How a car crash led this Massachusetts man to 40 years of antiquing

For 65 years, the Brimfield Flea Market has provided collectors from all over the world a place to gather and shop antiques, artisan crafts and collectors goods. While waves of new shoppers and dealers come and go, there are some faithful participants who make it a point to attend the market year after year.

These staple personalities have become part of the fabric of what makes the Brimfield Flea Market — the Brimfield Flea Market; with a majority of people returning going out of their way to visit their favorite dealers at every show, according to the Brimfield Flea Market’s website.

This is certainly true for multi-decade dealers like Glen Donohue, 63, of Hanson, who has hosted a booth at the Brimfield Flea Market for nearly 40 years.

“Brimfield is number one, the biggest show in the world,” said Donohue. “People say Texas, but it’s not. Anything you can imagine, you can get here.”

Donohue was introduced to antiquing at 13 years old when he began working for a dealer based in Whitman.

“I had a lot of knowledge of the business, but didn’t really know what to do with it then,” Donohue said. “I was packing a lot of oak — china cabinets, furniture … and a lot of mirrors.”

He said the Whitman dealer would pay him $100 every couple of months to fill up a tractor trailer truck full of antiques, which was good money at the time.

• Read more: Flea market finds: Some of the rarest, oldest items at Brimfield Flea Market’s Sept. show

He was always interested in and appreciated antiques but, as a teen, he didn’t think the business was for him long-term. By his 20′s he was in the military and eventually began working in sheet rocking.

Then when he was 26 years old, he was badly injured when he was hit by a van. It took him two years to recover from the crash and he wasn’t able to go back to sheet rocking.

Instead, he returned to his roots of antiquing.

“I started buying [flea market goods] almost immediately after the accident,” he said.

He started selling items at markets across Massachusetts at age 28, dealing mostly mirrors, antiques, furniture, reproduction glass and porcelain.

As he continued, his love for the business grew.

For nearly four decades, Donohue has dealt at markets in Martha’s Vineyard, Marshfield and across other states including New Hampshire, Florida, Texas, Georgia and North Carolina.

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This year marks Dononhue’s 38th show at Mahogany Ridge on the corner of Warren Road and Route 20 in Brimfield. Although, it wasn’t clear he’d return to the town after his first show.

At his first Brimfield Flea Market, Donohue was up in another field and remembers the show being partially underwater from torrential rain.

“Central Park had a ton of water,” he said. “There was Victorian furniture under [a foot] of water.”

Having been referred to the iconic market by a friend, Donohue thought to himself “this can’t be Brimfield — there’s no way.”

• Read more: Check out Brimfield’s final flea market of the year before its too late

Despite the rain, Donohue stuck things out and has since seen plenty of shows in Hampden County with sun.

Donohue describes his booth as having “a little bit of everything and anything — big and small items,” and that the mirrors are a “big hit.” Another top seller was large animal decor. But over the years the shipping became too expensive to get the items for the flea market.

Donohue said he’s also learned a lot since starting up — both about business and the antiquing industry in general.

“I made a big mistake when I was younger,” he said. “I sold an item I could have retired on.”

The item was a hand-drawn eagle, which was drawn with a quill, and signed by 13 signers of the Declaration of Independence. He sold the item for $5,000 but believes it could have been worth at least $100,000.

“I was very young in the business,” he said. “It was just one of those things.”

But that didn’t stop him.

Donohue said he loves dealing, and the things that make it most enjoyable are meeting new people and hearing the story behind each piece.

“Sometimes you get things that are hard to part with. You just know you’re never going to see something like that ever again,” he said.

• Read more: How the Brimfield Flea Market creates a family for multi-decade dealers

As for the people, Donohue believes you’re not going to get the crowds from the Brimfield Flea Market anywhere else. But its not just the volume of people that makes the show special to Donohue — its the quality of people and the relationships you build.

“There are some people who come just to see me — even if they don’t buy; just to talk, and that makes me feel good,” he said.

At his booth during the September show, there are five dealers under one tent who he’s met through flea markets, some of which he’s known for about 40 years. And he hopes they’ll be together for many more.

“I really love it. I’m not going to do anything else,” he said. “As long as I’m able to do it, I will.”