The Best of Flea Market Home and Living Magazine.

Boy, were we excited and pleasantly surprised to see Mowers Saturday Sunday flea market mentioned on page 127 of a recent issue of The Best of Flea Market Home and Living Magazine. A friend who lives in Florida sent along the photos. Then, our daughter found the magazine in one of the Kingston big box stores. Imagine- that is nationwide recognition. It looks like we are in some pretty good company! We are open thru October 2022, weather providing. Mowerssaturdayfleamarket.com, woodstockfleamarket@hvc.rr.com, 845-679-6744

Meet Gat and Ranaan

Gat and Ranaan Gabriel 

Gat and Ranaan are part of a new crew of vendors at the flea market this year.  As they tell their story,

“This has been our first season and we are very happy to be here. We arrived in Woodstock three years ago, just about half a year before COVID hit, and since then we’ve been waiting for the opportunity to meet the wonderful community and local residences. Woodstock has been the perfect location between the market’s vibe and all of the people who pass through. We’re grateful to be able to show our community what we do. “

As part of my interview, I ask for a little background as to how our vendors began the journey to where they are today – selling their creations  at the flea market.

“Starting as graphic designers, we both walked our own artistic paths, until we settled in Woodstock and started our collaboration: Word Paintings. We paint words. Visualizing the meaning of ‘words’ is the center of our work, revealing the accents and meaning through shapes, forms, colors, and composition.

We begin our Word Paintings with a single word (though every now and then we use a short phrase). It can be any word yet we find ourselves more drawn to those that which people often forget how powerful they really are. We’re interested in the way we experience them; that is where you feel meaning, a presence, a physical feeling and power that a word can give. With this ‘code’ we start our visual adventure. Think about ‘SOUL’, ‘WE’, ‘BREATHE’, or ‘MOM&DAD’. Think of the emotions that come with reading these words and you can start imagining the vast fields of creativity that are waiting to be explored. Our medium consists of a mix between digital artwork as well as oil and acrylic painting and pencil. The outcome is a sort of conclusion, the sum of both the spiritual & physical means, in other words, a PAiNTiNG.”

Lastly,  I always ask What do you like about being at the flea market?

“Besides meeting all the people who gather at the flea, we love and are grateful for all the feedback and support we received. It’s honestly priceless. We present a selection of our works and introduce new words every week, and in turn receive responses which are truly spectacular. These just continue to encourage us to create more works. Thank you! And please visit us in person or also online! :)”

Gat and Raanan @gat_raanan rg-wordsmith.com

Dorothy and Jill Surrounded by Their Fantastic Collection of This and That

 

Dorothy and Jill have been working Mower’s Saturday Sunday for almost forty years. They have an expert eye for buying a wide variety of items to re-sell.  Their booth has a different look every week.  Vintage jewelry, sterling, clothing from different era’s, including boots, coats and sweaters in season. Also, books and magazines that include an eclectic assortment of topics.  Both women agree that they love the social aspect of visiting each weekend with their customers and fellow flea market vendors as well.  

We are open Monday September 5th, 2022

 Labor Day weekend is upon us.  We don’t know about you, but our summer seems to have flown by.  We continue to celebrate the 45^th year of the iconic Mower’s Saturday Sunday flea market in Woodstock, N.Y.   We are open Sept 3, Sept 4, and Monday Sept. 5^th in case you are lingering in town before the vacation is over and the back-to-school schedules begin.  As always, up to date information can be found at 845-679-6744 and at #mowerssaturdayfleamarket on Instagram and FB.  Thanks for being a fan!  See you at the market, at the corner of Deanies Alley and Maple Lane in Woodstock, N.Y

Franne first started setting up at the flea market almost 25 years ago. Her booth was filled with her featured items, vintage housewares and a wonderful collection of the most beautiful tea pots. We had a good laugh when Franne  recalled that I purchased a set of beautiful cobalt blue candle sticks to give to our daughter as a bridal shower gift.  In those early years, she would drive up from Rockland county most Saturdays.  Eventually her set up grew to include books, housewares and a large VHS collection.  As the years went by, Franne lived closer to Woodstock, her items for sale changed from VHS to DVD collections and vintage clothing.   As we have emerged from pandemic selling, Franne has changed her booth once again to fine vintage clothing, a curated book selection  and a specialty item, vintage kimonos.  She is able to alter and repair any damaged kimonos that she may purchase.  Franne has an amazing eye for color and her booth has a beautiful red, purple, blue and yellow vibe to it.  You can find her most Saturdays down the Maple lane side of the flea, on the  inside corner. 

