Harvard —The Harvard Flea Market has been an annual staple in Harvard since 1972, when it was sponsored by the League of Women Voters. Since then, the market has grown substantially, often attracting more than 1000 attendees.“The tradition of the Harvard Flea Market is as vibrant today as it was over 40 years ago,” said Chrissy Yoo, 2012 Harvard Flea Market Co-Chairman.Sjoberg said she gets much of her inventory from estate sales.
For the fifth consecutive year, the League of Women Voters and the Harvard Schools Trust co-sponsored the event. All net proceeds from the Oct. 6 flea market will be split between the two organizations, said Heidi Creighton, of the Board of Directors, Harvard Schools Trust.
“The cooperation between the two non-profits is very nice,” Creighton said. “Volunteers from both organizations are what makes this day run.”
Each year, thousands of people crowd the grounds of the Bromfield School to browse an eclectic mix of stalls displaying antiques and collectibles.
While the forecast for Saturday called for rain, the weather pleasantly surpassed expectations – the perfect day to hunt for treasures.
My first stop was a small, unassuming booth where Mary Martha Bigham was selling vintage pins and small pocket-sized novelties.
“I used to come with my sister – she did this for a long time,” Bigham said. “Now I come and sell things.”
Eager to find a gem, I browsed through glass cases holding jeweled brooches, vintage pins and even an impressively preserved tintype portrait of a well-dressed young man.
In the end, an old pocket watch on a chain caught my eye, as it reminded me of the frenzied White Rabbit, of Alice in Wonderland, running late yet again to another important engagement.
“The turn out hasn’t been bad,” Bigham said. “A lot more people than I expected came out – I think because of the weather.” She recalled a few years ago when the flea market had been canceled due to heavy rains. “You can’t park cars on a muddy wet field,” she laughed.
Three stalls down, something flashy caught my eye. Patty Sjoberg’s antique and estate jewelry booth was attracting a sizable crowd.
I wandered over to Sjoberg’s table to find cases full of dazzling, polished works of jeweled art. Blue, green and red stones set in necklaces and bracelets caught the light and reflected it back to shoppers. Sjoberg’s booth was full of baubles, along with vintage furs, authentic cowboy boots, fancy feathered hats and handbags, what she termed, “treasures.”
“I sell vintage and antique jewelry and much more. It’s a lot of fun to do this,” she said.
The Charlton resident pointed out her vintage Venetian glass jewelry collection comprised of sparkling glass beads in rich blues, golds and reds. She said the jewelry dated to the 1920s and the beads were handmade by artisans.
“The colors are just great,” Sjoberg said. “These are beautiful and vibrant colors.”
I thanked Sjoberg and headed on my way, in search of more hidden treasures among the maze of booths.
At the Russell Geologics booth, I was surprised to see a well-preserved saber tooth tiger skull. Dr. Alan Russell, a retired professor of vertebrate paleontology welcomed me with a warm smile.
“Most people have a sofa or chairs in their living room. I have a 22 foot Allosaurus in mine,” he laughed. “Actually, I probably have about six or seven dinosaurs in my house,” he said.
It was not difficult to see why children were crowding around the tables. Geodes, shark teeth, polished stones, trilobite and starfish fossils, dinosaur teeth, dinosaur footprints and slabs of colorful crystals were on sale at incredibly low prices. Some lizard teeth were selling for as low as 25 cents.
“We’ve been here annually for about the past six or seven years,” Russell said. “We try to keep the prices low enough that the kids can get something that they want.”
Russell pulled out a small slab of polished brown stone.
“You know how people say ‘In the beginning?’ Well this was the beginning,” he said, handing me the stone. “That’s preserved algae from approximately 3.46 billion years ago,” he said, explaining that the blue-green algae preserved in the stone was the oldest evidence of life known on Earth.
Tearing myself away from the booth, I headed over to the Harvard Lion’s Club’s refreshment stand for a hotdog and a chat with Harvard Lion Bob Kinnee.
“We are here every year,” he said. “The Lion’s Club is one of the staples here.”
After lunch, it was time to look for furniture and other household items.
Carl Brezak, of North Berwick, Maine, was there for the first time, showing antique wooden furniture and décor.
“I’ve done other shows but this is my first time here,” Brezak said. “I would definitely come back. You learn a lesson at every show and take it with you to the next one.”
Brezak held up a hand-carved African mask from Bali, a city in the west-African country of Cameroon.
“I bought that from a man who was from Africa. It’s hand carved and very detailed. Look at the carvings, they are very well done and very detailed,” he said.
My final stop was at a large booth run by Charlene D'Onofrio of Upton. The tables displayed groups of beautiful English bone china teacups and saucers with gold trim. Each cup sold for $5.
D'Onofrio said her table displays work best when she groups items together so they catch customers’ eyes, as she did with the teacups.
“I do try to have something for everyone,” she said. “Variety is important.”
In the center of her display, D'Onofrio placed six small wooden Hitchcock chairs, pristine artifacts of the 19th century Industrial Revolution. The set was priced at $650.
“This set is a very popular item,” she said. “Watch how many people stop by to look at it while we talk.”
D'Onofrio, a retired teacher, said the chairs were American originals and were America's first factory-produced chair by a now-defunct Connecticut furniture company. The chair was named after its designer, Connecticut cabinetmaker Lambert Hitchcock.
As we spoke, four groups of shoppers stopped to examine the chairs.
“Are these really Hitchcock chairs?” asked one woman.
“Those are beautiful,” said a man as he passed by the booth.
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