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Aerial photograph of the field in 1972

and it was not unusual to see buyers pitch in and help so they could To insure a smooth operation, Reid made himself available to dealers
have first pick of the merchandise. By noon, what was a vacant lot was and buyers from 6 a.m. on Friday until late Saturday night, when the
rapidly becoining a panorama of colors and activity, as striped awnings show closed. When he could steal a moment, he caught a catnap or ate
were unfurled, tents set up, and the antiques unpacked and displayed. a sandwich, but once the action was in high gear he had to cope with a
Reid, with seemingly limitless energy, was on the move for the two constant barrage of demands and responsibilities, and he would go for
days of the show, alternating his time between duty at the PA system in nearly forty-eight hours without real sleep or regular meals.
the barn, supervising transactions in the cashier’s tent, and making Sunday was clean-up day, and it was a full one for the thirty or more
himself accessible to dealers out in the field. teenagers who tackled the awesome pile of paper plates, cups,
At the barn, Reid greeted the perplexed, the weary, and the lost with newspapers, bags, and other refuse left behind by over 10,000 people.
calm assurance, fielding the same questions over and over again without When the grounds were clean, the tension began to fade and on Sunday
annoyance. He possessed that rare ability to convince people that for evening the Reids could relax for the first time in more than a week.
the few moments they talked together, nothing else mattered to him It was a brief respite; Tuesday’s mail brought in the first load of
except their conversation. applications for the next show.
At 10 a.m. on Saturdays, Reid finally turned the show over to his Reid believed that the flea-market concept would continue in
dealers. “I think our dealers are the best I’ve ever seen in any show. popularity, since so many new collectors are continually becoming
They’re the ones who put it over. Once they’re in here, it’s out of our involved. And he had some definite advice to people considering starting
control. It’s up to the dealers to sell our show, and they’ve done a terrific a flea market.
job. Their friendliness and enthusiasm are contagious; the feeling
spreads through the whole show.” “Most of them don’t start properly because they won’t put enough
into advertising. They won’t spend any money. They want to start on a
Typically, several exhibitors came to the barn last year concerned shoestring. If they would mild go out and spend a couple of thousand
over people who had not returned to their booth to pick up items they dollars, they could put one over. If it starts sour, it’s awfully hard to
had purchased. Others came asking Reid to page people who had sweeten it up. There’s a lot of room for good shows. The dealers want
received incorrect change or who had forgotten packages at the booth. good shows and the public is excited about a good show, too. Especially
One exhibitor wanted to find a man whom he had charged too high now, with the price of gas what it is, if they call find twenty or thirty
a price for an item. And, of course, during the show many dealers came good dealers in one spot, they’ll go there rather than driving around to
to the barn just to say hello to Reid. Some were old friends; others he half -a-dozen shops in an afternoon. Antique shows or flea markets —
met for the first time, but all were there for the same reason: to join the call them what you will — are the thing.”
Reids in making this one of the most colorful and electrifying outdoor
events in the Northeast. The most important factors in Gordon Reid’s success were personal
Even rain could not dampen their good spirits. At the May 1974 contact and an interest in people. As he described it, ‘We’re wrapped
show, the skies opened wide in a torrential downpour shortly after most up in the auctions and in the antique flea markets. We couldn’t do
dealers set up on Friday. Out came the umbrellas and plastic sheets to anything else if we wanted to, I don’t think. We’d rather be cleaning
cover the tables, and business went on as usual. One dealer grinned, out a house, making an appraisal, driving our truck, or putting up the
while emptying water from his glassware, “I was 6’7” tall when I came tent. When you enjoy your work, why, it’s not work.”
here. Now look at me: 5’2”. if this rain keeps up I’ll be a midget!” With the three 1975 shows sold out, the Reid family is making prepa-
Saturday, though, in Gordie Reid tradition, proved to be bright and rations for overflow crowds. Madelyn knows how busy she will be, but
sunny, and the dealers’ spirits soared as the public began to move she is determined that everything will be up to Gordon’s standards.
through the displays.
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