 

Ceramicist Olga at Mower's Saturday Sunday Flea market

 

When Olga was accepted at the Cleveland Art Institute for study, her intended medium to work in was  glass blowing. When her family relocated to Poughkeepsie, N.Y. she resumed her studies at SUNY New Paltz and found that clay gave her the challenge and satisfaction she was seeking in her creative life. As it turned out, the clay gives Olga an opportunity to work three dimensionally. The pieces she creates can either blend into the new owner’s life both with form and function or the piece can become a center or focal point for the space it inhabits.

Olga first started selling her ceramic ware at Mower’s flea market in Woodstock, N.Y. in 2015. She is set up most Saturday and Sundays throughout the season. Olga notes that she especially likes interacting with her customers at the flea market.  For inspiration Olga draws on her knowledge about mythology and ritual art of ancient times.  Part of her philosophical process in art is the concept of not following the laws and rules of nature. Her created objects are a result of her ability to work beyond assumed boundaries of thought.  Stop by at the flea to see and touch her one-of-a-kind functional ceramic food ware and her ceramic figures  in person.

Sarah and Wilder Leather- Celebrating her second season on Maple Lane

 

Sarah was kind enough to write out her amazing answers to our questions 

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN SETTING UP:

i'm delighted to be in my second season selling handmade leather goods at Mower's Flea Market in Woodstock. last year i was WILDSTOCK LEATHER, and this year, midseason, i've decided to rebrand my leather endeavor as WILDER LEATHER. while WILDSTOCK was a great mashup of where I live/work with what I'm about, WILDER, my last name, feels spot-on essential given what i'm doing with the medium – though i'll always feel like a WILDSTOCK'er at heart.

 A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT YOU MAKE:

as WILDER LEATHER, i handcraft leather goods with gusto in my little studio-shed in Woodstock (NY.) my leather practice is part cacophonic vortex, part diagonal dot connectings, part nitty gritty. i began with bracelets, my first leather love, and have since branched out, in order of manifestation, to pouches, wallets, bags, beltbags, belt/bag hybrids, belts, skillet handle covers (an unexpected way to utilize scraps!), and most recently lightweight earrings ¬– all with vegetable tanned leather. ultimately, i'd like to get into harnesses with pocket/pouches, and more varieties of jewelry. all styles i create get named after the first person to buy the thing, though a few are named after what they seem to invoke. to date i've got: the brooke, the johanna, the jan, the duane, the autumn, the lindsey, the amy, the sarah, the leo, the leaf, the mayfly, the ustya and countless unnamable (but not ungraspable) one-offs. i invite folks to stop by my booth during the season, or visit me on instagram.com/wilder.leather, to learn more.

 WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE DOING:

i love and appreciate that i get to work in a medium that continually challenges and excites, and one in which i constantly/compulsively experiment with shapes, colors, lines, textures, hardware, forms, finishes, and functionality, all through the conduit of leather. i require stimulation and a sense of purpose/urgency to move through space and time. miraculously, what i'm doing with WILDER LEATHER does this for me; my work expresses a side, or many sides, perhaps, that i'm happy to share. i dig that WILDER LEATHER is one of my most valued, sanguine creative launch pads, melding my imaginative, instinctual, intuitive, and practical intelligences in novel ways. as Anne Carson says, and i'm fond of repeating: "make a small mark, nothing sublime." this sentiment fuels my passion to 'make.' as each amalgamation of 'small marks' takes shape to form a functional object, from hulking sides of cowhide, no less, i feel a sense of grateful satisfaction in being able to craft beautiful, practical, lasting objects.

 i must add that i sincerely appreciate being able to do what i do, and to offer what i can, through the vibrant, neighborly marketplace of Mower's Flea Market. not only is the Flea a brilliant/perfect/wonderful platform for my work, but it's a field (literally) ripe with cross-pollination. i buy beautiful beads, leather, and hardware from other vendors; i get fresh ideas from other vendors and passersby, directly and indirectly; and i really listen when someone asks "can you make (X), but with (Y)?" and then, if it's a custom or i just decide to go with it, i'm likely off in a new direction(s), or, at the very least, i get to create with a fresh slant. as much as anything, it is this rich engagement that propels WILDER LEATHER endlessly forward, endlessly rocking.

