By Richard L. Gaw
Staff Writer

Lisa Vonderstruck of Brandywine View Antiques doesn't really play small, and she's not about to change now.
When she first opened her eclectic showplace of vintage items and hard-to-find chestnuts in Chadds Ford several years ago, visitors had little idea what they were in for, but there it was: Three floors of an old country house overlooking Baltimore Pike that, to antique lovers, soon became a fairyland adventure.
When she held her Massive Barn Market events twice a year, the priceless finds of Americana came outdoors into the store's parking lot, as did dozens of other vendors and overflow crowds. When she moved her store a few miles north on Baltimore Pike a year ago, the same infectious enthusiasm that she had used to make her first location work came in the move.
Last April, Vonderstruck moved her Massive Barn Market to the Chadds Ford Historical Society, where it drew 50 vendors, a few food trucks, and about 1,500 visitors  – a first-time event that was promoted solely by social media and word of mouth. Her reaction from that first event was simple, bold and definitive.
“I learned that I can handle a bigger market,” Vonderstruck said. “It exceeded everyone's expectations. The majority of the vendors were sold out by 1 p.m. It sent out the clear message that this is not a flea market, it's not a yard sale, but a straight-up killer market of great finds.”
Now, it's back, with an exclamation point.
With the assistance of the Historical Society, the Second Annual Massive Barn Market, scheduled April 16 on the grounds of the Barn Visitors Center, is inviting 80 vendors, 11 food trucks, with wine from Paradocx Vineyard and music by Silver & Campbell.
“The whole thing about this event is that you're getting the entire Brimfield experience,” Vonderstruck said, referring to the well-known antique fair in Massachusetts that draws 20,000 vendors and more than 200,000 visitors every year. “This is our answer on a smaller scale, but for those who can't make it to Massachusetts, it gives people the experience of what Brimfield is like, in one field. We cut the rope at 9 a.m., and you're off.”
While she pieces together the final construction of the April 16 event, Vonderstruck is already beginning to plan a second Massive Barn Market this year, which is scheduled for Oct. 8 at the Barn Visitors Center.
“We have a waiting list of over 50 vendors who could not get into this spring market, so when we do it again in the fall, we're going to make the market even bigger, and add those vendors as well,” she said.
Although she is considered the “connector” responsible for bringing close to 100 vendors together on April 16, Vonderstruck looks at the Massive Barn Market as an opportunity for vendors to enjoy a common and shared experience.
“It's really a village,” she said. “This is a great team, a great place, and great vendors. Everybody who is a part of the event has already come with a following of their own, and is now to be able to display their wares in a new setting.
“I love saving the past, and whatever I can do to keep that appreciation moving forward, it's something I love to do.”
The Second Annual Massive Barn Market, co-sponsored by the Chadds Ford Historical Society and Brandywine View Antiques, will be held April 16 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Barn Visitors Center (1736 Creek Rd., Chadds Ford). A $5 entry fee for non-members 18 and older will be donated to the Chadds Ford Historical Society educational programs. For more information, visit www.chaddsfordhistory.org.

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