My Latest Find

Recently I had a chance to go to the Elephant’s Trunk Flea Market in New Milford, CT. It’s a great place to find that treasure you’ve been hunting for and it has recently been gaining a lot of popularity from the HGTV show Flea Market Flip. In fact when I arrived, I wasn’t surprised to see Lara Spencer and the crew filming on location that very morning. After a little distraction, my hunt began as my daughter and I worked our way through the aisles. When I go to a flea market I always like to have something in mind to keep me focused. So with my mental list I scan each vendor space and then move in on anything that catches my eye to take a closer look. 

During this particular visit, I was thinking lawn art, signs and vintage fabric/linens. I ran across a few items of interest, but didn’t purchase anything until I saw this sign. It’s perfect for my outdoor patio bar and since the space is not well lit, it functions to improve lighting as well. Flea markets and antique shows like Brimfield Antique Show are a great place to find unique pieces to add to your decor or repurpose to suit your needs.  So if you decide to venture out to a flea market in your area, keep these few tips in mind:

1. Wear comfortable shoes and clothing (layers are great).

2. Bring a bag and/or a cart to store your finds.

3. Have a mental list, at the very least, of what you’re looking for.

4. Stay hydrated.

5. Bring some cash and checks. (credit cards may be accepted but cash is good for bargaining)

6. Don’t be a bully on price, politely ask what is their best price, or offer your best price.

7. Arrive early for the best finds.

With these few tips, an open mind and a positive attitude your hunt for treasure is bound to be a success. Happy hunting!

 

Add Color and Character with Furniture Store Accessory or Flea Market Find

A recent trip to Elephant’s Trunk Flea Market in New Milford, CT yielded a non working vintage camera for about $5.00. I’ve noticed vintage photography items being used as decor in catalogs and magazines so I decided to pick one up and I grabbed a couple of old movie reels as well. Of course before I knew it I was seeing photography equipment everywhere, placed on a bookshelf, a side table, clusters of cameras, movie reels and more.  Non-working cameras found at a chain furniture store are selling for many times more than my flea market find. Just wondering if you can really see any difference? Do you like the look of vintage cameras in decorating?

Furniture Store Accessory

Related articles

• How to Refurbish Flea Market Furniture (mynewplace.com)
• Flea Market Fly (theflaneurofchicago.wordpress.com)
• MyMove™ – 15 Tips for Finding Furniture at Flea Markets and Garage Sales (mymove.com)

Brimfield is less than two weeks away!

I love this time of year. The weather is great everything is coming back to life and most important the outdoor antique show season begins!

One of the best in the East starts on May 8th. Located in Brimfield, MA, The Brimfield Antiques and Collectibles show is probably the largest in the country. According to their website there are over 5000 dealers in over 20 different fields. It is truly a maze of dealer after dealer and a great place to start the antiquing season.

Since the show is so large, you won’t be able to see everything in one day and you might go away empty-handed if you don’t stay focused on a few items. Some pretty standard advice is to wear comfortable shoes and clothes, bring a rolling cart if you have one, stay hydrated and enjoy the thrill of the hunt. Another word of advice, when you find something you like make sure it’s value is acceptable to you, it’s quite possible to find the same item with another dealer for less. I’ve seen this on several occasions and it’s always a little disturbing, but just like clothing and furniture,  collectibles and antiques have trends. You might want to do a little pricing research on Ebay or other antique and collectible sites, especially if you are looking for something in particular. Many of the dealers have web sites as well which might be worth viewing. You can always ask the dealer to bring the item to the show. You may also want to do a little research on the Brimfield website, each dealer rents space in a particular field and all fields are not open every day. The fields also seem to have their own style and some fields charge admission. There is plenty to see without paying admission, but if you are looking for something in particular, you may decide on one of the paying fields.  Brimfield Exchange is a good source for information or try Brimfield.com.

There are other sites about Brimfield but I leave it to you to discover them, please feel free to add them in your comments.

Well I’m heading to Brimfield next Friday, as always I’m looking for signs, garden accessories, interesting bar ware, fabrics and anything else that blows me away…I’ll let you know how I make out.