Welcome to Western New England: Vermont Green

In the spirit of the season....

"Mad dash for a discount; Vt. furniture sale draws hundreds" by Sarah Schweitzer, Globe Staff | May 25, 2009

EAST THETFORD, Vt. - They came by the hundreds down from the hills, converging in a field by the Connecticut River shortly after sunrise, bleary-eyed from drives that had begun at 4 a.m. and earlier.

Not the Schmitts, though. The family, from Winchester, Mass., had arrived at 5 the night before and set up camp - with no regrets. "We got a dining room table and chairs!" said Christine Schmitt.

For some, Memorial Day weekend is spent beachside, or perhaps by the lake or atop a mountain. But for a certain set, a must-do activity for the kickstart of the summer is a good sale. And by most measures, a granddaddy of Memorial Day weekend sales in New England is the tent sale at the Vermont furniture-maker Pompanoosuc Mills.

The event is not for the faint of heart. To land an oak dresser or a walnut table takes cunning, speed, and split-second thinking. When an emcee gives the word and flaps are pushed back on open-air tents at 10 a.m., a tidal wave of humanity pulses forward, drawn as if by powerful magnets. Pause, even for a second, and your dream armoire will be gone, tapped by another seeker of slashed prices on hardwood furniture, price reductions that often run into the thousands of dollars.

There are inevitable comparisons to the "Running of the Brides," the semi-annual sale at Filene's Basement where brides-to-be make a dash for discount wedding gowns. Indeed, Filene's Basement officials have conferred with Pompanoosuc officials on crowd control. Here in Vermont, folks like to think of the tent sale, in a sprawling field ringed by green hills, as civilized competition - sport for devotees of hand-crafted furniture.

"There is an adrenaline rush at the start when you're like: 'Will I get what I want?' " said Sara Carpenter of Wakefield, Mass., who snagged a tall dresser, her 5-week-old baby pocketed in a Bjorn on her front. "But it's laid back. I felt like I was at one of my old Phish shows, hanging out in the parking lot."

Officials say there are occasional ugly incidents, but rarely, and they are quickly smoothed over. One time, two men got into an argument over barstools. The more aggressive customer went home with the barstools while the other licked his wounds, though not for long. Store officials made him a new set for the same price....

Yup, your friendly Yankee.

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