Rietta Ranch flea market Hubbardston MA

Ah, nothing lifts the soul of local antiquers, junkers and flea market entrepreneurs in Central MA like the start of Rietta Ranch. I visited my favorite flea haunt on opening day to visit old friends and see who else would show up to brave the brutal weather. I’d gotten there about 9:30 and it was 39 degrees Fahrenheit, so I know it must have been close to freezing or below when these dealers set up at 6am. That demonstrates some Yankee fortitude if you ask me!

The flea market is in operation on Sunday’s only from April to October, get there early (6am) if your going to shop, deals go fast. Get there earlier if your going to sell, good spaces go faster.

Rietta Ranch is the largest longest running outdoor weekly flea market in the Central MA area. It’s located in Hubbardston MA on RT 68, you can’t miss it, it’s the place with the train cars parked on it’s crest which you can see from the road, Ronnie the former owner who had planned to use them as concession stands, at least as it was told to me. He just purchased them one day, had them dropped off and everyone said, “what the heck?!” Perhaps a bit eccentric, but so was his original dream of having the flea market there in the first place some 30 years ago, give or take a few years. Look how well that worked out!

Rumor has it that Ron was in California back then and after seeing a flea market out there, brought the idea up north. As is so often the case with many new ideas, he faced resistance and scoffing from people who said it would never work. He started out with a few tables and a couple of dealers. Ron passed on a few years ago, but his legacy has grown every year since he started it and the field can accommodate up to 650 dealers now!
Dealer spaces are a generous size and each space comes with a large table but there’s room for additional tables and your vehicle as well. At $25 per spot it’s one of the best deals in the business. There are acres and acres of bargains.

Here are a few of the folks I chatted:

JR Greene is a friend of mine and long time Rietta Vendor, he’s also a local Historian, author and expert on the Quabbin Reservoir. JR sells postcards, coins and baseball cards and copies of the 15 books he’s written on the Quabbin and local history. If you have any interest in these areas, see the phone# above to contact him.

Derek Drowne also a friend of many years has been selling at Rietta for more than 25 years. Derek is a bookseller who always has the biggest display of books at the market at great prices. This is more than a weekend hobby for him, it’s is full time job. I asked him what was selling well and he said Art & Sports books.
I asked him what he was buying, and right now he said he is looking for good current college text books. If you have some book business you’d like to do with him, you can reach him at 978-249-3182

I talked with newbies and others, and everyone seemed to agree that opening day was a good one this year, despite the weather. Those that seem to always have the most luck at this popular flea are the antiques dealers and those that sell used items, but if you have a good quality new product line, you can do well also.

One person I talked to that had such an inventory was Jim who made and sold very nice country style custom furniture. You can reach him at 978-343-8607

There are a lot of empty spaces during the first few weeks, but these acres fill up fast.

Minty looking Telefunken radio, I doubt it was there when I left.

Overall, the attitude and outlook of the dealers was very good on opening day, most of them felt that with the slow economy, people will be looking to stretch dollars by getting bargains on used & antique items. Everyone in the business knows it’s always great when you can buy something and sell it down the road for more than you paid for it, something retail outlets can’t provide. I know I’m looking forward to hunting the field this year, I hope to see you there!

Details:

Located at 183 Gardner Rd, Hubbardston, MA (RT 68)

Phone# 978-632-0559

Gate opens at 6am
Spaces are $25.00 each
Bring Sun & Wind Protection!
There is a full snack bar and full liquor bar that serves alcohol, (Walmart ain’t got that!)
Some indoor spaces
Capacity for 650 vendors
Trash left at spaces will not be tolerated, leave a mess and you won’t be welcomed back.
A crowd of thousands.

If your a Rietta Ranch vendor, or a fan of outdoor fleas, you know they’re in danger of extinction every year from development & retail competition. Please help us all out by linking to this post.

For more information & directions go to riettafleamarket.com