Oops We Did It Again...Meet Jolene!
If you haven't heard, Food52 is putting on a lawn party in Brimfield at the September 2016 show and everyone is invited! They are using, Wilma, our vintage camper as part of their set up. We are pretty excited about the whole thing but it also left us with a prime spot at the September show (the corner of Route 20 and Mill Lane at Hertan's) with no camper.
So we did the only normal rational thing and went and bought a second one with three weeks to go before the next show. Yup. We are crazy.
We named her Jolene. She's a mid 1960's Frolic and she's awesome.
In the past few weeks we have been working to get her ready for the show. I forgot how much work they need! This one was actually in relatively good shape compared to the other ones we looked at but it's still a lot of blood, sweat and tears.
I have spent most of the past two weeks covered in spray paint and a full afternoon cleaning mouse poop out of every nook and cranny.
There was also a lot of water damage to the front under the window. So far we've done a great job at taking it apart. The jury is still out on whether it will get reassembled by show time. This is what it currently looks like. Yikes.
The exterior has come out even better than I expected. Stay tuned for the big reveal! In the meantime, check out this post to see the transformation of our other vintage camper.
Kaitlin
July 2016 #Brimfield Recap
The July 2016 Brimfield show is in the books. Good thing I took a lot of photos because a week and a half later all I can remember is the heat and the moths!
As far as the crowds and sales, the show was a fairly typical July show. Nothing special. Dealers with realistic (and low) expectations met them. Those expecting things to be anything like May were disappointed. I talk to hundreds of dealers during the week. When I ask about how the show is going, the typical response is a shrug and "It's July." Enough said.
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| Scrapped and Found |
Dealers may be a little apathetic about the July show, but shoppers are always excited to be there. The thrill of the hunt isn't hampered by a little heat and some moths! Shoppers in July are committed. You don't come out for the day in that heat if you aren't a serious buyer. The crowds weren't as impressive as May, but people were finding what they came for. Or, in some cases, things they didn't even know they needed!
Our little app had a solid show. Lots of new dealers signing up on their own. Great feedback from users and dealers. Some new interesting contacts made. And, most exciting of all, we have secured an amazing spot very close to Route 20 on Hertan's going forward. This is great news for us and all of our dealers. With such a visible permanent spot we will be able to reach more shoppers at every show. We have some big things planned for September so stay tuned for more details!
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| Limbu Handicrafts |
Farmhouse and industrial continued to be big sellers in July. Check out my recent posts about the presence of these styles in Brimfield: Farmhouse Style in Brimfield and Industrial Works in Brimfield
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| Anthony Rosa Modern |
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| Lorelai's |
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| Anchored Salvage |
In recent years, vintage clothing has also grown it's presence at the show. It's one of our most searched for categories in the app and we add more and more vintage clothing dealers to at every show.
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| Bird Brain Vintage |
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| Tea Street Vintage |
Another trend we are seeing at the show is succulents and plants! Seed to Stem has made a huge splash in Brimfield for the past few years. Their booth is always a spectacular sight to see. And Susan Bates, with her beautiful plant displays, has been a staple in Brimfield for as long as I can remember. This year we are seeing a lot of new dealers incorporating plants and succulents into their booths.
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| Susan Bates Home and Garden |
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| Ivy Lane |
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| Josephina's Creations |
Do you love Brimfield? Follow us on Instagram and Facebook to stay up to date on show info and eye candy from each and every show. And be sure to download the app to find dealers you definitely don't want to miss!
Thanks for following!
Kaitlin
The Brimfield Flea Finder app was developed specifically for the Brimfield Antique Shows. The app is free to download in The App Store and Google Play. Visit www.brimfieldapp.com for more about the app and www.brimfield.com for general show information.
Industrial Works in Brimfield
Industrial style isn't new to Brimfield. In fact it has been around for quite a while. It was there before it became as popular as it is now and it's not going away anytime soon. There has certainly been an increase in industrial dealers over the past decade and while it used to be more concentrated in some particular fields, that is no longer the case. We have some amazing industrial dealers on just about every field.