instagram.com/wilder.leather

wilderleather18@gmail.com

Remembering Annie Bianco Mower On Her Birthday

 

One of the many lessons taught to us by Annie Bianco Mower was the importance of birthday celebrations.   We imagine that she is celebrating her 105^th birthday today in a heavenly way with Aunt Jen, Aunt Angie, Aunt Marie and the dozens of close friends Annie made over her many years of earthly life.  Born in 1917 in Kingston, NY, Annie was raised in the family home on Greenkill Avenue by her Sicilian born maternal grandparents Biaggio and Barbara Commarata.  

Like many of the girls her age, after graduating from Kingston High School, Annie went to work at Hercules Powder Plant in Port Ewen, N.Y.  

“Anna Bianco, a real Kingston city girl, met a handsome Woodstocker, Al Mower, at the Spring Lake roller rink located just west of the city of Kingston on Lucas Avenue. In keeping with the social practice of the times, Al Mower converted from Dutch Reformed to Catholicism. The couple was then married on May 18, 1943 at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Kingston. A lovely wedding breakfast followed the service at the Rathskeller Restaurant on Fair Street.”  American Tapestry the Mowers of Maple Lane pg 88

Maple Lane What a Great Place  to Raise a Family

                “Raising her family in her mother- in – laws house must have been awkward for Anne at first.  Eventually, Esther and Anne began to share the household chores. There was a big, deep white enamel sink in the kitchen, which made it easy to hook up the copper topped automatic wringer washing machine. They would drag the washing machine from the hallway where it was stored and push it into the kitchen. The only drawback, it had to be emptied by hand with a pail. It seems as though every clear day was wash day on Maple Lane. As the weather allowed, the clothes were then taken outside to hang on the line. The girls, when they were young, would tease their mom by clipping clothes pins to her skirt while she was hanging clothes on chilly winter days. They would later have to help collect the board stiff clothes, usually diapers, and bring them into the house to be placed over furniture to thaw out.”

American Tapestry the Mowers of Maple Lane, pg 92

American Tapestry the Mowers of Maple Lane available from the author at Mowers Saturday Sunday Fleamarket or email woodstockfleamarket@hvc.rr.com 

Musings while baking pie on a beautiful July day

We just finished up a stretch of unusually hot July weather. We shopped at Adams last night and John caught a glimpse of Rhubarb and his request to me was, Strawberry Rhubarb pie? While mixing the dough this morning I wondered what our mothers and grandmothers did about baking during the hot summer days in the 20th century. The only solution I could muster was that they baked very early in the morning, before the heat of the day set in.           

                                                                                                                                                                   My mom, Winnie Davis Fallon, would make an apple pie now and then. Truthfully, she was more of a chocolate cake and chocolate chip cookie kind of baker. I honed my pie making skills at the elbow of my mother-in-law, Annie Bianco Mower. As far as I am concerned, Annie made an apple pie worthy of all the ribbons that could ever be awarded at a state fair. Of course, if you knew her, she was modest as hell and would always try to “improve” her dough recipe or the apple pie, based on what one of her girlfriends did with their dough. Don’t change a thing, was our usual retort when Annie would ponder if perhaps Gertrude Avery had a better way of making apple pie. Annie’s pie baking mentor was her husband’s aunt Hazel Mower Riseley. They were neighbors on Maple Lane back when Annie had her hands full raising a family and keeping up with her husband Al’s different endeavors. 

  Excerpted from American Tapestry, the Mowers of Maple Lane by Janine Fallon Mower pg 94 “On holiday weekends, Uncle Maurice would take his great nephew John on the milk runs with him. Maurice would have to double up on his route on these occasions, so an extra pair of hands and young legs would make a difference as Maurice was in his early 60’s John would stay over in Maurice and Hazel’s little house, once occupied by Noah and Catherine Mower, his great- great grandparents. Sleepy eyed John would come down the stair way in the very early in the morning to a hearty breakfast prepared by Aunt Hazel. “The grandparents we never had” She would kid her great nephew as he always ate about 36 “dollars’ worth” of her tasty silver dollar size pancakes. Once their appetites had been satisfied, the two set out on the home milk delivery route. Maurice’s other helper would be his grandson, Mark Riseley. On many occasions, Mark would ride along with his grandfather as Maurice traveled his route that included homes way out on Route 28. One of Hazel’s other specialties was Rhubarb pie. When in season, you were guaranteed a slice of pie would be waiting for a hungry visitor.

