BRIMFIELD — It is not every young child who has the patience to tag along with a parent while they shop from the fields at the Brimfield Antique Flea Markets.
David Smith did have the patience. And now, at age 42, he still does.
Smith, who was raised in Springfield and now lives in California, operates a collectibles store called 1 Look Vintage. He is planning to attend Brimfield’s last show of the season which runs Sept. 2-7.
“I usually attend the May show, but going in September this year will be a real treat because it is sometimes a little cooler, May can get warm. And hopefully the rain will hold off,” Smith said.
After moving his shop from the Boston area to Huntington Beach 10 years ago, Smith has flown back to Massachusetts nearly each year to continue finding unique items at the flea market which he believes have potential resale to customers at his store.
1 Look Vintage specializes in rare, one-of-a-kind items and pop culture memorabilia, including premium vintage T-shirts and other apparel, and vintage music and movie posters. Because of their location in California, 1 Look Vintage has a reputation for finding in-demand surfboards and skateboards from the ’60s. They are also one of the top record stores in Southern California specializing in rare vinyl with a massive inventory of more than 10,000 records that Smith calls “must haves” for collectors, alongside movies in all formats.
“I’ve attended more than 30 shows over the years, and without question Brimfield is the best New England has to offer, probably even on the East Coast. It has a reputation for sending thousands of people home satisfied, whether you are a collector finding that special item you’ve been looking for, a vendor moving a lot of product, or a retail buyer like me,” Smith said.
It all started for Smith back in 1989 when he was just 6 years old.
“My babysitter brought me to my first show. She would go looking for old perfume bottles, and I would go looking for toys. I remember my first few years as a young child going to Brimfield as being overwhelmingly stimulating in terms of the quality and quantity of the toys I was looking for,” Smith said.
His first visit to Brimfield conveniently came shortly after visiting a friend’s house.
“He had all these Star Wars toys that I was interested in. My father brought me to several stores, but they were out of production by that time, and we were directed to a collectibles store in Springfield. We couldn’t afford them, and my father told me I would have to find them another way. That’s when yard sales entered my life, but they were hit and miss, they might have toys, they might not. But I soon discovered that Brimfield was a guarantee, that you could just show up and there would be things to purchase that I was happy with, and other things I wasn’t even thinking about,” Smith said.
As he got older, Smith began to purchase more than just toys — including things like comic books, vinyl records, Nintendo games and more.
“I would always look at them with the potential for resale, even when I was young, and the store wasn’t even a thought back then,” he said.
Today, when Smith attends Brimfield, he usually stays with a friend who has a home in the area.
“I usually fly in on a Tuesday and shop the many fields from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., three days straight, before packing up Thursday night and heading home,” Smith said.
Among the many fields to visit, he never misses Heart-O-The Mart.
“All of the fields are good to shop, but Heart-O-The-Mart seems to offer this consistency for what I am doing right now,” Smith said.
Heart-O-The-Mart is one of about 20 individually owned fields spread along a mile-long stretch covering 150 acres of land along Route 20. They make up Brimfield Antique Flea Markets which attract antique lovers, collectors, and treasure hunter from across the county and abroad to the small New England town three times a year in May, July and September.
About 50,000 people on average attend each of the three shows. May is usually the best attended because of the cooler weather, as opposed to the height of summer.
“We had a very robust May, and dealers told us it was the best show in a decade which was encouraging to hear. As a promoter, we did well, and our field was at near capacity. September’s show, like going to The Big E, has a feeling of the beginning of fall. The temperatures are usually very comfortable and in the 70s, and there is a real sense of enjoyment by the sellers and buyers because of that,” said Don Moriarty, owner of Heart-O-The-Mart.
Moriarty noted they have a wide assortment of dealers selling comic books, vinyl records, toys and other memorabilia that might interest Smioth, as well as a textile booth, which he said is a “big attraction,” and a tent selling high-end antiques.
A list of the many other show fields include: May’s Antique Market, Dealers Choice Antiques Shows, New England Motel, Brimfield Auction Acres/Treasure Trunk Tuesday, Midway Antiques Shows, Hertan’s Antique Shows, Central Park Antique Shows, Shelton Antique Shows, Collins’ Apple Barn, Sturtevant’s Antique Shows, Grand Trunk Antique Shows, Green Acres Antique Shows, Quaker Acres, Mahogany Ridge, Crystal Book, and Stephen’s Place Antiques.
Don’t worry about going without sustenance while walking through the many fields looking for treasures. Food trucks can be found along Route 20 and in many of the fields, including Sassy Sweets inside Heart-O-The-Mart.
Brimfield hours vary depending on which field you plan on visiting, with 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. Some fields charge a $5 or $10 admission for the first day. Many fields charge between $10 to $20 for the convenience of parking on their property.
For a field map, days of operation and times, and admission costs, visit brimfieldantiquefleamarket.com.
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