Over the course of the several years that Lisa Vonderstuck of Brandywine View Antiques in Chadds Ford hosted her annual barn market event, she slowly became the self-described victim of her own success.

In addition to the hundreds of customers that would flock to her location on Baltimore Pike and poke through an entire parking lot of treasured antiques offered by several vendors ・ not to mention the three floors of fun in her own building ・ there were more than a dozen vendors who showcased their treasures as well. In time, the annual event became one of the most well-attended antique fairs of its kind in Chester County, and parking and vendor spaces began to come at a premium.

At the same time, Kendall Reynolds, president of the Chadds Ford Historical Society, and Nadia Barakat, the Society・s executive director, were looking for another event to dot the Society・s social calendar. Eventually, three minds all landed on the same strategic page, and for the first time, what had become a log jam of popularity and profitability will this year have a new home.

The First Annual Massive Barn Market Antiques Fair will be held at the Chadds Ford Historical Society on April 18, from 9 a.m to 5 p.m., rain or shine, directly outside the Society・s visitors・ center in the grove area. There will be 50 well-established antique vendors on hand, who will offer unique collectibles, vintage items and antique goods. In addition, a wide variety of food trucks will be on hand to serve gourmet specialties.

"This year, we want to bring in a lot of amazing vendors that I have known over the years that I have seen at other other markets,・ Vonderstuck said. ・They often are just known for their pop-up shops, so this new space allows us to increase that number from a little more than a dozen to as many as fifty.・

Barakat said that expanding the market to a new location was not only a collaboration that will ultimately broaden opportunities for both vendors and customers, but one that adds an antique fair to an already eclectic blend of events the Society holds throughout the year.

"We knew that this was a beautiful setting here at the Society,・ Barakat said. ・We also did not have any event of its kind, a huge mass market with quality vendors. I think the clientele here is looking for quality items, and these are unique and special items. This is a good fit. A relationship seemed so natural.・

"I am selling history as a whole, because every object I have is telling a story,・ Vonderstuck said. ・This whole market is essentially a dream that I・ve had for years that・s getting o the next level, and then growing. I look forward to being here years down the road, and seeing these same people growing with this market, and making another event here in Chadds Ford.・

"These are incredibly talented vendors. I look at antique dealers as artists, and it takes a village to make something like this happen, and for me to be a part of a village as a whole is incredible."

Admission to the Massive Barn Market is free, and the rope cutting to the event will begin at 9 a.m. The Historical Society will also be open on the day of the event for demonstrations and purchases. The Chadds Ford Historical Society is located at the Barn Visitors Center, 1736 Creek Road, Chadds Ford, Pa. 19317. For more information, visit www.chaddsfordhistory.org , or www.brandywineview.com .

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, e-mail [email protected] .