 Aunt Hazel became a mentor for city girl Anne Mower. As the vegetables in the garden began to ripen, the two women would work side by side readying the harvest. Most of the work was done while sitting on a long board placed atop two slabs of bluestone that were resting just outside Hazel’s back door. Any given bright sunny day one might find them sharing time together “doing beans” just freshly picked from the garden. The Mower children were either playing in the yard nearby or attending school. The women would put the beans in a ceramic bowl filled with cold water. Then, the beans would be swished around in the water, gather up by the handful and the excess water would be shaken off. The beans would be left to air dry on a cotton cloth. Once the beans were cleaned, they would be prepared for canning. They both were known to also put-up quarts and quarts of tomatoes and peaches.”

 Available through the author on weekends at Mower’s Saturday flea market 845-679-6744 or at the Historical Society Book shop at 20 Comeau Drive on weekends 1-5 . historicalsocietyofwoodstock.org

Farmer Steve

Each weekend for 36 years, Farmer Steve has made the trip from Columbia County with his van jammed packed full of seasonally fresh fruits and veggies to sell at his farm stand at Mower’s Saturday Sunday flea market. Steve also carries a wide variety of herbs, flowers and vegetable plants in season. An avid N.Y. Met fan, Farmer Steve is in constant motion. He usually has a story or two to share about his escapades protecting his crops from summer thunderstorms or the logistics of watering his crops during a drought. Sixteen years ago, Steve was part of a crew of flea vendors who pitched the idea of a two-day market to John and Janine. There had been a stretch of rainy weather and as the flea was Saturdays only, the flea kept getting cancelled. It was decided to commit to the two days, thus creating a built-in rain day. You will find him every weekend under the beautifully grand old Maple tree, on Maple Lane in Woodstock. The photo and article are from a 1997 Daily Freeman newspaper article.

Wood Carving at Mower's Flea Market

Arlene and Roger have been setting up at Mower’s Saturday/ Sunday flea for four years. Roger has a primary interest in wood spirits, and that was one incentive to start carving, about fifteen years ago. Roger tells us that every tree has a spirit associated with it. Wood spirits bring good luck to a home. Arlene started wood carving not long after Roger. They both belong to the Catskill Mountain Wood Carving group. Being a member of the group is a great way to learn and share about the work that you are doing. They use found bark from the cotton wood tree to do their carvings on. The painted pieces that they feature are on bass wood. Roger and Arlene agree that the process of carving can be a form of relaxation. Arlene likes the creativity associated with the carving hobby. She likes the idea of bringing nature or a natural product into everyday life. Roger also plays guitar and can make basic guitar repairs. You may find a newly repaired guitar at their booth for sale. The couple also has beautiful walking sticks and other wood carved items at their booth. They also feature a collection of decorative skulls. The couple sets up at the flea market every Saturday and Sunday.

Susan has been selling at Mower's Saturday Sunday flea market for 43 years

Sue has been a vendor at Mower’s Saturday Sunday Flea market in Woodstock for 43 years. At the beginning, she didn’t set up her booth every weekend. Now, she is one of the vendors who returns every weekend. Sue’s booth is down the Maple Lane side of the flea market field. She carries a smattering of antiques, vintage clothing and jewelry. During the summer season she carries a great supply of luau shirts. Sue is also one of our makers at the market. She creates many of the jewelry pieces that she has for sale. Over the past few years, Sue has started bringing her own art work. Sue loves all aspects of selling at the flea market, which includes the buying, creating and selling every weekend at the flea market in Woodstock.

