‘American Pickers’ star Rob Wolfe to attend Brimfield Antique Show

BRIMFIELD — You know how the old saying goes, “If you snooze, you lose.”

It is exactly the proverb that visitors to the Brimfield Antique & Flea Market – spreading along a mile-long stretch covering 150 acres of land along Route 20 in Brimfield – should adhere to when its first of three runs this year begins on Tuesday, May 13, and ends on Sunday, May 18.

Picture this.

When Dealers Choice Antiques Shows opens on May 13 at 11 a.m., hundreds of buyers will literally run through the gates to be among the first to shop the field and get a bargain or treasure – or both – before anyone else. It is called the “Brimfield Rush” and it is a popular tradition each year when buyers line up outside the many fields opening on the first day of each show.

“It’s so crazy to see them running through the gates, it’s like nothing you’ve ever seen before. Everyone wants to be the first to get to a particular dealer, often their favorite, in hopes of finding their own personal treasure before anyone else has a chance to buy it,” said Lori Faxon, owner of Dealer’s Choice.

As for beating everyone else to the dealer’s table, shoppers may have a little more competition this year.

Rob Wolfe of History Channel’s popular reality show “American Pickers” will be a special guest at Brimfield Auction Acres’ field on Friday and Saturday (May 16-17) and also has a little shopping of his own planned.

For some four decades, Rob has pursued his passion for all things vintage and motorized. His unrelenting quest has taken him to the far corners of the world, unearthing treasures and unraveling the captivating stories behind each piece he discovers. Guided by the belief that every object holds a narrative waiting to be retold, he strives to restore these treasures to their rightful place in history.

Along with his brother Mike, they have traversed the length and breadth of the United States, delving into forgotten barns and garages, unearthing what they affectionately term “rusty gold” to showcase on “American Pickers.”

“It’s been about 10 years since I’ve shopped Brimfield. Somehow my schedule always gets in the way, but this year it all worked out,” Wolf said.

He will be out and about throughout the day, interacting with dealers and shoppers with two scheduled “meet & greet” sessions on the property at the field’s Brimfield Winery Wine Garden. The Friday session will be held from 10-11:30 a.m. and Saturday from 2-3:30 p.m.

And there is still more.

Wolfe will be standing alongside Kate Corriveau, owner of Brimfield Auction Acres, for their “Brimfield Rush” when they open their gates on Friday at 8 a.m.

“I’ve never opened a Brimfield Rush with a celebrity before,” said Corriveau.

And Wolfe is excited, too.

“It’s definitely a rush, pretty crazy and not many people get to experience it. I’ll be standing right in the middle filming people as they rush by me looking for a treasure, and that is just what they will find here at Brimfield,” he said.

Wolfe has been collecting for 40 years. He stuck to the Midwest for the first 20 years before branching out to the East and West Coasts.

“Hands down, the best antiques are found on the East Coast, where America, the industry. started. In Maine, for example, you can find things from the 1700s, but in Iowa you will be lucky to find something from the 1850s,” Wolfe said.

The collector and reality TV star noted he has “found a lot of real treasures over the years” at Brimfield.

“I go to swap meets all over the country and always tell people it’s not about a huge treasure hunt and finding 20 good things. To me at the end of the day it is finding that one thing that makes it an especially memorable experience. If I can get one thing that has a great story behind it, as opposed to being a madman and running around to find everything all day, then I’m happy. And you’re likely to find that one item at Brimfield. There truly is no place in the world like the East Coast, it’s top notch, when you want to find something especially unique and memorable,” Wolfe said.

His best find at Brimfield?

“I consider it a trunk I purchased for $500 that when you lift the lid up you see a hand painting on it that depicts a British battleship fighting an American battleship, and that is what dates it. I still own it,” Wolfe said.

And don’t worry about Wolfe “picking” all the goods before you get there. He’s looking for some very specific things to take home with him.

“I’ll be looking for early blacksmith stuff, blacksmith signs, and anything to do with building carriages. I’m a big fan of the advertising industry, a lot of people shy away from wooden signs, which I will be looking for, as well as smalt signs made of ground up glass. These signs reflected light and were helpful in the early days when cars were coming out and there was no electricity along a roadway to power big lamps like we have today,” Wolfe said.

“I will also be going around to other fields and spending a lot of time talking to dealers, some of whom are friends of mine. I want to know what is going on in their world, where is the money going, and if there is anything new I don’t know about that is becoming popular. That’s how we learn things,” he added.

Two shows Wolfe won’t be visiting are Dealer’s Choice and Treasure Trunk Tuesday, both one-day shows on Tuesday only, before he arrives.

Faxon, who also operates Midway Antique Shows all six days of Brimfield, noted they were the first to introduce a one-day show at Brimfield with Dealer’s Choice.

“We have over 200 dealers at our Tuesday show, some very good high-end antique dealers, as well as a lot of vintage clothing, mid-century and modern furniture and art,” Faxon said.

Any show is always busy on opening day, she noted.

“People with deep pockets tend to come at the beginning of the week when the picking is at its best, although we certainly do see many retail buyers on that one day as well. It is a good day for shoppers looking for finds to sell at their own shops and for others who might not be able to afford a hotel to stay the entire week of the show,” Faxon said.

“Being there on the first day also offers another advantage. A dealer may have something they really don’t know much about and how much it is really worth. And if you are the first person who sees it, then you have hit the jackpot,” she added about the possibility of finding a real bargain.

The Brimfield market began in 1959 with one field owned by auctioneer Gordan Reid, which is now owned by the Corriveau family as Brimfield Auction Acres. Over the years, the Brimfield Antique & Flea Market has grown into 21 individual show fields started by his neighbors filled with dealers selling everything from furniture and garden items to folk and vintage art to collectibles, all kinds of memorabilia and much more.

Corriveau noted they started Treasure Trunk Tuesday for a number of reasons.

“A lot of people come from overseas or California, for example, and have a limited time to shop and don’t stay for the entire week. So, we felt we were missing an important market for those shoppers who we find come earlier in the week and wouldn’t be here for our two-day show on Friday and Saturday. Some dealers also can’t stay for the entire week, and a one-day show offers them the opportunity to still be a part of all the action that Brimfield offers,” Corriveau said.

“On the other hand, some dealers do make their visit to Brimfield a week-long event. Some of our dealers who do our Tuesday show also do our two-day Brimfield Auction Acres show on Friday and Saturday, and in-between they also do their own shopping. About 80 percent of our dealers at Auction Acres are new to those days, and those who do return will have different merchandise to sell, so shoppers are not seeing the same things,” she added.

You don’t have to pack a lunch for your day or days of shopping. Food trucks line the route and vendors selling food and drink – from a simple snack to full meals – are also located inside many of the fields, as are portable bathrooms.

Hours vary depending on which field you plan on visiting, some opening as early as 6 a.m. and ending around 5 or 6 p.m. Not all fields are open every day during the six-day run.

Many fields charge between $10 to $20 for the convenience of parking on their property and some charge to shop their grounds.

Additional shows will run July 8-13 and September 2-7.

A list of the many show fields along with a map, days of operation and times, and admission if any – including May’s Antique Market, Heart O’ The Mart, Hertan’s Antique Show, Sturtevant’s Antique Shows, Grand Trunk Antique Shows, Green Acres Antique Show and others – can be found at brimfieldantiquefleamarket.com and brimfieldantiqueweek.com.

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