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Antiques in Autumn: Brimfield's World-Class Show

Antiques in Autumn: Brimfield's World-Class Show primecover_0910.jpg
September's outdoor event lures curious visitors from across the globe By Mike Briotta -- PRIME Editor If you can believe the legends of the Brimfield Antiques Show, this is the place where a box full of junk may actually be hiding an $80,000 treasure. Where an obscure painting, which sold for $200, could turn out to be worth a million bucks. If you've never taken the trip, it's like the TV show "Antiques Roadshow" on steroids, with massive rushes of people storming the opening gates each morning. Of course, the tales of hidden treasures are far from normal, but the third installment of the 2010 Brimfield show this month holds the allure of discovery for everyone. Whether you're an antiques aficionado, a collector of obscure objects, or just one of thousands of gawkers arriving daily, it's the place to be. The action takes place down a miraculous mile of Route 20, temporarily double-lined with dealers. High-end antiques, full of patina and provenance, are peddled alongside affordable trinkets and collectibles. Three times each year, a bazaar of the bizarre extends hundreds of yards back from the road. This is the largest collection of outdoor antiques and collectibles in the country. Seemingly overnight, the small town is inundated with more than 6,000 dealers and upwards of 130,000 buyers converging on the rural landscape. Casual onlookers browse cheek-by-jowl with the most astute antiques experts in the country. It's all about the thrill of the hunt at the Brimfield shows, the traditions of which are more than a half-century old. It has gradually blossomed into what's now seen as "America's Yard Sale." The Originators The thrice-annual event is actually composed of more than 20 fields, owned by promoters who lease spaces to dealers from all over the world. Individual show dates represent the days that each particular dealer or promoter is open, not the duration of the entire event, which in total begins on Tuesday, Sept. 7 and runs through Sunday, Sept. 12. If anyone can speak about the culture of Brimfield's antiques legacy, from the unassuming early days through the present scale, it's Judy Mathieu of J&J Promotions. Her father Gordon Reid is credited with starting the phenomenon in the late 1950s with a humble swath of grassland along Route 20 dubbed "Auction Acres." The market has since been renamed J&J Promotions, affectionately nicknamed "The Girls" by the antiques community, in reference to Reid's daughters, owner-operators Judy Mathieu and Jill Lukesh. "When our dad started this, it was about antiques and old collectibles," Mathieu said. "We have continued that, keeping the original intentions of what the show was to be. It's the granddaddy of outdoor shows. Now, there's something for everyone." The open-air marketplace of the Brimfield shows is an exercise in free-market capitalism, where supply and demand are the only rules. "The May show was wonderful," Mathieu said. "People were buying furniture and small merchandise. Things seem to be coming back with the merchandise people are taking off the field, and the dealers were very happy." Looking to this fall's event she added, "A lot of serious buyers come out in September. We're looking for this to be a great one. It's the last show of the season and they need to restock." She's been noticing more than a few bargain-hunters swooping in to snatch quality antiques since the economic woes of 2009. "People that have disposable income are buying higher-priced items because the prices have been reduced," she said. Regarding tall tales of antiques adventuring, Mathieu said that many treasure-hunters don't want to share their tales of finding rare items for cheap prices. "Sometimes they don't want you to know about it!" she said. "And a lot of local people just come to see what it's all about. They need that mixing bowl that reminds them of dear old Grandma." She continued, "It's so easy to get confused and forget about the time here. It's a treasure hunt." J&J Promotions has scaled back during the past few years, having topped out at more than 800 dealers in past years. "We have fewer now," Mathieu said. "We're smaller but we strive for authentic merchandise. Dealer count is down, but now it's about quality, not quantity." Her show touts acres of public parking: just six bucks for an all-day pass. All-day admission to J&J is $5 on Friday, and free Saturday. She encouraged treasure-seekers to visit Sept. 10 and 11 "to visit the original show, where it all began." Her event kicks off at 8 a.m. that Friday. Mathieu added, "I'm 70 now, and this is the property I grew up on. There's quite a history here." While certain fields open only at established times, there are always some fields open during regular hours at Brimfield, and therefore always some object of your desire to be haggled over, no matter what time you arrive at Brimfield between dawn and dusk. On Saturday, the gates at J&J open to the public at 9 a.m. Mathieu said the secret to her success is simple. "Nothing new," she quipped. "It's the same, quality show they've come to expect throughout the years." May's Days Hundreds of individual dealers also set up their wares on the fields of May's Antique Market. "We're going into our 34th year," said Martha May, owner of the prestigious May's Antiques. "We're one of the largest shows in Brimfield. Now Brimfield is composed of 21 promoters. We open Thursday of Brimfield week. Some open as early as Tuesday or Wednesday, we have Thursday, and J&J Promotions has Friday." According to town bylaws, the antiques events in Brimfield can only take place three times each year. Rules