If you are into the industrial look, here are a few of our regulars that you definitely don't want to miss:
Rustored Salvage
Eric, has become a good friend of ours and we are continually impressed by the quality and quantity of his goods and his prices can't be beat. You never know what you will find but you won't be disappointed. Located right on Route 20 at Shelton's.
Scrapped and Found
Scrapped and Found is located directly behind Rustored Salvage and it's another booth you don't want to miss. Dave makes a lot of pieces himself out of salvaged materials and always has a very cool set up with lots of industrial pieces. At the last show he had large quantities of ladders and printer's trays which were very popular. Another must-see booth at Shelton's.
Anchored Salvage
We always say that we work the nicest dealers in Brimfield, and Amy at Anchored Salvage is proof of that. Amazing pieces, a great eye, a talent for repurposing and a positive attitude! Located at the front of Sturtevant's right on Route 20.
Barge Canal
Barge Canal has been with us since the beginning and we love them for it. Their booth in Brimfield is always impeccably styled and busts the myth that curated booths have higher prices. So don't be fooled! Jeremy and Adelle also operate a vintage store in Burlington, VT that focuses on 20th century design and american industrial that we are dying to visit! Don't miss them on The Meadows.
Silver Hippopotamus
Beth and Kathy, the sisters behind the industrial furniture pieces and artifacts in the Silver Hippopotamus booth are true artists. Located at Mohogany Ridge, they are delightful to talk to and their love of Brimfield and their one of a kind pieces is contagious. I'm always excited to see what they are going to bring to the next show!
Farnswood
Craig is Farnswood and Farnswood is industrial. It doesn't get more industrial than his custom welded marquis letters, repurposed furniture and lighting. He always has a great mix of large pieces and smalls and has been at Quaker Acres for the past few shows.
Aged Objects
Dan at Aged Objects specializes in industrial finds and antique hardware. Find him at New England Motel.
Dan at Aged Objects specializes in industrial finds and antique hardware. Find him at New England Motel.
There is no comprehensive directory of dealers at the show, so search for "industrial" in the Brimfield Smartphone app to help you find the location of these dealers and many others who specialize (or dabble in) industrial pieces. We are adding new dealers all the time!
For more information about the Brimfield Antique Shows visit brimfield.com or brimfieldapp.com for more information about the app!
See you at the next show!
Kaitlin
May 2016 Brimfield Show Recap
Brimfield is back! Not that it ever went away, but the May 2016 show was almost unanimously the biggest and best in years. The traffic was backed up on Route 20 for miles every day, which hasn't happened in years. The weather was almost perfect and the fields were chock full of dealers and shoppers all doing what they came to do.
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| Abby-Ems |
We had an exciting, fun and exhausting week there promoting the smartphone app we developed specifically for Brimfield. Being in our position, completely independent of any show management, comes with lots of challenges. However, it also gives us a unique vantage point of the show as a whole. In addition to having our finger on the pulse of social media for the show, we talk to hundreds of dealers across practically every field, field owners, staff, food vendors and thousands of shoppers throughout the week.
Brimfield is not for the faint of heart. It's not the easiest show to shop and it's even more difficult to work there. The dealers and food vendors are some of the hardest working people I know. Many booths take days to set up and it's not easy work. The show days are long and some start at sunrise. You are outside and exposed to fickle New England weather which can be extreme. Most dealers are far away from home, either staying in hotels or sleeping at the field at night. All of this can be a lot of fun but it can also take a lot out of you.
We are local so we usually sleep at home every night. This week we decided to stay on Monday to be there bright and early on opening day. Of course it was 32 degrees overnight! But sweet little Wilma (our vintage camper) kept us relatively warm and we loved being there to see the crazy show opening!
