Massachusetts flea market is the thrift that keeps on giving

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 – in vain – to take them for a whirl. Rainbow-striped ponchos that would have been the envy of any Woodstock hippie practically scream out to thrifters, “Try me on!”

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’s 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. “You buy things you don’t think of, that you didn’t need,” she says with the glee of a seasoned treasure hunter.

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