Friday, July 11, 2008

Brimfield, Brimfield, Brimfield...

Publish or perish, that's what they say here in the Blogosphere, but this week we've made the triannual pilgrimage to Brim in search of silver treasures



and our posting is a bit on the late side. Fans of Bruce Cherner Antique Silver are probably familiar with the name, but may not have any idea of what goes on there.

Three times a year, in May, July, and September, the town of Brimfield, MA gives itself over to a gargantuan outdoor antique show, stretching along U.S. route 20 for at least two miles on both sides of the road. The various fields (and we mean fields-- bovine and equine company are always close at hand) open in a staggered manner from Tuesday through Saturday. Those folks with masochistic urges and powerful flashlights start off at 4AM, traipsing through Shelton's and Crystal Brook, then make a quick stop for sustenance at the Pilgrim Sandwich food truck before heading off to Dealer's Choice at 11 and Brimfield Acres North (you'll find us there in September) at 1pm.
What might one expect to discover? Well, anything really and even though junque


abounds aplenty, those with patience, stamina and a knack for sleuthing out all the Ninas in a Hirschfeld cartoon might uncover something



a bit more refined...

Why is all of this important? Our marketplace has many facets. There are traditional auctions, on line auctions, group and single dealer shops, group and single dealer web pages. All of these play a role in providing a steady flow of goods, a "bid/ask" price format, and liquidity for the dealer. But it's also essential to have some old fashioned bourses where buyers and sellers meet face to face, handle the wares, and haggle over prices. Then again, there's a great opportunity for those of us in the trade (including this sinister looking fellow)



to get together, do a bit of socializing, kvetch about the lack of quality merchandise, and bemoan the general decline of the antiques business...



1 comment:

chlabown said...

Grrrrrriiiimmmmfield.