Brimfield

[MABottleHunter]

Did anyone go to Brimfield? i saw a pretty nice set up with a fiddler player but i was only looking for cheap embossed cokes

 

[jays emporium]

I have never been to Brimfield. My wife used to go there 30 years ago. Now that I am retiring she wants to go the the Sept show this year and I'm excited about it too. Do you have any suggestions for a 55 year old bottle collector from Texas who has never been?
Jay

 

[div2roty]

Book a hotel early and be prepared to walk a lot. Also as fields open up throughout the week, be prepared to see items you have already seen earlier in the week.

 

[jays emporium]

We have one here that's called Roundtop/Warrenton Antique Weekend. It actually runs for 12 days in Sept and March. It is more spread out though, probably 10 miles long but scattered. There are probably over 5000 dealers oveall though. The good thing is most of the shows are free admission and free parking. You can drive from one area to another and find a place to park. The traffic is slow though on the weekends. I have never been close to covering the whole thing in one day. I'm going to start setting up there at the next Fall show. A 10'x20' booth in a tent is $600.
Jay

 

[div2roty]

If you count the post card show at one end of town to the very far show at the other end, Brimfield is fairly long too, although more like 4 miles?? It is fairly compact in town and it was always easier for me to generally park once and if I needed to drive at the end of the day to pick up the bigger items. But I'm really cheap when it comes to that kind of stuff, plus I was 25 or younger when I went.

 

[bottleopop]

Bring one of those upright rolling carts with front wheels that swivel to turn. Consider bringing a small folding stool to sit on once in a while if walking forever bothers you. I recommend changing parking places once or twice each day because the Brimfield show covers a long distance along US20. It's definitely worth it to spend a couple of extra doses of $5 or whatever, to be able to empty your cart and drive to another area farther down US20.

As you look at the Google Maps website, note that the antiques show area starts on the west side if where route 19 goes north from Brimfield, and is along both sides of US20 to where the map has the label "Meadows Antique Shows". If you click on "Satellite", you will see the white gravel roadways in the fields, and if you zoom in, you will see the hundreds of little paths people have made going around the canopies and tables, looking at the antiques. The areas farthest from US20 on both sides are where you park your car, and those areas are identifiable since they don't have the little paths where people walk around tables.

It takes about 3 days to walk the whole thing, partly because the fields change over the time of the antiques fair; on some fields, people pack up and go, and a new set of dealers takes their place. Some fields aren't open the whole time, so if you see a field operating, do that one.

Don't even bother trying to reserve a motel room in Brimfield. Find one in another town nearby if you're lucky.

 

[BillinMo]

I suppose opinions differ... I prefer to walk rather than pay extra parking and try to negotiate midday traffic that barely moves.

You'll definitely want to wear comfortable shoes. I gave up on sneakers and wore my hiking boots and I'm glad I did.

 

[jays emporium]

I made a hotel reservation at Rodeway Inn in Willington, Ct for $60 a night starting Sept 5.
My wife is excited about this trip. She has not been to Brimfield in over 30 years and she always tells me the antique shows in Texas are nothing compared to up there. Well, we're going to find out in Sept. I'm excited about it too.