DEBORAH CROMBIE: Last week I made what has, since 2017 (and excepting 2020,) become my annual trip (which I've written about several times!) with my daughter to the Spring Antiques Show in Round Top, Texas. What is more fun than a road trip with one of your favorite people!! (Just for a little brush up on Texas geography, Round Top is in central Texas, about halfway between Austin and Houston and a good ways south of Dallas. The drive takes us about four hours.)
"Round Top" is actually a collection of venues scattered around the tiny town, but the jewel--and one of the few ticketed venues--is Marburger Farm. But golly has Marburger changed in the last decade! The March issue of D Magazine led with "The Dallasification of Round Top," meaning it is now considerably less about antiques and more about designers and fashion. Here we are in our Round Top duds.
I'm barely scratching the surface in my hat (absolute necessity because of the sun) and bandana, while Kayti is totally rocking it, squash blossom necklace and all.
In 2021, a Dallas real estate developer bought Marburger Farm, and the spring show was the soft launch of some of their changes. They've moved existing buildings, installed more permanent tents, put in walkways and landscaping and a new permanent covered food area--that last one is a big improvement! We liked most of the changes, but some of our favorite vendors were missing.
A view of the new "square."
Now if they would just put in giant fans! It was so hot.
Here's something I would have bought if I'd had money (a lot!) or space.
These panels were original artwork, not photos. I especially loved them as Rick and I have been watching the Beatles Anthology and had just seen the boys wearing those gorgeous Sergeant Pepper's costumes.
And something I could have bought and regret NOT buying:
Here are some things I would NOT have taken for any amount of money.
I mean, seriously, who would want that? And it was a couple of thousand bucks!
Ditto this one.
And this one, although if you were going for kitsch...
Not for sale--the local law enforcement.
Last year there was a theft and a chase!
Day 2 we visited The Compound, a new venue that we absolutely love. Check out the website! It is so charming, with great vendors and a beautiful setting.
Also, Blue Hills, one of long-time Round Top faves. We also managed something on our Round Top bucket list: Champagne from the vending machine in The Compound! Here's Kayti with the Champagne machine last year.
And in the little area seating nook, this year. We visited with some nice ladies from Dallas while we sipped from our plastic cups.
There was no Feast in the Field at Rancho Pillow this year, but we were happy to hang out at some of our favorite restaurants in Round Top. Here's the patio at Prost, which has a huge outdoor wood-fired pizza oven. The evenings were gorgeous, and the sky was so bright, away from our big city light pollution.
We missed a couple of other venues we like, and Junk Gypsy, but we ran out of time. We really needed three days!
My big finds were not antique-y--a couple of Peruvian alpaca pillow covers for our living room sofa, a kantha, and some plants. Oh, and a very pricey tomato, cucumber, and sage candle!
But who knows what next year might have in store?
Dear Reds and readers, are there any road trips in your future? And do you like antiquing--or "junking" as some folks are more likely to call it?
Your road trip sounds like it was so much fun, Debs . . . some of those ”treasures” made me chuckle 😊
ReplyDeleteOur road rips don't usually involve shopping; rather they take us to visit family . . . we've just gotten back from Virginia Beach; in mid-May we head to Colorado Springs for our grandson's high school graduation . . . .
Those sound like the best kind of trips, Joan!
DeleteThat was me, Debs, Joan. For some reason I was signed out of my Google account.
DeleteWhat a fun thing for you and Kayti to do every year, Debs. Thanks for taking us along! I would have been tempted by everything in that booth with the Beatles art, except the palm leaf lamps. MCM is such a hot era, and used to be my personal aesthetic, with chrome and glass, black, white, and pop-py accent colors. I got sucked into the Junk Gypsy vortex, too--is it me, or did the show Hunting Wives outfit the cast and decor from there?
ReplyDeleteYes, to both road trips and antiques. If it weren't for antiques, the antiques who live here wouldn't have a place to sit, eat, or store anything! There is a huge antiques mall down the road from us, but I try not to go there, since we don't need a single thing. However, they have just opened the outdoor section off their parking lot, and every time I go by I think about what kind of colorful old chairs might look funky in the garden.
Ooh, the combo of practical (seating), garden art and available space would make those chairs hard to resist!
