It started out as a very chilly but sunny day as I left early in the morning to head to one of my favorite places, Brimfield Fleamarket. As is usual I met one of my good friends Sue to spend the day with me hunting for treasures that catch our eye. When heading out I always have a tape measure and my notes of measurements for area’s that I am looking to fill in my home. (Don’t tell Bill because he says I already have enough stuff!) Walking shoes and a bottle of water along with sunscreen are necessities, and of course CASH, most vendors only take cash and it is much easier to bargain with the green stuff in your hand.
No matter what you are looking for it is there some where. Every time you go to Brimfield there is always one item that you see over and over and over again. It is never the one that you would think it would be. This years was watch and clock parts. Since Steam Punk is pretty popular right now that made perfect sense. Being one of the things Bill wants to try and create in his not so spare time I picked him up a few neat looking gears for him to play with. The other thing I saw a lot of this time were dog statues that came in pairs. Who knew!
The booths I love the most are the ones that the vendors really put a lot of thought into setting up. They are the ones that make you want to buy a whole vignette of great items and just bring it home and stick in a corner or on that wall that is lacking. Painted furniture happens to be another of those things that draw me in. So of course when I saw Karen’s booth, Pink Paper Rose, I was hooked. She takes items you see everyday and just has a knack for painting them with just the right details and arranging them ever so nicely. You’ll notice her everyday items that really speak to you as they sit giving you that “come buy me” wink. I asked Karen what she uses for paints and she makes her own chalk paint! Wow, that is awesome. I know when you check out her etsy store you will love her items as much as I do.
Did I mention that you can find ANYTHING at Brimfield? Well I wasn’t kidding. Not only are there vintage kitchen wear that your mother and grandmother had, but you see airplane parts, nautical items, vintage clothes, medical tools that you know oh to well and so much more. Bill had been looking for a manikin to dress as a butler to adorn our front entry way…….. you guessed it I found one! I have a wagon that I bring along for carrying all my wonderful finds. So as I am waking the isles with this dis assembled manikin in my cart you can just imagine the comments and jokes I heard. It made for great conversation with some wonderful vendors and shoppers for sure.
All in all it was a great fun day we started at 7:00am and didn’t get home until 7:00pm and believe it or not I didn’t see everything. So until next May when Brimfield opens again start making your list of things you want to find and join me for a day of fun! I usually go on the Friday so I have the weekend to play with my new treasures.
Have a great day!
Kim
I must say I am really enjoying your blog. My brother is in the same business as you but he could really take some pointers from your blog in terms of a good example of ho to market online. Great stuff!