow.

The state’s congressional delegation — Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Senator Jack Reed, Representative Seth Magaziner, and Representative Gabe Amo — wrote a letter calling on the president to reverse the denial. A preliminary assessment found more than $19 million in damages across the state, the letter said.

“You chose to leave Rhode Islanders out in the cold,” the lawmakers wrote.

Meanwhile, the president approved a major disaster declaration for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe in Massachusetts related to the February blizzard. (Federally recognized tribal governments can directly request a disaster declaration.)

Additionally, FEMA announced on Thursday that it had approved nearly $5.7 million for projects to reduce future disaster costs in New England, including more than $1 million for Massachusetts projects combating flooding.

Kate Selig can be reached at kate.selig@globe.com. Follow her on X @kate_selig.