DeleteLisa, they have dozens!! I have to restrain myself. LOL
DeleteIt reminds me of Louise Penny, and in her earlier books, she mentioned that the 'boys' who ran the bistro had price tags on the furniture just in case you wanted to buy your chair!
DeleteMargo, there's a funky barbecue restaurant out in the country that started life as an antiques barn, then as a plant nursery, keeping the barn, and bringing the overflow into the house where they serve the food. Everything in the place is for sale, and the owner encourages customers to shop while waiting for the food to be prepared.
DeleteYou need funky chairs for your garden, Karen! And, yes, MCM is very big at the shows. It's what I grew up with, as my mom was very contemporary in her taste.
DeleteThat was me above, Karen, not Anon!
DeleteThanks for taking us along on your road trip. It looks like fun.
ReplyDeleteYour tales of Round Top remind me of my trips to Brimfield, which is a town near Sturbridge, Massachusetts, with my step mother when I was single. I think they still have a big event in the summer or early fall, but I haven't been there for years. It was a similar type of venue to the old Round Top, with muddy fields, a big dirt parking lot and hundreds of vendors.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was young, I loved shopping for antiques and bought lots of old furniture for my apartments. There were farms out in Eastern Connecticut that had barns full of old treasures that I loved to poke through. We still have the bedroom set I created with oak dresser, chest of drawers, side tables, brass bed and steamer trunk. Good times!
I love a good steamer trunk!
DeleteThere's an HGTV show hosted by Lara Spencer called Flea Market Flip, where contestants in teams scour big antiques markets like Brimfield for pieces they can remodel or update in some way, then resell them. I was watching it for awhile on Apple TV, but we don't have that service any more. Some of the pieces are pure genius; others are pure whacko. It's fun, though.
DeleteThat was a fun show. I used to watch it on HGTV but it's no longer on.
DeleteI wonder if it is still on Apple? We have Apple but not HGTV (because we are all streaming) so I miss a lot of house decorating shows.
DeleteThe Flea Market show has not been made for several years. Not on HGTV but on secondary home decorating channels. Also, not even on Magnolia which has a lot of repeats of old HGTV shows.
DeleteDebs, I just checked, and Flea Market Flip is still on Apple TV. Let me know what you think, if you get time to check it out.
DeleteWhat a fantastic report Debs. Love the photos, especially the one of you and Kayti. Here in so Cal we don't have anything comparable, but years ago the Jr. League (a volunteer service organization that raised money for charities) used to collect donated items throughout the year and then had a giant "garage" sale at the fairgrounds. The prices were practically a giveaway and a great bargain.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Anon! We meant to take more photos. Hardly anything at Marburger is a bargain these days, but it's still fun to look.
DeleteThere are several week long antique fairs in northern California, especially in the fall.
DeleteBIG QUESTION: what does one serve when the candle substitutes for the salad course? Little question: what does vending machine champagne taste like? Sounds like a fun trip. Mother and daughter shopping is the best. Elisabeth
ReplyDeleteI know the candle sounds weird but it smells divine--I'd give up the salad course. And the vending machine champagne was Moet, so it was just fine, although could have been a bit colder!
DeleteI used to love antiquing but haven't done it in years. Probably because I've been downsizing on stuff that needs to be dusted. But this trip looks like so much fun, Debs!
ReplyDeleteI don't need anything, either, especially the things I'm drawn to like china and glassware and quilts. But it's just fun and so interesting, especially talking to the vendors.
DeleteThat sounds like such fun Debs. And Kayti is so stylish! Let's have a Red road trip to Round Top next year!
ReplyDeleteWe'd have to plan ahead! Francine Mathews and her sister came last year because Francine had loved reading about it on the blog. I think she was in Paris this year, poor thing:-)
DeleteOh, and Kayti is always SO stylish. I don't know where she gets it.... Her biggest find this year was a deal on some very, very posh cowboy boots.
DeleteWhat fun. I would love to do such a thing with my daughter but she lives far off in Maine. What warm memories you are creating! (Selden)
ReplyDeleteYou should meet up in Texas, Selden!
