A Day Trip For Antiques

For one week each year in May, July and September, New England plays host to one of the biggest antiques and collectibles flea markets in Brimfield, Mass. The markets began when auctioneer Gordon Reed noticed that there was as much trading happening in the parking lot of his yard, Auction Acres, as there was in his auction barn, so he made it into an event in 1959. His antiques market was so successful that his neighbors started doing the same thing soon after, building up to what today is about 22 contiguous fields from Tuesday through Sunday three times each year. The conclusion of the final Brimfield Antiques Market for this year was Sept. 6 to 12.

This has become the scene for several HGTV shows to shop for stuff. It is the place to go to fill the home with great furnishings from floor to ceiling, and the garden as well. It can be pre-Columbian art or something that looks like it, or maybe fantastic remanufactured tables made from salvaged materials that were previously the floors of a factory or a table that came from England in 1650. The light fixtures might be original whale oil lights complete with their wicks and oil, or as the new pieces are called, steampunk, made from abandoned industrial materials. 

The Antique Textile and Vintage Fashion Show and Sale was held at the Sturbridge Host Hotel and Conference Center in Sturbridge, Mass., on Sept. 5. This event has been ongoing for 26 years as the leader in its specialized field, always on the Monday of Brimfield Week in May and September. It is a source for wonderful textiles for the home to be made into drapes and upholstery or clothing, and also fashions from the last 200 years. 

Customers for this event come from all across the country, as well as Europe and Asia, looking for vintage fashions to use as is or to copy, reproducing for retailers in their home countries or for export.

It is fun to watch many of the lovely women as they model the fashions from earlier times, and in some cases, they have even coaxed their fellows to join them. 

Coming up in late September for a long weekend is Vermont Antiques Week, Sept. 29 to Oct. 2. There are four shows perfect for a day trip. While some are on Thursday and Friday, you can catch all of them on Saturday and Sunday. 

Here is the basic information: Weston Playhouse in Weston, Vt., Sept. 29 to Oct. 1, open Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Okemo Mountain Resort in Ludlow, Vt., Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Stratton Mountain Ski Resort in Stratton, Vt., Saturday and Sunday, 802-989-1158; and Antiques in Vermont at Riley Rink in Manchester Center, Vt., Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., 802-236-2342. 

It’s a beautiful ride at that time of year with the fall foliage, worth the trip if you have the time. Happy trails.

On The Trail with Tom O’Hara focuses on art, auctions, antiques and home décor.