9/13/11

Junk junk and more junk, and this time around it was very wet junk thanks to Hurricane Katya. This trip to Brimfield was definitely work though there was some play. On Wednesday we braved the tents at 6 AM, and good thing too as the rains were light and not yet a threat to our purchases. As the day went on, the mud got thicker, cars were stuck in fields, and beautiful antiques were slowly sinking into the grass. Thank god for my rain boots keeping my feet dry and warm, pushing off pneumonia for at least another day. After hours of searching, we gave up knowing that Mays, known for its higher end inventory, would be tomorrow. That’s where we would find most of the pieces for our clients. So we made our way back to our B&B and dove into bed at a whopping 5PM only to be asleep in a couple of hours. We woke to the pattering of raindrops on our window, and quite a mess outside. But with our hopes high, we navigated the winding, rainy roads to our antique mecca. As we drove through the main drag, some of the fields were emptying out, parking areas were closed, and then the icing on the cake, Mays was closed for the day… for the first time in Brimfield history… and we had to be there… shopping for clients who were paying for our services. Luckily we had found a few pieces already. So we did one last once over of the other fields, stumbled upon some new things and made our way to the car. Not a total loss, but not a total win. As for my own shopping, I stumbled on some great gems and talented people. The great thing about Brimfield is there are not only antiques. Artisans from all across the states come to sell there handmade goods here too. There was a man from Minnesota (?) whose fiance crafted these amazing coral and sea shell bottles. Blog post to come. I bought a few of his pieces and with some luck, I will be able to do some business with him in the future. The antiques were also amazing, and due to the rain people were just trying to get rid of stuff. So why not help them out. I scored a bunch of vintage bottles, some with shells and corals, some without, a 3 foot wire Eiffel Tower, a Phrenology ceramic human head, a ceramic hand, a human pelvic bone, and a beautiful oil painting of a ship from the late 1800′s. See first image below. Brimfield is an amazing source of antiques. Dealers come from all over the world to sell here. And, hopefully next time I go, there will be blue skies and nice temperatures, though I am sure the rain did reduce the damage I did on my pocketbook.