海角大神

When the Brimfield Antique Flea Market opens, time slips backward. Old-fashioned hobbyhorses entice shoppers to imagine riding on them. Vintage pedal cars lure children who hope 鈥� in vain 鈥� to take them for a whirl. Rainbow-striped ponchos that would have been the envy of any Woodstock hippie practically scream out to thrifters, 鈥淭ry me on!鈥�

As the oldest outdoor antiques flea market in the United States, operating since 1959, this shopping paradise has built a dedicated community of buyers and sellers. Many vendors come again and again, pitching their tent in the same spot for decades. Shoppers are equally loyal.

Susan Sauvageau has been plying her wares here for 30 years. An antiques shop owner from Seneca Falls, New York, she always looks forward to seeing the friends she has made at the Brimfield market. She also takes joy in closing a sale. When a customer asks whether she is willing to knock $100 off the price of a goose statue, Ms. Sauvageau is happy to oblige.

After all, on top of the sense of community and the stories behind every eclectic item, it鈥檚 the love of the perfect find that brings people back to Brimfield year after year.

Interior designer Sandra Valenti has been shopping here for 15 years, rain or shine. 鈥淵ou buy things you don鈥檛 think of, that you didn鈥檛 need,鈥� she says with the glee of a seasoned treasure hunter.

Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff

STYLIN鈥�: A shopper is dressed up at Brimfield Antique Flea Market in Brimfield in western Massachusetts. Many serious shoppers bring wagons to haul their purchases.

Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff

BARGAINING TABLE: Shoppers browse for treasures they may or may not need. The love of the perfect find lures buyers here again and again.

Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff

GLASS ACT: Green uranium glasses sit for sale at the market. Such glasses are having a 鈥渕oment,鈥� according to a vendor.

Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff

SALES FIGURE: Susan Sauvageau sits among the items she is selling. She has been in this spot every year for 30 years, except when the market closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff

MASK FROM THE PAST: Ibrahim Berthe holds up an antique mask for sale at his booth, which is filled with African tribal items.

Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff

ALL DOLLED UP: A set of four colorful toys, circa 1900, is on sale for $595. The market, which operates three times a year, opened in 1959.

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