Barbara and Lazlo at Mower's Saturday Sunday flea market

Barbara and Lazlo’s set up is located on the Maple Lane side of the flea market. They have a great spot in the shade that gives them a front row seat to observe all the visitors to the flea market. They are one of the vendors who return every weekend. Over the course of 24 years setting up in Woodstock, N.Y., the couple has fine tuned the items they have for sale. They now focus on turquoise jewelry that they bring back from Oklahoma along with a curated selection of cowboy boots and cowboy hats. Barbara also focuses on fine gold jewelry and vintage sterling silver jewelry. Lazlo carries a small selection of pocket knives. Barbara sells select fur coats and fur wraps year-round, however the furs make their seasonal appearance on the flea field after the Labor Day Holiday. Barbara enjoys being able to offer fine gold jewelry for sale at a reasonable price. Barbara can be reached on FB as Woodstock Jewelry Lady

Sue and Tonshi Mountain products at Mower's Saturday Sunday Flea Market

Sue has been with Mower’s Saturday Sunday flea market in Woodstock NY since 2008. She is one of our vendors who returns every weekend. Her focus is on wire wrap gemstone jewelry, a wide variety of incense sticks, rocks and crystals. Her most favorite medium to work with are the rocks and crystals, many of which she incorporates into her wire wrap jewelry. Sue can be found down the Maple Lane side of the flea market. View her online store at tonshimountain.com or email her at tonshimountain@yahoo.com

Peace Signs at Mowers Saturday Sunday flea

Gary has been working the flea market for almost a decade. He started out as an antiquer in 2015 selling collectible items including an incredible selection of Loony Toon drink glasses and other advertising memorabilia. One year he decided to change his whole booth over and he became the maker of Peace Signs. The peace signs are now his most popular and fastest selling items. Artistically inclined, Gary enjoys the creative process and especially likes trying out new items. He is very skilled at determining what the public is looking for and then creating an item to fill the interest. Gary is also one of our Woodstock Festival era historians. He has a great depth of knowledge of the 1960’s era music scene in Woodstock and enjoys talking with people about that piece of the history of Woodstock, N.Y. Gary sets up every weekend and you can find him down the Maple Lane side of the field. Gary is one of our vendors who returns every weekend.

Stephen and Julia and Blue Dot Mandalas and Antiques

Stephen and Julia first appeared on the Mower flea field c 1994 as Blue Dot Books and Blue Dot ceramic tile and designs. Stephen was pictured in a Kingston Daily Freeman article about the flea market in 1997, standing in front of his Blue Dot Books yellow school bus. Julia, a very talented artist, would be found at her booth with her iconography, working under the name Universal Saints. Two decades later, Julia, now known as the woman who creates the beautiful Blue Dot Mandalas on perfectly rounded stones, continues to enjoy the creative experience her art work brings to her. The work is similar to her iconography in the past, however as she says, “Wow, imagine working with stones as old as the planet.” Julia can be found at https://www.facebook.com/bluedotmandalas Stephen has changed the focus of his booth to feature antiques and specially selected vinyl records. He enjoys the process of searching for the more refined items that he knows his customers are looking for. Stephen’s discerning eye can expertly spot an item at a sale or an auction. You can find Stephen and Julia every Saturday and Sunday in the shade, under the Blue Dot umbrella. Stephen and Julia are vendors who return every weekend.

Walter Mower Expands His Farm Lot on Maple Lane

Walter Mower's Fruit Trees 

The South East corner of Walter Mower's Maple lane property. 

Excerpted from American Tapestry the Mowers of Maple Lane pg 65

Walter expanded his holdings on Maple Lane with the purchase of an area known as “the Higgins lot” in 1914. This piece of land was contiguous to a section that was still part of the proposed “Deming Addition.” There was a constant running feud between Walter and Dr. Deming. It seems as though Walter wanted to plow up and farm the whole area. Dr. Deming insisted on putting signs up in an area he believed to belong to him, continually annoying Walter. Walter would eventually plow up and plant as much land as he could on Maple Lane, including the area known as the “Higgins lot: and additional land he would subsequently purchase from Herrick. In addition to his other crops, the farm field was now alive with cherry, quince and apple trees, asparagus and strawberry plants.

In the 21st century, the entire field is used by John and Janine Mower for Mower's Saturday Sunday fleamarket.  

Copies of American Tapestry the Mowers of Maple lane are available for purchase from Janine Fallon Mower at the flea market or call  845-679-6744.  $ 16.00 each includes tax. 

