I usually try to go to the Brimsfield Flea Market in Massachusetts at least once a summer for shopping. This flea market is huge, like a good portion of the town huge and happens three times a summer for a week each time. This year I went to the last weekend of the first weeklong flea market May 16th. I was going to find things for my Easy shop Nicole's Paper Hearts and Gifts as well as some things I was looking for for other projects, including my greenhouse which I plan to talk about as soon as its done.
Anyway, as part of my series of Walking Tours and Trips I am going to talk about the flea market. Mostly because I walked for almost four hours on Friday, only saw a portion of the things being sold and it doesn't feel like exercise when you're shopping.
When shopping at Brimsfield it's important to have something to take your purchases with you because most sales have to be taken as soon as they are made. I brought this cart with me and attached a fabric bag for any small purchases I made (keys, handkerchiefs, spools).
This cart was free for me from an old college roommate but lots of choices are available from wagons to carts like these at most stores. I used twist ties to attach the bag to the handle in two places and it was perfect to use as both a purse and for my small purchases. Now normally I park at a friends house about a mile away and walk down, however if you know you are going to be purchasing larger items, especially if you need to load them directly into the car, it is totally worth paying to park in any of the options, some of which are more expensive then others. In my case I bought the chandelier below and a bird cage as my larger items which fit in the cart but I wouldn't have wanted to lug them all the way back to my friends house.
Now walking is something I am trying to get into a real habit of considering recent health issues because of my weight. Going to something large like this or a fair is a great way to get exercise and see plenty of things at the same time. We started at the end of the flea market and walked down one side of the street, going of the main road to see all the stands and coming back to the road to continue on. Once we decided we were done on one side we walked down back along the other side and continued to branch out to the booths along the way seeing everything from industrial art and furniture to air plants and wholesale fabric. All of the items were relatively cheap and sellers were more willing to negotiate at the end of a week when its time to pack up and go home. Plus negotiating is always fun. Definitely on my list of things to continue doing although I probably won't get back until the one in September this year.
As I continue to venture out on Walking Tours and Trips I will keep writing about my adventures with my new sneakers, keep reading!!
--Nicole
