Trade Secrets at 25

On May 17 and 18, the 25th anniversary of Trade Secrets will unfurl like a perennial in full bloom. Held at Lime Rock Park and at private gardens in the area, the beloved garden and antiques fundraiser is part curated spectacle, part country house weekend, and all entirely for a cause — it is the primary fundraiser for Project SAGE, the Lakeville-based nonprofit that supports survivors of domestic violence across Connecticut, New York, and Massachusetts.

“People may think they’re coming for the bunnies and birdbaths,” said Richard Lambertson, co-chair and board member. “But they’re really helping fund emergency shelter, legal advocacy, and education. We want that to be clearer this year.”

Lambertson, co-chief executive and creative director of Lambertson Truex, has held leadership roles at Gucci, Geoffrey Beene, and Bergdorf Goodman, earning CFDA and ACE design honors for his distinctive American accessories vision. He and his fellow co-chair Carolyn Piccirelli, founder of Honeychurch Home based in Lenox, Massachusetts, are also Trade Secrets vendors themselves, meaning they’re sourcing, curating, designing, placing tents, approving flower choices, measuring every inch of the site with what can only be described as couture-level precision.

“We vet every vendor. We place every sign. We want every detail to speak the same language — classical, elegant, creative, and exciting,” said Piccirelli.

The event began in 2001 as the brainchild of designer Bunny Williams, antiques dealer Naomi Blumenthal, and horticulturist Deborah Munson, as a garden-themed tag sale on Bunny’s own property. Today, the show has evolved into a fully trademarked brand of its own, still deeply imbued with its founders’ eye and purpose.

Lambertson and Piccirelli estimate that about a quarter of the current vendors have been part of the event for 20 years or more. Still, the co-chairs work to keep the aesthetic crisp and focused. “We don’t want it turning into just an antique show,” Lambertson said. “It has to be garden-forward.”

While Trade Secrets runs like a well-oiled estate garden, it’s entirely volunteer-driven with over 300 volunteers — from Hotchkiss and Indian Mountain students to entire families who’ve made it an annual tradition. Vendors often arrive from across the Northeast and are treated to a cozy Saturday night dinner, complete with Bunny’s personal welcome and a talk from Project SAGE that, Piccirelli said, “brings people to tears.”

Along with the garden tour and the rare plants and antique sale, there will also be book signings on Sunday at Lime Rock Park. Meet Martha Stewart, Bunny Williams, Frances Palmer, Mieke ten Have and Rosie Daykin from 9:30 a.m. on.

For this anniversary year, the co-chairs have also made a few upgrades including new, bigger tents. “It’s going to look really pretty,” Piccirelli and Lambertson agreed. There will be a refreshed entryway with a surprise design from Bunny herself, and deeper integration between the event and the nonprofit it supports.

“This is our 25th anniversary, so it’s a big deal and our underwriting is off the charts compared to last year,” said Lambertson. “I think the state of the world has made people more willing to support a cause they believe in, and this year, everyone on the Project SAGE staff is working the show, the entire board is volunteering, and we’re putting the ‘why’ behind the weekend front and center because it’s not just a flower and antique show, it’s about the real impact those donations make.”

Still, for all its purpose, Trade Secrets is also pure pleasure—a ritual of spring, a place where heirloom roses and antique statuary coexist with conversations over peonies and local cheese.

“My favorite part is just when it opens,” said Piccirelli. “You feel the excitement, people are so happy to be there. The energy is electric.”

And like a true garden, it’s that combination of roots and bloom, tradition and reinvention, that keeps Trade Secrets growing strong.

For more information and tickets, visit: www.tradesecretsct.com