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To that end, we strive to supply our customers with products that are not only authentic and of a good quality, but also at reasonable prices. We manufacture some of our own goods, but most of our products come from craftspeople and suppliers all over the country and even around the world. We first started the Middlesex Village Trading Co. as a family venture back in 1993 to help cover the cost of our own reenacting when travelling to events in and around the Northeast. Back then we were serving as an artillery crew at RevWar and F&I events with "Benjamin", our three pounder. As some of you know, cannons tend to eat up a lot of your powder budget! Over the years things grew and grew into the full time business that it is today. Some new suppliers popped up, others faded away, and we found ourselves approaching small manufacturers around the world to make authentic reproductions using traditional methods that have been lost here in the US. Take flashguards for instance. Everyone who uses a musket to fire in a reenactment needs a flashguard. Our old supplier of flashguards retired, leaving us without any. The next step was to pull the one off of my battered old Charleville and send it to a manfacturer who now makes them by the hundred for us. Not only is this an uninterupted supply, it a also cuts costs and allows us to offer them at a lower price than before.
 If you are in the Northeast area, perhaps you can drop in on us at an event. Look for our white marquee with purple trim. There will no doubt be a toddler roaming around greeting people, that would be Caleigh. She joined us in September of 2001.
 In person, you will deal with Wendy or Pete. Wendy answers the phone calls and order emails. Tech e-mail is answered by Pete. He has a machine design and mechanical background. Gun collecting and repair was his hobby long before he was a reenactor, and in addition to muzzleloaders he had done much work on modern competition target pistols. Wendy grew up in historic Salem Massachusetts, where she would spend many days taking her younger siblings to the Peabody-Essex Museum. Jim was the webmaster before his death in 2003, although not a reenactor, he performed many of the behind-the-scenes duties both for the MVTCo and for several local living history events. Pete and Jim are originally from Lowell, Massachusetts, where the historic "Middlesex Village" of 18th century fame was located.
 Our hope is that our online showcase will also serve as an "publick house" of sorts, providing you with encampment & event schedules, accurate historical information, and much more, so come back often - chances are you'll find something of interest! We invite you to browse and inspect our wares, and look forward to our dealings with you.
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