A car accident gave this Massachusetts man 40 years of collecting antiques at the Brimfield Flea Market

For 65 years, the Brimfield Flea Market has provided a place for collectors from around the world to gather and purchase antiques, crafts and collectibles. While new buyers and dealers come and go, there are a few loyal participants who make it a point to return to the market each year.

These distinctive personalities have become part of what makes Brimfield Flea Market what it is – the Brimfield Flea Market. According to the Brimfield Flea Market website, most visitors make a detour to visit their favorite vendors at each fair.

This is certainly true for vendors who have been in the business for decades, such as Glen Donohue, 63, of Hanson, who has operated a stand at the Brimfield Flea Market for nearly 40 years.

“Brimfield is number one, the greatest show in the world,” Donohue said. “People say it's Texas, but it's not. Anything you can imagine, you can get here.”

Donohue entered the world of antiques at the age of 13 when he began working for a dealer in Whitman.

“I had a lot of knowledge about the business, but I didn't really know what to do with it at the time,” Donohue said. “I did a lot of packing of oak — china cabinets, furniture … and a lot of mirrors.”

He said the Whitman dealer paid him $100 every few months to fill a semi-trailer with antiques, which was a lot of money back then.

• Read more: Flea Market Finds: Some of the Rarest and Oldest Items at the Brimfield Flea Market in September

He always had an interest in and appreciation for antiques, but as a teenager he didn't think the business was for him long-term. By the time he was 20, he was in the military and eventually started working as a plasterer.

Then, at age 26, he was seriously injured when he was hit by a delivery truck. It took him two years to recover from the accident and he was never able to do drywall again.

Instead, he returned to his roots in the antiques trade.

“I started buying [flea market goods] almost immediately after the accident,” he said.

At the age of 28, he began selling goods at markets throughout Massachusetts, primarily selling mirrors, antiques, furniture, reproduction glass, and porcelain.

The further he continued, the more his love for the business grew.

For nearly four decades, Donohue operated markets in Martha's Vineyard, Marshfield and other states, including New Hampshire, Florida, Texas, Georgia and North Carolina.

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This year marks Dononhue's 38th show at Mahogany Ridge on the corner of Warren Road and Route 20 in Brimfield, but it was unclear if he would return to town after his first show.

At his first Brimfield Flea Market, Donohue was in a different field and remembers the show being partially underwater due to torrential rains.

“Central Park was under water,” he said. “Underneath the water was Victorian furniture. [a foot] of water.”

After a friend pointed him to this cult market, Donohue thought, “This can’t be Brimfield – it’s impossible.”

• Read more: Visit Brimfield's last flea market of the year before it's too late

Despite the rain, Donohue persevered and has since seen many shows in sunshine in Hampden County.

Donohue describes his booth as having “a little bit of everything — big and small items” and that the mirrors are a “big hit.” Another big seller was large animal decorations. But over the years, shipping became too expensive to get the items for the flea market.

Donohue said he has also learned a lot since starting the business – both about the business and the antiques industry in general.

“I made a big mistake in my youth,” he said. “I sold an item that I could have spent my retirement with.”

The item was a hand-drawn eagle drawn with a quill and signed by 13 signers of the Declaration of Independence. He sold the item for $5,000, but believes it could have been worth at least $100,000.

“I was very young in the business,” he said. “It was just like that.”

But that didn't stop him.

Donohue said he loves dealing and what he enjoys most is meeting new people and learning the story behind each piece.

“Sometimes you get things that are hard to part with. You just know you'll never see it again,” he said.

• Read more: How Brimfield Flea Market creates a family for vendors with decades of experience

As for the people, Donohue believes there's nowhere else you can draw as many people as the Brimfield Flea Market. But it's not just the volume of people that makes the show special for Donohue – it's the quality of the people and the relationships you build.

“There are people who just come to see me – even if they don't buy anything; just to talk, and that makes me feel good,” he said.

At his stand during the September fair, there are five traders under a tent whom he met at flea markets; some of them he has known for around 40 years. And he hopes that they will be together for many more years to come.

“I really love it. I won't do anything else,” he said. “As long as I'm able to do it, I'll do it.”