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| Click here to read more about our vintage camper renovation |
One trend we definitely noticed were the large number of younger shoppers at this show. This has been building for a while as social media seems to be playing a huge part in creating awareness of what, when and where Brimfield is. Dealers kept commenting to us about the noticeably younger demographic. Brimfield has something for everyone at every price range, but this younger generation seem particularly interested in farmhouse style, mid-century modern and industrial decor. Vintage clothing was one of our most searched for categories and we spoke to many shoppers who came to the show specifically to seek out the growing number of dealers who specialize in it.
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| Bird Brain Vintage has a cheerful vintage clothing booth |
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| The Mahogany Ridge Fashion Tent is a multi-dealer vintage clothing extravaganza |
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| Industrial salvage at Scrapped and Found |
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| Vintage Retriever always has a beautifully styled booth of farmhouse decor |
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| Kingsbury Antiques always has beautiful mid-century pieces |
Regardless of age, there were also a huge number of first time shoppers. They were all having a great time but there was literally no end to the stream of overwhelmed, confused first time shoppers who were happy for any help. Of course we always suggest that both new and veteran shoppers download the app to make navigating the show a bit easier. It has a handy show schedule, an overview map of the fields, all the port-a-potty locations, info on food vendors and it can help you find dealers you may have missed otherwise. Download it before you come to help you plan out some must-see booths. If you still need help at the show, use it to find us! We are always happy to help if we can and we are there every day.
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| Tools & Things |
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| The Textile Trunk |
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| Patspots.com |
The number one question shoppers always have, is how they can find specific items or dealers. There is way too much ground to cover and there is no way to see every booth. This results in too many people leaving without that special thing they came for. A shopper once said to us "But walking around looking is what Brimfield is all about." A man overheard our conversation and replied "You know what's even better than looking for an item? Finding it." We couldn't agree more! Meandering around the show is part of the Brimfield experience but wouldn't it be nice to make the most of all those miles you are going to walk anyway?
Last week we had a shopper tell us they had been searching for comic books for three hours and had only found one booth. Another was looking for musical instruments and not having luck. Those items were absolutely there somewhere and if people can't find what they want, they are less likely to keep coming back! We are working hard at each show to sign up more and more dealers. We want it to keep growing into a live up-to-date directory that helps shoppers find what they came to the show for. If you searched for something in the app and didn't get the results you wanted, try again at the next show!
Between now and the July show we will also be analyzing the 10,000+ searches done in the app during the May show and using that data to help us target more dealers. We will also use it to help existing dealers optimize their keywords. We want everyone going home happy!
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| Farnswood |
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| Maison Decor and Pioneer Goods combined efforts for their first Brimfield |
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| Dan Kierstead Auctions set up at the September 2015 show for the first time |
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| Emily Shellenberger was also set up for her second Brimfield |
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| Fox Den Antiques was a first time dealer and is also a Brimfield resident |
The show started off strong and kept it's momentum up going into the weekend. Saturday and Sunday were both busy fun days too. The atmosphere was a bit different, but it always is. The crowd changes from mostly serious buyers to mostly casual shoppers just there to enjoy the sights and food and buy a trinket or two. But we heard lots of dealers say they sold more larger pieces over the weekend than they typically do and everyone was generally in good spirits.
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| Eat Sleep Vintage |
We had a very interesting and busy week of networking, promoting the app to shoppers, promoting our dealers to shoppers, signing up new dealers, supporting our existing dealers and helping shoppers. There was never a dull moment and nothing pleases us more than dealers having such a successful show. We hope the momentum will continue into July and September. Speaking of which, be sure to mark your calendars for the July and September show dates!
Did you attend the May show? If you did, we would love to see what you brought home! Share your #brimfieldfinds with us on Facebook and Instagram. I'll leave you with a few more shots of last week while I get back into the swing of normal non-Brimfield life.
Thanks for following!
Kaitlin
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| Silver Hippopotamus |
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| The Mahogany Ridge Fashion Tent |
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| the good home |