I went to the Brimfield Flea Market / Antique Show's this past weekend with two friends and had one goal in mind. I needed a coffee table base for a granite top that I had acquired. I had decided before going that I wasn't going to spend anymore then $300 in cash on any base but with over 5,000 dealers I was hopeful that one would have something that would do the job that would fit within my price range.
We saw lots of unique items including old recycled tin ceilings made into art. We also saw lots of garbage mixed in with a few pieces of fine antiques. It's a great show and offers something for everyone at any budget. After finding lots of vendors who has something close to what I wanted but nothing that was perfect I was on the verge of giving up when I saw a circular gear that would have been perfect. I asked the vendor what he was asking only to be disappointed that he wasn't selling that piece because he had actually just bought it for a project of his own.
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| As I saw it at Attic Turn Over's Booth |
Annoyed that he would leave it out with everything else if it wasn't for sale I walked away from him while he was trying to suggest other items he had that might work for me. I had already scanned his whole booth and nothing else piqued my interest. As we cut back around to head back towards the main path we ran into the
Attic Turn Over's booth.
Amongst all the booths with piles of junk stacked up I was delighted to find a booth where not only did they have great products but they set the large booth up like you would expect to find a shop in SOHO or Boston. They mostly had larger furniture made from re-purposed factory items but hiding along one of the walls was this great rectangular table.
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| As I saw it at Attic Turn Over's Booth |
It looked copper and after nearly buying a $2650 copper table at
Arhaus I was intrigued. After shifting a table out of my way I discovered that the table was actually solid steel and weighed about 300lbs. It was definitely a cool table and I wondered what it has once been.
Having mainly decided to replace my existing table due to its cocktail table height I quickly measured and was pleased to find that it was a much more appropriate 18in. I hadn't planned to buy a whole new table and really only wanted a base but I asked the vendor what he was asking for the table. When I heard the $450 price tag I figured it wasn't meant to be since I had set myself a hard limit of $300 for the day. I walked away from the table and checked out all his other items and found a few more tables with bases that I liked.
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| At home and as seen from above |
In a second attempt to make a purchase in his booth I inquired if he was willing to separate the base and top from this new table. He asked what I was looking for and I explained that I was really only looking for a base and had set myself a price limit and that both tables were over my limit. As much as I could tell he wanted to sell me something he explained that his table bases in most cases were welded to the tops.
Again I walked away and as we were about to leave his booth he walked over and suggested that the guy next had a few items that would work for me. Having just been over there and disappointed that not everything was for sale I politely told him I had already been and that honestly his stuff was better. Having gotten a smile and a thank you he seemed even more friendly then he had before and spent a fair amount of time explaining how his products came together.
In a last effort I asked him what his best price was on the rectangular table even though I was only looking for a base I explained that I really liked the table and it was a perfect match for my space. I didn't hold out much hope since I didn't think it was reasonable that he would go from $450 to $300 for the table. That would have been a 33% decrease in price. I figured a reasonable discount would cap off at 20% and the best I could have hoped for was $375.
Much to my surprise he said the lowest he would go on that table was $300 since it had been a slow day and the workmen were not looking forward to having to reload the very heavy table back onto the truck. I figured it was a sign I should buy the table since that was exactly what I had withdrawn from the bank and we made a deal.
With that I handed him $300 in cash and I got a receipt and we made plans to pick it up on our way out. While he was writing up the paperwork he explained that it was an old leveling table that engineers used as a true point in quality assurance. I was familiar since I worked for a company that manufactured products and we have our own QA department with a table while much larger serves the same purpose.
When we returned later on he had it all wrapped up and ready to go and even graciously gave me the blanket to wrap the table for the trip back home when he discovered we didn't have much in the way to wrap it up.
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| At home and as seen from the side |
I wish I had more money and more furniture needs because I would have surely purchased more from him. He was a pleasure to work with and was more then fair with the pricing. While he is based in Ohio he said he comes to every Brimfield and I plan to stop back next time and see what new items he might have.
I couldn't wait to get it home and am even more pleased with my purchase then I thought I would be. I am going to get a piece of glass cut for the top just to protect the finish from anything or anyone.
I am aware that their have been no updates about my Mountain Biking & Kayaking activities. The reason is simple, I haven't really been doing much of either since my roof rack was stolen off my car this past fall. The thieves didn't get away with everything but it was enough to render the rack useless. The stole the rear bar and mounting brackets and the fairing. The only thing that saved part of my Thule rack was the way the front bar mounted to the door frame. They couldn't get the rack off the steel grommets built into the car and thankfully they didn't try to pry the door open to free it. 
I attempted to purchase the parts to make my roof rack whole directly from Thule but wouldn't sell me just the parts I needed. They told me they only sell the mountain brackets in sets of 4 and bars in pairs. Needing only 2 not 4 mounting brackets and 1 bar not 2 I was frustrated. Understanding that it prevents thieves from making full sets from stolen parts I offered proof that I purchased it all. The customer service person told me she would speak to her supervisor and get back to me. She never did. Even more then the bad customer service I am angry that the locks on the Thule are so easily bypassed. In hindsight I can see how flimsy and poorly engineered the lock doors on the Thule roof racks are. A simple hard pull and the plastic lock doors pop leaving your expensive rack vulnerable to thieves. Given the flimsy lock doors on their products I decided I simply wouldn't buy a new rack from them.
Hopefully It will allow me to begin using my toys once more. The new roof rack is designed for specifically for my model VW and allows for easy installation and removal While it doesn't appear as nicely made as my previous Thule rack it will do the job. It too has locks but they seem not as secure as I would like and as such I plan to remove it between use and not leave it on the car as I had previously done with my Thule rack. I look forward to updating my blog with more adventures both on the trails and in the water soon.
