Guest Reporter On Location - Stormville Airport Antique Show & Market Stormville, NY

Come along with Janet McCaffrey of Primrose Design to her recent visit to a vintage Hot Spot the, Stormville Airport Antique Show & Flea Market (Stormville, NY).

I missed the opening weekend of the Stormville Airport Antique Show & Flea Market in April but I’d heard that the Memorial Day weekend dates were even better. So, this past Saturday I made the 1.5 hour drive to Stormville (located halfway between New York City and Albany off the Taconic Parkway; exit 16N off I84 if you’re arriving from the east or west). First off, let me say that I wish they had better traffic control. It took nearly as long for me to drive the 3 miles from the I84 exit to the show than it did to drive there from Pennsylvania (seriously!) Several people in front of me ran out of patience and bailed, so keep this in mind if you’re planning to attend. Or plan your trip so you arrive when they open at 7 am.

Parking, however, was not a problem. Don’t bother to look in the front rows—there will be tons of spots at the back. And if you do park in the back don’t be discouraged when you enter the show and find nothing but food stands and tables of new merchandise. The good stuff is in the back!

Expect to do a lot of walking—it’s a huge space (there’s an aerial shot on their website if you want to check it out). This flea market began in 1970 with just two dozen booths and has grown into one of the region’s largest shows with 500+ vendors!

Enough with the details—you want to hear about what I found. With the economy the way it is these days I’m making a conscious effort to be more picky than I usually am with my purchases for my business and I didn’t find quite as much stuff as I would have liked. There were several vendors selling linens and textiles but I found most of their prices to be too high—what I would call “cutter” quality for antique store prices. I found some vintage fabric scraps, lots of $1 hankies, a batch of vintage needlework books, and a very cute apron. Mostly I found cool things to add to my personal collections (and that’s why most of us shop at flea markets anyway).

A booth I absolutely loved was one that sold vintage paper goods—tables full of them. Old prints (botanicals, fish, birds, and animals), advertising posters, soap labels, and seed packets. In fact, their stunning display of 1920s seed packets in the original wooden display rack was what caught my eye in the first place. I bought a 1929 cover from a seed catalog with a lovely illustration of delphiniums for $19. Expect high prices for these original prints but they're truly gorgeous.

I fell in love with this vintage honey pot with a bear perched on top and got it for $5. I'll add it to the one with three-dimensional bees that I bought last year. That makes two so I think that qualifies as a collection!
















I already have a collection of vintage purses—both silver mesh and art deco beaded—and found a white beaded clutch purse for $5 from a vendor who had a very pretty booth with lots of vintage clothing and textiles.

My best deal of the day was a pair of white cotton pillowcases trimmed with eyelet for $6. They were a bit dusty and yellowed but a quick soak cleaned them up perfectly. I love that these aren't too frilly so I'm going to use them on my bed.

Would I attend this show again? Maybe, if I lived closer. The combination of a long drive, sitting in traffic for...ever, and not spending even half of the cash I brought, I'm not sure. It's a gorgeous area with lots of beautiful scenery, very old houses with cool architectural details, and other antiquing possibilities, so it might be worth further exploration with a weekend trip.

There are five more weekend events for 2008 if you want to try your luck—July 5-6, August 3, August 30-31, October 11-12, and November 2.

Stormville Airport Antique Show & Flea Market, Rte. 216, Stormville, NY 12582.

Janet also runs a delightful blog Primrose Design Blog. Stop by and see what else she snatched up at the show.