limit the shows to six days, including only one weekend. Business hours are legally limited from dawn to dusk. The promoters who run their individual shows that comprise the "Brimfield Shows" have nothing to do with setting the dates, which are governed by the town. Some veterans of the scene would advocate buying at the end of the show when the dealers are loading their trucks to leave. Although that strategy may land you a deal, it will likely be on items passed over by other shoppers. Others do the opposite, arriving before sunrise, Tuesday through Friday, and shunning the weekend. Whatever your strategy, cash is king here. Many dealers don't like to post prices, however, and haggling is always encouraged. The owner of May's Antique Market is among many who feel that the economy, at least in antiquities, is on the rebound. "The world is shifting, we're all being affected by the economy, but this July our numbers were up," said May. She added, "For September, we're expecting close to the [springtime] show in terms of numbers. We're different from all the others because our dealers do not set up their merchandise until we open our gates to the public. No early buyers. Everyone stays buttoned up." May's field opens to the public at 9 a.m. on Thursday, and parking is available across the street. May's Antique Market specializes in more expensive merchandise that can't be commonly found. "People we see are investing in artwork and high-end pieces," said May. "They're looking to the antiques world as more of an investment, something tangible to hang onto." She continued, "We have buyers from all over the world: Japan, Egypt, France, Venezuela, and Italy. The volcano [erupting in Iceland] affected European travel this summer. It's a global phenomenon at this point." Her typical show entails about 500-600 dealers represented, and all of the wares found on May's field aspire toward the top end of the food chain. Some highlights include Americana, primitives and pottery. "We have antiques and collectibles," she said. "We're not going into the flea market business. Our dealers are selling antiques, not tube socks or baseball cards. This is a Mecca of antiques." Heartbeat of Brimfield Heart-o-the-Mart, an 11-acre section on the strip, has grown exponentially since its first show in 1982 that drew just six dealers. Promoters Pam and Don Moriarty now boast more than 500 exhibitors. It has become Brimfield's third-largest show, which regularly sells out of exhibitor spaces up to a year in advance. "The [spring] show was probably the best show we had in over a decade," said Don Moriarty. "I think I can speak for all of Brimfield when I say that. We had to use lots we haven't used for a while. Sales were very crisp and dealers were happy." The show this month should draw great crowds from the East Coast, weather permitting. "As for September, it's just promises but based on what we're booking it should be a nice solid show," he said. "These shows have started to regain strength, and it has to be because the economy is coming back." Although average buyers seeking knick-knacks and trinkets will also be wooed, it's the heavy hitters that Heart-o-the-Mart continues to attract. "Brimfield is more about serious buyers: interior decorators; museum curators; Tommy Hilfiger looking to decorate their stores," Moriarty said. "Restaurant chains also come to buy up memorabilia." He added that folks looking to flip objects for quick cash, called "pickers" are also out in force. Pickers are essentially like the real estate "flippers" of a bygone housing market bubble. They frequently show up to Brimfield with wads of cash, buying in the morning with the hopes of selling for profits throughout the day. Most of the big money at Brimfield is earned by selling to other dealers, usually within the first two hours of each show. Serious antiques dealers from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut make up the mainstay of Brimfield buyers and sellers. During the weekends, the "retail" crowd moves in, which is industry slang for the Average Joe. These are folks who most likely aren't planning to part with their items, but rather are the end-users of whatever they purchase. "The retail crowd is important too," Moriarty said. "They tend to come in later in the week. The weather is also a factor, and that is usually pretty good in September." His contribution to the annual events is located in the thick of the action. "That's why it's called Heart-o-the-Mart," Moriarty said. "We're a 500-dealer show. Many do Wednesday only, but we do business from Wednesday through Sunday." Heart-o-the-Mart charges a $5 admission fee on Wednesday, and parking on Moriarty's field can range from $5-$10 depending on the day of the week. Moriarty has his share of stories to tell about great and elusive finds. "On our field last year a buyer saw an oil painting, the subject of which was John Singer Sergeant, a famous American painter. The buyer thought he recognized the signature as a Swiss artist who was a friend of Sergeant's, and asked, 'How much?' The reply was 'two-twenty.' He wasn't sure if this meant $220 or $220,000. So he said 'Would you take $200?' Sold! Last I heard, he was off to get it authenticated. If so, it could be worth $1 million." Moriarty told the tale of another buyer in the 1980s who picked up a box lot of items for just $15. Buried among the junk was a small painting from the 1930s that he sold to a museum in the Midwest for $80,000. Of course, Moriarty was quick to add the caveat, "These things don't happen every day." PRIME For more information, call the Brimfield Information Line at (413) 245-7479 or the Quaboag Chamber of Commerce at (413) 283-2418. All three promoters listed in this article can also be found online.