DeleteMy sister and I were planning to go to the Arkansas Peddlars Antique Mall today, but alas, they are closed on Wednesdays. Good thing, I don’t have any room in my suitcase. Living my adult life away from my family, I loved the little trips I did with my mom. The Georgia Coast, Natchez Trace, and our final one in 2019 to Pawhuska, OK for all things Pioneer Woman.
ReplyDeleteI'll bet the Arkansas Peddlers Mall is something! I had to look it up. Now that is a real antique mall. Too bad it's a bit too far for a day trip for us. I looked up Pawhuska, too. What fun! I'm sure you're glad you made those trips with your mom.
DeleteLove the story and especially the pictures. I never caught the antiquing bug, but I can get into a good road trip. You are very fortunate to have a daughter so nearby, and that she has similar interests.
ReplyDeleteDon't I know it!!!
DeleteSince, as you know I am trying to dispense of stuff…
ReplyDeleteHowever, I was interested to see in your table of books that you did not buy, three seal makers – those brown squishy-things that emboss a seal on your document – they probably have a better name – and wondered what the price would have been. We have several really old ones (preWW1) and some for not just local business but the Norwegian vice consulate. Interesting but I think regarded as useless.
Now as for the lion and the zebra – well we have a tiger on our wall in the stairway. My great uncle bopped it as it was traversing his lawn in India. Just looking out on a Sunday afternoon as you do, post prandially. I picture him hat, jodhpurs and musket…
Concerning travel, we just bought a brand-new second-hand van yesterday – 2025 white Pacifica, which looks almost like the 2016 white caravan without the applied red stripe (You could then find it in the parking lot, and it looked so much cooler, as everyone knows vans are really cool…). Anyway, it was suggested that we could invite the kids for a week in the summer, say hello, here is the house, there is the dog – feed him. See you in 4 days, and head off the Gaspe area of Quebec, where neither of us have been, and there is said to be an incredible garden to visit. Maybe…
Freezing rain today – no April Fool. Trade you for the heat????
Margo, I didn't even notice the seal makers, shame on me! Now I wonder what they were. And your tiger was earned!
DeleteSounds really fun, Debs! I'd probably glaze over in a very short amount of time and have to sit in the shade, not much of a shopper here. I'm going to the beach with my sister and her family (some in-laws will be visiting from Montana) for a couple of nights in April. It's not a long trip, but I do love the Oregon coast and it will be nice to do something different.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I only made it through the first two tents and then had to go sit in the shade in the new covered food area, which was lovely. I'm always happy to people watch.
DeleteGillian, we would consider a trip to the Oregon coast a fabulous vacation!
The Oregon coast is beautiful but weather is usually terrible, cloudy, cold and windy! Cold even in July.
DeleteCalifornia is much better, even the northern coast, which is beautiful too.
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I’m no longer a shop it fast person so going places that are bustling isn’t for me. Well, maybe. Or not. I do antiquing with son and we’ve found some beautiful things. I have a long creation (10” by 5’) on silver metal paint of painted pink and red peonies. It called to me from way on the other side of the store and I could only see the top flower. Talked owner down in price. Found it in Long Beach and holds very fun memories of that trip. As for another road trip? Maybe another to Long Beach in the fall. Dreaming about the mountains of Colorado.
ReplyDeleteRound Top may be busy, Paula, but no one is moving very fast!
DeleteHow fun, Debs! Will you take Wren when she gets a little older? My road trips are only the two hours west to my granddaughter (where I am right now), and the hour south to my grandson. I'm looking forward to the train ride to Malice, though, and we might take a summer road trip up to New Hampshire to visit Hugh's sister and her husband.
ReplyDeleteOur small house is already full of antiques, but like Karen, I might keep my eye out for funky garden decorations.
Funky garden decorations I could use, Edith. I will keep an eye out next year. I meant to pick up another of the Japanese fishing floats that I bought last year, but it was last minute and we were trying to get on the road so passed it up.
DeleteHow fun for you and Katyi! So glad your favorite restaurants are still there despite the changes at the venue of the Spring Antiques Fair.
ReplyDeleteThere is an Antiques row of Antiques shops near Berkeley. So many fantastic finds there.
Anything is Berkley is fun, Diana! We had dinner on the patio of another of our favorite restaurants, under the live oak tree that is supposedly 500 years old!
