Insider tips for navigating the Brimfield Antique Flea Market

Editor’s Note: This is an excerpt from WBUR’s Saturday morning newsletter, The Weekender. If you like what you read and want it in your inbox, sign up here. 

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.