A little Mower's Flea History- In case you were wondering.

Over coffee at Ted’s Corner Cupboard, one dreary late winter morning in 1976, Bill Lubinsky, who was known about town as a Woodstock Festival historian, approached John Mower about running a flea market on the Mower family property on Maple lane in Woodstock New York. Bill could not possibly foresee that forty one years later, Mower’s Saturday Sunday Flea market would be a destination for visitors to the Hudson Valley. Though Mowers flea market started out with a dozen or so vendors in 1977, twenty first century attendees will find upwards of fifty vendors each Saturday and Sunday during flea market season. Opening each year in May and running thru October, vendors are selling antiques, crafts, collectibles, jewelry, vintage clothing, repurposed home goods, records, pottery, books, sunglasses, furniture, plants, fruits and veggies, crystals, you name it, something for everyone. Woodstock has the unique distinction of having a Saturday selling event that has been ongoing for more than one hundred years. In 1917, Ethel Peet, a member of the Woodstock Club, developed the idea of running a Saturday Market street fair as a fund raiser for the Red Cross. They were held near the Village green and continued for almost twenty years. The funds from the fair were used to benefit many different activities in Woodstock. During the late 1930’s, Mary Terwilliger began managing the market fairs on the grounds of Christs Lutheran Church on Mill Hill Rd. At some point, Dorothy Seesel took over managing the fair and she eventually found an appropriate spot on the grounds of the Woodstock Playhouse. Dorothy would, in due time, turn the managing of the fair over to Ralph Tripico, a local antique dealer. When they were no longer able to set up at the Playhouse site, Ralph, like Bill Lubinsky, approached John Mower regarding the rental of the Mower family property on Maple Lane. The rest is flea market history. John and Janine Mower and family manage their flea market, listed as one of Fodor’s top 10 flea markets in the country, on property that was purchased by Walter Mower in 1907. What was once a family home and farm lot now is home to the very popular Mowers flea market. Visitors travel to experience the mystique of the town of Woodstock and the flea market from points as far away as Japan and Australia. Many of our vendors are local, however quite a few trave from as far away l as one hundred miles to come and set up at Mowers flea.

Image from 1979, Bill Lubinsky on the far right John and Janine can be reached at woodstockfleamarket@hvc.rr.com, or 845-679-6744. Visit our blog, woodstockflea.blogspot.com or find us on Facebook, Mower’s Saturday Market.