 

Mackinzie's Specially Selected Vintage Clothing and Jewelry

 

Excerpted from the American Tapestry the Mowers of Maple Lane pg 19

“Vendors shop everywhere! All one needs is a car, a roll of cash and a tank of gas and you could be in business. Two of the most popular places to shop are; house sales and yard sales. “Your trash is my treasure: the motto expressed by successful antique seller Len Sickler of Kingston is modeled by many Woodstock vendors. Many will take on the task of cleaning out houses, barns and garages of entire contents, with the hope that one or two valuable items will make the hard dirty work worth the effort.

New vendors and different products for our 45th season.

In the 21^st century, vendors still continue to hunt for resalable items at house sales and yard sales.  However, as we enter into our 45^th season of flea marketing, we notice that what vendors bring to the market has changed somewhat.  Now, there is quite a demand for vintage clothing and wearable items.

Mackenzie is one of our newer vendors who brings along items for sale that are not the usual items you would see at a house content sale. Mackenzie had one season at the flea in 2016 and then had a pause in the selling part of her life, reemerging in the summer of 2021.  By her own admission, she enjoys the “thrifting” side of the hunt for those hidden gems she has for sale at the flea.  Mackenzie sets up every Saturday and she also sells online and can be found at her Instagram page under the name mack_bones.  Her booth is filled with quirky and fun items, a few of which she has created herself. Overall, vintage clothing and jewelry is her focus.

Debbie's Knock Out Dogs

 

Excerpted from American Tapestry the Mowers of Maple Lane pg. 25

            "The transition from outdoor barbeque style food booth to hot dog cart was traumatic. The all-day barbecue created a fun atmosphere on the field. There was also the challenge of finding just the right person to fit into the family atmosphere. The transition was made easier when Colleen Mower and Jason Young stepped in. Jason built a hot dog cart and the young couple began selling the tastiest fresh squeezed lemonade along with the usual hot dogs and soda. Gone was the delicious outdoor breakfast menu. However, over time everyone adjusted. When Jason became a member of the Woodstock police force, the couple retired from the hot dog cart business. The Paccheo family set up their cart for a few years, followed by Kingstonian Jody Ettinger. Matt Ciardi, who purchased Jody’s cart and was selling on Main Street in Kingston during the week decided to give Woodstock a try. After two years, Matt decided it was time to go to college and sold his car to current Saturday hot dog vendors Bill and Deb. When the market expanded to Saturday and Sunday a second hot dog vendor was recruited. Sean Miller, who sets up at the Main Street site by the Kingston post office, agreed to join the Mower’s Market family.”

   Food vending in the 21 st century at Mower’s Saturday Sunday flea market.

For more than two decades, the Knock Out Dogs hot dog cart has been the first thing visitors see when they enter the flea from Deanies Alley.  Debbie took over the hot dog cart from her brother Bill in 2012, and was our food vendor for every Saturday. About five years ago, Debbie took over the Sunday spot and now does both days, weather providing.  Her most popular selling Sabrett dog is the combo with chili followed by the dogs with kraut or relish and mustard.  New to Debbie’s Knock Out Dog hot dog cart is a tasty Sabrett dog topped with cole slaw.  Debbie uses Sabrett brand rolls, onions, kraut and of course,  hot dogs!

 At least once a year Debbie has a visit from Mr. Sabrett and a group of his friends. His first visit in 2022 was on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend.  Mr. Sabrett and ten friends gathered round the Knock Out Dog cart and started ordering their favorites.  Mortified, Debbie had to announce that she was sold out of Sabretts.  Mr. Sabrett laughed; everyone took the announcement in stride.  He laughed, saying “that’s what everyone wants to do! Sell out!”  Debbie’s cart is ready to serve Sabrett dogs,         11 am ish to 3 30 pm ish every weekend, when the flea is open.

Remembering Al Mower who died April 18, 1966

 

Can it really be fifty six years ago that Al Mower died as a result of injuries sustained in a head on collision?  His six children are grown. He has great great grandchildren who have yet to learn of the wonderful loving influence he had on his family. 

“The World is Round and often what seems like the end is really the beginning”  OVID

“Very often, small communities change subtly over time. For example, a rural area like Lake Katrine in the Town of Ulster was once dotted with dairy farms which stretched for miles along the sandy banks of the Esopus Creek. At some point in the early 1950’s, the Town Ulster welcomed the construction of the IBM center and within ten or fifteen years the neighborhood changed to include strip malls, a drive-in theatre and four lane divided highways. 

