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This article originally ran in the May 1975 issue of Blair & Ketchum’s Country Journal,
and is reprinted with the permission of Fred Dole and Gordon Reid’s daughter, Judy Mathieu.

HISTORY OF THE ORIGINAL

GORDON REID SHOW

“Twenty Acres of Antiques”

Text & photographs by Fred M. Dole, 1975

Three times a year the population of Moving to Brimfield in 1946, the Reids and
Brimfield, Massachusetts is increased their three children remained in the auction
business, serving banks and estates from
sevenfold by those who come to gawk and
Worcester to Springfield. In 1959 they got wind
shop at a flea market billed as the “Greatest of a new development, a station-wagon-tailgate
Antique Show Under the Sun” sale, held in Salisbury, Connecticut, under the
direction of Russell Carrell. In the fall they
ake the small Massachusetts village of attended a similar sale in Higganum,
Brimfield; stir in avid antique lovers; Connecticut, under Betsy Forbes’ direction and
Tblend with a new concept in antique were fascinated with what they saw. And from
sales; mix in seventy dealers and about two those two shows came the notion of introducing
hundred buyers; cook at medium heat for fifteen the flea market to the United States.
years, sweetening the pot each year with The history of the term “flea market” is
innovations, more dealers, and buyers; season difficult to trace, but Reid believed it has
with Yankee ingenuity, patience, understanding, western European origins. “The explanation we
and hard work. The mulligatawny that results is like,” he says, “is that it started in one of the big
Gordon and Madelyn Reid’s outdoor flea European cities, Paris, Madrid, or possibly
market, billed unabashedly by Reid as the London. Most of the things brought to the flea
“Greatest Antique Show Under the Sun.” market were items stolen by poor, lower-class
Here, three times a year, gather hundreds of people. They made a livelihood by stealing, and
antique dealers from across the United States they lived in places where they carried body lice.
and Canada and 8,000 to 10,000 buyers Many of the articles bought at the flea markets
and browsers who come to pore through harbored the lice, and the name was derived
the exhibits. Gordon Reid, Sr. from that. People started saying that if you buy
Spread over twenty acres is a phantasmagoria something, you’re going to get fleas.
of glassware, furniture, brass beds, toys, dolls –
an infinite variety of collectibles that often jams up traffic for miles “There was no way of proving whether it would take hold or not, but
along Route 20 from Sturbridge to Springfield. It is one of the largest we decided to have our first show in May 1960. We spent the entire fall,
outdoor shows in the nation and although it may seem a mass of crowds
and confusion, Reid so successfully organized the event that in its winter, and spring scouring dealers through personal contact, not just
fifteen-year existence there have been virtually through ads in the paper. We drove thousands of
no dissatisfied dealers or unhappy buyers. miles; I can’t estimate the number of people we
Gordon Reid, who died late in 1974, called on. We had a nice reception; most of them
was a modest, obliging man with an easy smile knew us from the auction business. Some
and a soft voice. A native of Manchester, frowned on our idea. Others wished us luck but
Connecticut, he was the son of Robert M. Reid
who was known for the colorful sales he held up wouldn’t join us at first. Eventually they did,
and down the Connecticut River valley. With once the flea market had proven itself. Now,
his sons, the elder Reid conducted thousands they’re some of the best boosters. We wound up
of auctions (241 in one year alone) over a with just over seventy dealers through that
thirty-five year span, until his death in 1942. The Auction Acres license plate personal contact. It could never have been done
Gordon Reid sensed that times were changing. through advertising alone.”
“Each time we sold out a herd of cattle,” he said, “we were selling
ourselves out of business. Once a farm was sold to a developer, it was About 300 people attended their first flea market, and the Reid’s
never operated again. The other day I sold the contents of an attic in scheduled a second show for September 1960, beginning a twice-yearly
Thompson, Connecticut. That attic will never be full of antiques again. schedule that saw the number of dealers increase to 700 and the buyers
We had two virgin attics last year. In time, there won’t be any attics full to nearly 10,000 by 1974. In 1970, a third show in July was added, and
of antiques anywhere in connection with estate close-outs.” in 1973 the event was scheduled over two days because of the physical

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