DeleteWhat a fun-looking trip, Debs. Thanks for the photos.
ReplyDeleteThe Hubby and I love looking at stuff, but it always comes down to, "Where would we put it?" or "What would we do with it?" In fact, we were just debating last night about whether we really need to get any artwork for the two empty walls in my office. You can overdo things. I'm thinking they stay as they are unless I see something that really pulls at my heart.
We are still on the lookout for two bedside tables, though. Those we need.
You would have found your tables at Round Top, I'll bet. I love looking at all the art work but I don't buy--my walls are full!
DeleteLiz, my husband is of the school of thought that you can never have enough art on the walls. For years we’ve been buying things to get framed and have only now started framing and hanging them. I’m the naysayer, trying to point out that this doesn’t go with that. Or it’s okay to leave that portion of the wall undecorated. — Pat S
Deleteoh, I am swooning with envy! ! That looks like so much fun! And I admire your self restraint… Sometimes in those places it seems like it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and you just have to take the thing —then when you get home you realize: what was I thinking? And you both are so fashionable!
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've bought anything on these trips over the years that I've regretted. But I usually have to really think about a purchase and sometimes go back two or three times. I just realized this is the first year I didn't buy anything "antique!"
DeleteDebs, I have long wanted to go to Round Top - with a big ole roll of cash, of course. You know I love home decor magazines, and so many of the photo essays over the years have featured one gorgeous, unique piece after another sourced from the Round Top Antiques Show. I didn't realize it was a whole things-to-do and places-to-eat event, above and beyond the shopping! Now it seems even more fun.
ReplyDeleteJulia, you would be in heaven. And, yes, designers come from all over the country to shop the spring and fall shows in Round Top, hence the "Dallasification" and the higher prices. I can't begin to convey the experience in my little essays. Or how lovely central Texas is this time of year.
DeleteWe always look forward to the bluebonnets, but although we saw lots closer to Dallas, there were less further south. I suspect we missed the peak.
ReplyDeleteI've wanted to go to Round Top for a while. Looks like fun!
ReplyDeleteYour picture of the lion and zebra reminded me: I was at a much smaller version of Round Top a couple of years ago and was looking at a table and two chairs that appeared to be carved with a chain-saw from HUGE tree trunks, like 5 feet diameter. They must have been made for a giant-size hobbit house. I was standing there dumbstruck when the owner walked over and stood next to me. After a couple of moments, I said, "that's the ugliest f***ing thing I've ever seen." He responded, without missing a beat, "yup. And someone will buy it."
Robin, that is too funny! And a nice reminder that the vendors don't have to like what they sell. I'm still trying to figure out where you would put the alligator...
DeleteWhen I lived in Houston I never managed to make it to Round Top for the fall or spring fairs. I have found some good stuff in the junque stores in LaGrange, near where my sister lives. My husband will be roadtripping here from Texas in a couple of weeks. Then we're tripping to NE Ohio to visit friends and attend a memorial service. I anticipate some more trips exploring Virginia where antique dogs are welcome.
ReplyDeletePat, you were so close in LaGrange! And a lot of the venues at Round Top are open full time.
DeleteI don’t like spotting things at antique shops that my parents or grandparents used to have that could be worth some money if we had hung onto them. And I really don’t like spotting things that we used to have ourselves!
ReplyDeleteIf you ever get a chance, you should go to Walnut, Iowa billed as “Iowa’s Antique City” because of all the antique shops there. Our niece used to have one of them called Frannie’s Attic, named after her grandmother (my husband’s mother). She had to give it up once she was diagnosed with ALS.
A thank you to all the Reds for all the time you spend with us readers and commenters on the blog…and then let us yell at you “Write More! Write Faster! “ Elisabeth
ReplyDeleteMy Jerry would have LOVED Round Top. Looks like so much fun. What are the food concessions?!? (Curious minds...)
ReplyDeleteFabulous! This is absolutely a bucket list iten for me!
ReplyDeleteThis must have been such a great way to spend time with your daughter. I enjoyed your photos so much. When I looked up "kantha", I learned it was an Indian quilting technique. So you bought a kantha-ed thing--what was it?!
ReplyDelete