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I am back and mostly recovered! Over the past week my brother and I have been vendors for the first time at the Brimfield Antique Show. The show is the largest and oldest outdoor antique show in the country. It is about 2 miles long on route 20 and about 1/4 mile back on each side of the road. Imagine that then imagine it bigger! We have been going to Brimfield shopping for many years and last September decided we could do this! So we went for it! And I am so ecstatic that we did.
Over the last seven months we started going to auctions, estate sales, thrift shops collecting anything and everything that we thought were unique and desirable. We collected so much that we filled a 14 foot box truck floor to ceiling.
What really worked for us was the fact that we did not just have one style but that we were eclectic with designer furniture, salvaged items, crafts and antiques. Something for everyone.
What had surprised me the most that the pallet signs I had made were so popular. After the second day I had sold out. I had to go home and pull almost an all nighter to replenish my inventory. What a great problem to have since I sold out again by Sunday morning.
Who doesn’t love a creepy clown and some chalkboards!
One of the best choices we had made was to bring our grill. Food equals friends. Jeff had started to smoke a pork shoulder around 10:30 in the morning and the wafting smell of the bbq drew people to our tent and started hundreds of conversations.
That night we had an fantastic dinner and made some amazing new friends including two that you should check out; Candy and Courtney from CNC Pop Up Shop and Cara from Juniper Vintage. Not to mention the amazing staff from Hertan’s Field who treated us like family all week long.
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If you are reading this outside of New England we were supposed to get crazy amounts of rain and wind on Friday night….and we did! We went to a local store and bought just about every tarp they had along with clamps and duct tape. Thank god we did. Sleeping next to the tent all night I thought the tents were going to blow over on us. I still have no idea how they didn’t. Needless to say it was a restless night.
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Thank god we tarped everything because we walk up in about 3 inches of water. Luckily damages were minimal. But everything happens for a reason right? We approached David the owner discouraged and almost in tears and when he brought him to our new spot I may have hugged him! He gave us prime real estate right on the road.
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After two hours of moving we arrived in our new spot and it was so worth the effort!
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This was one of my most sought after and most instagrammed items for sale at the show! The deer head is a cast iron reproduction that I picked up a few of at an auction sprayed a fun color and mounted.
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These beautiful tulips were given to me by a stranger and I thought how fun to pair with a vintage gas tank
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This was one of my favorite items in the booth. Jeff had picked it up and sprayed the frame a charcoal grey. We had no idea this would be the talk of the show. We just thought hipster girls would love it… and they did. But older men kept coming buy and calling her Chessie. It turns out she was the logo for Chessie Systems Railroads. How funny!
Overall we had a blast! Met some great people, bought some great things and sold a lot. We are already booked for September so make sure to mark your calendars for September 2-7 in Hertan’s field.
I think we met on Sunday at the end of the day. We are the app people! I’m so glad you enjoyed your first show. I really love everything about Brimfield! And I hope you will do a listing in the app in September!
I knew she was Chessie without you telling me! Does that make me an old lady? (Careful, I’m 56!)
I knew she was Chessie without you telling me! Does that make me an old lady? (Careful, I’m 56!)
You didn’t even mention the S’MORES!!! It was a great show AND ESPECIALLY NICE TO HAVE MET YOU. As first time dealers you were PROS!! See you in September.
OMG Susan how did I forget the S’MORES!!!! It was so great meeting you! Can’t wait for Hertan’s in September!