Occasionally, a small town experiences a heralding event that creates a quick shift in the social and economic fabric of it.   In 1968, Woodstock was a rural township, a conglomeration of seven unique hamlets each content with the Town’s overall dual image as a bed room community for IBM and Rotron as well as a mature colony of the arts.  Locals will fondly recall that during this time period, from Labor Day to the following Memorial Day, one could roll a bowling ball down the center of Mill Hill Road and never hit a person or a car.  In spite of occasional complaints, most year-round residents were able to adjust to the seasonal up tick of activity that accommodated the music and art population.

Managing the town government was more or less a part time endeavor; the Town Clerks’ office was on Tinker Street in the Town Hall building, the Supervisor worked out of the same office or from his home. The constabulary consisted of four or five local men who worked a day shift and half an evening shift during the summer season. The Mowers of Maple Lane, now residing in West Hurley, were finding their way in life. Each one adjusting to the untimely loss of their husband and father, Al Mower, as a result of injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident while on vacation in 1966.”

Excerpt from American Tapestry, the Mowers of Maple Lane, Janine Fallon Mower- Anam Cara Press

Woodstock NY, 2007    Available from the author email woodstockfleamarket@hvc.rr.com

How John Mower Started the Flea Market in 1977

 

 

       We celebrate our 45^th year in flea marketing this year.  As we get ready to open up again at the corner of Deanies Alley and Maple Lane in Woodstock, N.Y., join us as we look back at our many years in business by posting highlights of Janine Fallon- Mower’s history of the Mower family of Woodstock, N.Y.  This book, American Tapestry, the Mowers of Maple Lane,  includes the history of the first twenty-five years of Mower’s flea market.  The book is available though the author for $ 15.00.  Contact Janine at woodstockfleamarket@hvc.rr.com or stop by the flea market and purchase one there.

       " Mower’s Saturday Market on Maple Lane began over 30 years ago when there became a need for a new venue at which to hold the traditional market fairs. Ralph Tripico, an antique dealer who operated a booth at the Woodstock Playhouse Saturday market fair site approached John in the spring of 1974 about renting the vacant lot on Maple Lane for an antique market.  

          After careful consideration, John had a contract drawn up by local lawyer Richard Anthony. The markets opened that summer under Tripico’s management and ran on Saturdays from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Ralph and his wife eventually decided to move to the Virginia Beach area to be near family and open an antique shop. John, now seeing the merits of having the income to cover the property expenses, indicated his interest in continuing the market.  At first, it looked like it would be a challenge to create a vendor list. As luck would have it, Bill Lubinsky, Woodstock Festival Tee Shirt was very interested in having the markets continue in Woodstock and offered to help contact potential vendors. John and Bill shook hands and Bill declared;

Figure 1 John and Janine Mower with Bill Lubinsky in the back row. Robert Depew Reynolds, kneeling. Allan and Colleen Mower, center.

 “Well, John, now you are in the flea market business”

        John Mower began renting spaces to sellers of everything under the sun in 1977 on the lot of land that was purchased by his great grandfather, Walter Mower in 1907.  Vendors attending numbered about 20 in the early years and were set up along Deanies Alley, under the stately pine trees that the France boys used as their summer time camp site in the mid 1950’s. Parking for customers and vendors was in the lot below the property. John made arrangements with old friend Deanie Elwyn to rent this lot on Deming Street for a nominal annual fee. Eventually, the old “Pinball Palace” building and lot were sold and the rental agreement was dissolved. With input from the town planning board, John decided to move the vendors off the alley and deeper into the field.                                                                                   

Excerpt from American Tapestry, the Mowers of Maple Lane, Janine Fallon Mower- Anam Cara Press Woodstock NY, 2007    Available from the author email woodstockfleamarket@hvc.rr.com

 

Opening Weekend May 21 and May 22 2022

 Before you know it we will be back on the field at 11 Maple Lane, Woodstock, NY.

We will be starting our 45th season of fleamarketing in Woodstock. How cool is that?!

For up to date information email us at woodstockfleamarket@hvc.rr.com.  Call our info line at 845-679-6744. Follow us on FB   Mowers Saturday fleamarket or Instagram @mowerssaturdayfleamarket

Check out our website mowerssaturdayfleamarket.com 

See you at the market !  Real Soon.