My Roadtrip Bucketlist: The Brimfield Antique Show

Hello and HAPPY TUESDAY vintage & antique lovers!!!

A few weeks ago I mentioned my DREAM to have a show called Vintage, Thrift & Flea that would revolve around roadtripping across America to experience all the great vintage fashion, second hand style/home decor & antiquing that’s available across this big ‘ole country of ours.

I envision this “dream show” as scripted and filmed similarly to Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives, one of my favorite food/travel shows on The Food Network with a touch of Lifetime’s American Pickers thrown in!

There are 6 distinct markets and shows that I’d want to profile on this Vintage, Thrift & Flea show — one of which is happening right as I type these words: The Brimfield Antique Show.

I first learned about Brimfield when I experienced my first summer selling vintage fashion at The Brooklyn Flea in 2009. Other vendors spoke of Brimfield as the “mecca” of secondhand shopping — from shabby chic home decor and awesome antiques to vintage cars, brand memorabilia, carnival/cultural/American oddities and yes … vintage & antique FASHION!

The show — which is going on now through September 9th in Brimfield, Massachusetts —  is the LARGEST antique show of its kind since 1959. That’s 50+ years of history found in ONE show across 3,000 acres of land.

Do you see now why I must visit the Brimfield Antique Show A-STAT vintage lovers?!

Keep reading after the jump for more information on all-things-Brimfield — and to get the 411 on how YOU can visit the show yourself in 2012! [and if all works out … join in on a trip with me!]

It’s pretty rainy in New York City today, but not after experiencing a truly DIVINE Labor Day weekend of sunshine and smiles.  I hope you all had great weekends too — and may have a thrift or vintage story to share with me on Facebook or Twitter!

I had so much fun meeting Michele of The Eccentric Diva this past weekend — it was a much needed positive pick-me-up before the craziness that is ahead this New York City Fashion Week 2012.

Tune into the site tomorrow at 9AM to hear me speak on social media at the Evolving Influence Fashion Bloggers conference. I’ll be STREAMING the show on this site for your easy-peezy watching pleasure!

Plus, Fashion’s Night Out goes down at A Little Wicked on Thursday! Hope to see so many of you NYC-based vintage lovers THERE!

Rock on everyone, and catch you on the LIVESTREAM tomorrow!

xx, SD

 

THE MASSIVE SHOW

WHAT: The Brimfield Antique Show

WHEN: Three times yearly: Fall, Spring, Summer. Open to antique/vintage loving public since 1959.

For 2012, May 8th-13th // July 10th-15th // September 4th – 9th

WHERE: The quaint town of Brimfield, Massachusetts which becomes THE shopping destination of the area and [as illustrated below!] a stylish spectacle of sorts ;-)

THE “FIELDS” OF THE SHOW

WHAT: The Brimfield Antique Show’s “fields,” which each represent a different offshoot of the show and also named differently, as illustrated with the “Central Park” & “Heart-O-the-Mart” flyers above.

WHY: With 3,000 acres of land to cover in awesome antiques & beyond, it’s no wonder the masterminds behind Brimfield decided to separate the show into different “fields” which were known for hosting specific shopping tastes and regularly returning vendors.

The show then isn’t actually just ONE large field, but is broken up into different sections, some of which promote themselves separately through web sites and other marketing initiatives.

Also, some fields are only open on certain days. So if you make a trip to Brimfield for the entire duration of the show, you may only be able to visit a particular field on a particular day.

THE TAKEAWAY: Plan your shopping strategy in advance to hit all 3,000 acres!

 

WHAT TO EXPECT: ANTIQUES, SHABBY CHIC DECOR & THE UNUSUAL/ODD/UNEXPECTED

1 / See the sign on that back chair? $10 each for these babies! [photo credit: New England Oddities]

2 / Shabby chic to the max, right? Now I don’t suggest decorating your ENTIRE home in pastel and romantic touches of what defines the success of shabby chic — but a a table with some Victorian-inspired claw feet or a shade of pink or teal here or there never hurt anyone, right?  [photo credit: New England Oddities]

3 / Who DOESN’T love vintage Schwinns? They’re seriously as lovable as your high school sweetheart, and invoke nostalgic memories of summer week’s at the beach or early mornings spent riding our bikes to school.  [photo credit: New England Oddities]

4 / Note to self: Goal in life is to obtain a Mad Magazine game. Who knew that Ginger kid was as marketable as Justin Beiber in his day?!

5 / I spy lots, and lots, and LOTS of silver!  [photo credit: New England Oddities]

6 / When I was a child, I used to fantasize that in my adulthood I’d have a room in my home entirely devoted to Coca-Cola memorabilia. Yes, I was THAT obsessed with the sugar-stocked carbonated beverage that I even asked my mom to take the family on vacation to Georgia so I could visit the Coca-Cola facilities in Georgia!

While I wouldn’t drink the actual soda today, I still die a bit inside when I see a vintage soda machine. Perhaps someday I can take one and re-purpose it to encase pure waters or all-natural juices instead?  [photo credit: BontheGo]

HOW TO GET THERE

[photo credit: New England Oddities]

OPTIONS FROM NYC: Besides renting a Zip car and just busting a move out of the city and onto I-95 North toward New England, there is the other option of taking a Hampton Jitney for a DAY TRIP to Brimfield!

I stumbled upon this useful bit of information while Googling extraneous information & reviews about the show. So here’s the deal: You have to get a train from New York City to Greenport, New York and arrive for pick up at 6AM [I know — early morning!]. There, you get picked up by the Hampton Jitney and driven to Brimfield for the day.

After spending the day at the show, you’re picked up again by the Jitney at 5PM and chauffeured safely across New England back to upstate New York by 11PM.

The cost is $64 which arguably is about the same cost as gas, tolls and the sheer stress of driving 2 1/2 hours from the city to the show. I’m keeping this site on bookmark for my future travel plans!

HOW TO SPEND THE NIGHT: Not even joking vintage lovers, but there appears to be only TWO lodgings in the proper town of Brimfield by the looks of this lodging directory for the show. If you want to spend the night and can’t get dibs on a bed in the town, you’ll have to drive in from a motel or B&B at least 20 minutes away.

But hey! What better excuse than to see not just ONE town of Massachusetts, but TWO? I know I sound very lame at expressing excitement over this, but it’s just another reason for me to truly “road trip” an adventure such as this.

So when it comes to lodging and getting to Brimfield, your options may be limited. But all the more reason to book your plans now ;-)

 

WHO WANTS TO GO WITH ME THIS SPRING?

So maybe I’m getting ahead of myself here … but with the power of manifestation, I’d love to be jumping from booth to booth at Brimfield come this late spring when the show returns from May 8th – 13th.

We could all rent a Zip car [or a vintage style VW station wagon, as shown above!] and road trip it out of NYC 2 1/2 hours north to Massachusetts. A state I’ve NEVER been! **gasps**

Maybe there’s a vintage or antique dealer out there who will take me as their assistant?! Taking work offers NOW!

But seriously vintage lovers, I hope that in six months time I’ll be linking back to this post saying, “Remember when I said I wanted to go to Brimfield this year … “

Thanks for believing with me! If you are at Brimfield now or headed that way, let me know in the comments below!