Every October, sleepy, picturesque Plympton don’s autumn so beautifully that it looks like you have stepped into a calendar. The classic New England autumn foliage that draws millions of tourists to the region each year can be found in spades due to the abundance of forests and protected land -but minus the massive crowds. Quiet ponds reflect neon leaves that cascade onto the water one by one to make gentle ripples, and lonely streams take on golden hues from gathering fallen pine needles along their banks.
Antique Cape homes flank their largely unused front doors with smartly potted chrysanthemums and corn stalks, and old stone walls are lined with the ubiquitous pumpkin -soon to be carved into pumpkin moonshines. Chimneys begin to smoke and scent the morning and evening air, and wood piles accumulate before your eyes like little rustic high-rises to be plucked from all winter. Cranberry farmers corral their last berries -making mini crimson oceans to be sucked up and carried out in trucks that make their way down Main Street, heavy-laden with mountains of the festive fruit. Everything here carries on rather the same as it likely has for hundreds of years -that is, aside from one weekend in October when Plympton wakes up. On a Friday morning, people begin to file down Crescent St. in their cars, trucks, and trailers with tents, wares, tools, and decorations -all converging on a lush hilltop for the weekends exciting event: Mayflower Market Days.
Mayflower Market Days is an annual vintage fair held each October at 41 Crecent St. in Plympton. Set on a beautiful, 300-year-old hay farm in the rolling hills, the market features antique dealers, artisan vendors, food trucks, live music, demonstrations, and family activities. Mayflower Market Days is the creation of Plympton residents, Jennifer Macdonald and Mike Lemieux -owners of Full Circle Homes and former hosts of HGTV Houses with History. Though relatively new to the town, this market has quickly become a much-anticipated event drawing over 100 vendors last week. Though rather fleeting, this weekend packs a punch in many ways and takes an enormous amount of work and planning.
“It takes all year to plan. We are already signing up vendors and food trucks now for the same weekend next year,” says Macdonald only two days after closing the 2026 market. “Mike and I plan it all, but we did hire Tara in our office who helps keep us organized in all things ‘Full Circle’. She just started in June and it really helped having her organizing it all this year. It was the largest market yet with over 100 vendors and she had never done anything like this before.”
Though Mayflower Market Days now offers a variety of types of vendors and dealers, it all started with a shared passion for antiques. Macdonald explains, “This idea came from both of us as we used to sell antiques at smaller fairs. When we had the opportunity to buy the Plympton lots that were for sale and put the farm back together, we thought it would be a nice spot to celebrate the farm and local artisans and antiques.” Anyone that knows Macdonald and Lemieux knows that their love for antiques runs much deeper than a hobby or pastime. From this shared love, they have built a highly successful business, Full Circle Homes -a historic home renovation and interior design company. The success of their company gave way to a show on HGTV, Houses with History, that premiered in 2021 and ran for two seasons. In addition, Macdonald owns and runs Mayflower Mercantile, a retail store housed in the historic Martin Perkins’ house circa 1827 on Mayflower Road in the center of town. The Mercantile is more a general store feel than a retail store and carries local goods, antiques, specialty food, and handmade items.
With a devoted following of antique enthusiasts, in addition to the existing New England penchant for all things old and reusable, Mayflower Market Days has gained momentum enough to draw growing crowds to the countryside hills each autumn. There were, however, a few learning curves to lead to the smooth execution of the event.
“The biggest challenge in the past was the weather and the fields,” says Macdonald, “We did add gravel roads so the parking lot and roads for food trucks are great now. We learned that was needed during year one.” During a previous stormy market, the parking lots turned to mud and trapped many vehicles that had to be pulled out. The New England October weather has thrown in some hitches, but all of them are now planned on and prepared for by the Mayflower Market Days team. “The other challenge, of course,” Macdonald continues, “is keeping it all organized and making sure we have a very curated fair with lots of different artisans, antiques, and other vendors.”
Hosting over 100 vendors this past week, it is clear that variety has been achieved by Macdonald, Lemieux, and their team. From alpacas to blacksmiths, and grilled cheese to glasses of wine, Mayflower Market Days covers all areas of possible interest. Macdonald says this is just the beginning. “For expansion this year, we added an 18th century cooking demonstration group, face painting, bunnies, and more. We will keep adding more family-friendly activities so there is something for everyone!”
As for their favorite aspect of the market, Macdonald says, “My favorite thing about this event is to see it all come together after a year of planning -to see the same patrons and new ones coming back each year saying this is their favorite event, makes it so special. To see families having fun is amazing. I love seeing all the dogs at the fair too! We love supporting local and to see them happy after a long weekend makes it all so worthwhile. I think Mike’s favorite is the antique cars and all the antiques, for sure.”
Also, new to the Market Days this year was a guided paranormal investigation in their Crescent St. house which, apparently, yielded some intriguing results. “The 1707 house across the street from the fair on the farm has remained largely intact since it was founded,” explains Lemieux, “We are only the third family to own it. This year we did a paranormal investigation and the results were amazing!”
Throughout its colonized history, Plympton has had a colorful past of hosting fairs, shows, tours, and events that brought crowds from all over. Macdonald and Lemieux have made sure to keep this tradition going -that of sharing the magic of Plympton with others -even if just for a couple of days. “We love Plympton”, Macdonald exclaims, “When we moved to town, we had a dream of one day hosting an antique fair just like the ones we attended as a vendor years prior. It is amazing to be able to host this on our favorite Crescent St. farm. We love seeing so many from the community. It is all about keeping it local and enjoying our little town. The hayfields on Crescent St. have been there for 300 years. The proceeds from the fair go into running it and also maintaining the hay farm. Thank you all that supported us this year. It was the most amazing turnout and we can’t wait to see you all at the fields next October!”
For more information on Full Circle Homes, Mayflower Market, or Mayflower Market Days, please visit:
https://fullcircle-homes.com/index.html
www.mayflowermercantile.com
https://mayflowermarketdays.com