Antique Shopping, CLP Design Style
Last month, Chris and Randi took a three-day road trip with Jay Lowe up to the Brimfield Antique Show, the largest outdoor antiques market in the country. We’d heard about this near-legendary show before—Jay has been going there every year since he was a child—but hadn’t checked it out. Held three times a year (May/July/September) in the small Berkshires town of Brimfield, MA, the Show extends for more than half a mile with vendors set up as much as 500 feet deep on either side of Route 20.
Our visit was mainly motivated by curiosity about the market for some of the metal furniture that we’ve been interested in — we knew there must be people doing something similar in style to the ultra-heavy zinc and cast-iron tables we’ve been developing, and we wanted to see what was out there, who was looking for it, and what else they were buying. There was some nice metalwork there - some of the most interesting was a series of beautiful steel and wood tables from Cleveland Art with a workbench aesthetic that were way underpriced. (Very similar to what we’re doing, just needed a little more polish.) Also saw some interesting metal mantle frames and mirror frames.
But the big story of the event was the shopping spree. Somehow we ended up with a truck and a van full of antiques like these:
About a dozen sewing machine bases from Singer and a number of forgotten brands. Massive cast iron legs that once held up who knows what kind of industrial equipment. Some wonderfully rusted specialized machines, like foot-pedal lathes and staplers. Hydraulic tables and mechanically adjustable drafting boards. In short, everything a steampunk could dream of for their home. And that’s not even beginning to catalog the purely decorative pieces - cast iron buffalo heads, fence pilasters and column bases, and mantle decorations.
We’re building an entire line of furniture from these pieces. Here’s an interesting piece designed as a dining room table that combines industrial brute strength with the elegance of zinc:
Close-up of details:
Like some red-eyed Antiquinator, we’ll be back. Next time, though, we’ll have enough furniture to sell to cover our shopping spree.
More information about the Brimfield Antique Show (site only works in Internet Explorer).
| Comments: 
7.7.09 at 11:30 am
Great post!
7.12.09 at 12:35 pm
Thanks, guys. Useful post for me, I’m headed there this week. Will you be there selling your stuff this soon? If so can you say where you’ll be? If not, can you offer any guidance (what days to go/particularly good vendors) for someone who’s looking for the same kind of stuff you bought? Thanks in advance for any help you can offer. -Brian