BRIMFIELD, Mass. - Thousands of savvy shoppers are in Central Massachusetts for the Brimfield Flea Market, including some seasoned collectors who make a living selling their rare finds across the country.

“You might have 5,000 different vendors selling everything you can imagine,” said Alexandra McNitt, executive director of the Chamber of Central Mass South.

For traveling collectors, the Brimfield Flea Market is one of the premiere destinations to set up shop. In a seemingly endless labyrinth of pop-up tents, there’s plenty of foot traffic ready to buy their antique globes, framed photos of 20th-century celebrities, sterling silver utensils, sandstone sculptures and stained glass.

“It just gets in your blood, you have to just go and find a neat piece,” said Terry Burns. “It’s like being in a hunt for that rare piece of silver.”

Collectors who have spent decades building up their traveling storefronts often have some interesting stories behind how they got into this lifestyle, and the kinds of rare antiques they choose to sell.

Cathy Payne is from England, and sells vintage windows dating back before 1938.

“When I first met my husband John, he was dealing in England and selling to shippers. Then, we came over here 27 years ago,” Payne said.

For Daniel Kane, collecting has always been a hobby. In the late 1990s, he would buy storage units with his dad and sift through the contents for rare, vintage finds.

“We were junk dealers, just nickel and diming everything,” Kane said. “And then as time went on, I started collecting records and cassette tapes for my personal collection. Then it turned into a 25,000-piece collection, and then I sold it… It turned into me doing this full time.”

Kane sells a little bit of everything, and often finds new antiques to sell from estate sales. His music collection is what tends to draw people in, and he picked up a large percentage of his tapes, vinyls, CDs and music-related artwork from what turned out to be the estate sale of someone who spent a lifetime in the music industry.

“I went in there for some artwork, and it ended up being this crazy estate of a record executive,” Kane said. “I got 400 pieces of artwork, 4,000 records, 3,000 cassette tapes… Us dealers are always looking for that high, like, ‘This item I never thought I’d be able to find, I paid a dollar for it.”

With the Brimfield Flea Market now in its 65th year, the types of vintage items people are looking for have changed, and even the definition of what might be considered an "antique."

Kane and other collectors are always trying to stay ahead of the curve.

“There are less older people buying antiques and that kind of stuff,” Kane said. “It’s more so becoming, ‘What did I have as a kid? What toys, what vinyl, what video games did I have as a kid?'”

While the Brimfield Flea Market is a regular stop for people like Kane, visitors coming for the first time may be overwhelmed. McNitt and the Chamber of Central Mass South have information tents set up to help people navigate the sprawling market.

“They get out of their car and they're like a deer in headlights, because it is very overwhelming if you've never done it before,” McNitt said. “So we're right at the beginning of the shows, were there to be a calming influence. We have maps. We give them all the details on what to expect, where to find bathrooms, where to find food, how to haggle, all that kind of stuff.”

The Brimfield Flea Market runs through Sunday, and more information on hours, vendors, parking and more can be found on the market website.