Pettengill Farm’s Vintage Bazaar

I am always on the hunt for something to finish up a room or reinvent a space.  It drives my husband nuts, and me sometimes too, but when I find the right piece, I can move on to the next room—until I find another piece that completely derails my “finished” space. And truthfully, old vintage items are so interesting to find, even the hunt itself carries its own appeal.  I love imagining the history tied to an object; who owned it before, its past life, what stories it could tell.

One of our contributing home stylists, Bette Troy, mentioned Pettengill Farm’s Vintage Bazaar in Salisbury, Massachusetts, to me when we were talking about antique shops this year and I knew it would be a worthwhile visit.  Established in 2011 by Devon Allen, a “self-proclaimed 4^th generation junker”, the Vintage Bazaar is full of curated vendors including both antique and contemporary crafts and art, delicious foods, and live music with a lovely historic flower farm in the center of it all.

I dragged our former communications manager, Heather Atwell, along with me for the adventure in June.  First, because she has a bigger vehicle than I do (in case I found that perfect piece) and second, because she is always entertaining—or maybe I should reverse those.  But Heather may have a run for her money.  Enter Marie, officially known as the “coordinator of fun” for the vintage bazaar.  She is spunky, a great lover of vintage boots, and full of more enthusiasm than I can muster on most mornings. She introduced us to her talented brother and vendor, Frank Amarosa, via a short golf cart ride from the VIP tent where we met two frequent Yankee contributors, photographer Kindra Clineff and garden writer Tovah Martin.  Frank’s business, Swampscott River Antique and Salvage, is based in Newfields.  His display at the Bazaar is a veritable collection of interesting wooden boxes, tools, antique tennis rackets—you name it.  Just a feast for the eyes set under a small bit of tented square footage.  I was tempted by some vintage doorknobs, but I had dreams of finding an old filing cabinet so I vowed to save my pennies just in case.

In the end, no luck for me this visit. Still, the farm is such a beautiful spot to spend your day or even just a couple of hours.  The live music, flower farm, and the landscape itself are photo worthy and, along with the curated vendors, make for a good day in Salisbury.  I plan to make a return visit in September and hopefully, then, I will find that perfect piece. More info vintagebazaarmybazaarlifepettengillfarm Shows run every summer for one weekend in June and one weekend in September, with what looks like a bonus event this year in November. Remaining dates this year are September 20-21 and November 7-9.  Early access tickets available online.