AntiqueWeekend: Come Shop!

Monday, March 28, 2016

Come Shop!

Spring is in the air, the wildflowers are in bloom and the Antique Weekend spring show fields are open!

We visited dozens of shows sites over the last few days. We have seen everything from tractor parts to fine jewelry, vintage linens, kitchenware, antique and vintage furniture, new rust and old rust. If you remember it from your childhood, no matter how old you are, you'll find it in Warrenton or Fayetteville; Burton or Round Top; Carmine or Oldenburg; Shelby or Rutersville! Be sure to visit our website AntiqueWeekend for the maps and the calendar to be sure you can find your favorite show.

What to Bring.....

The all important
shopping cart

An AntiqueWeekend shopper's best friends are comfortable shoes, cash, and one of these great shopping baskets with wheels and cup holders! Many vendors in the heart of Warrenton (Zapp, Renck, Sommerfield, Tin Star) are selling these carts. They come in a variety of sizes, sturdiness and color. Some have liners for an additional cost. They are a great place to stash your umbrella (important this week since we may have a little rain) and treasures.

This one is a hit because it has four wheels and will stand on its own. It also has room for two water bottles in its cup holder...

Where to Start?

Visit our website and find show sites, the calendar to tell you who is open and when, and the map to see the area. All the show sites have food, bathrooms (many of the portable variety!) and some even have ATM machines. All have some kind of parking. Some parking is free, some charge a nominal fee which often goes to area churches and organizations. There will be traffic, so arrive as early as possible. In Warrenton the parking behind Northgate Field, Bar W, Tin Star, etc., connect, and so do the shows, so you can park at one and walk through many, many booths. With Marburger Farm opening on Tuesday, all the show sites will be officially open. Be sure to check the calendar for open and close hours, entry fees, etc.

What do I look for? Of course, chairs!

Found at Fayetteville on the
Square, March 25

I am always drawn to chairs. Old chairs with rust, new chairs, or restored chairs. I like the simplicity of vintage styling. As we wander through the shows sites I often see first hand examples of "before and after". The show sites are filled with old rusty chairs waiting for a new home and a can of spray paint, or restored/refurbished chairs that have already had a coat of paint, but need new cushions. I love the rusty chair in Fayetteville, and then I saw one very similar to it, painted blue, in Warrenton. During the months between the Fall and Spring antique shows I wander the magazines and internet finding new versions of the classics, shiny and colorful. If you're not ready to repaint or refinish, chair cushions created from vintage fabric will give your new chair charm. Enjoy!!

Brand new chairs with vintage style,
from Hayneedle.com

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Our Story

In 2000, with his temporary job in California coming to an end, David asked me where I wanted to live next.
I said Fayetteville (Texas), a charming town of 266 people in central Texas. And so we came. We moved into a loft above a commercial building on the square in Fayetteville. It was there that AntiqueWeekend.com was born. My husband had visited Fayetteville many times over the years, visiting his parents and grandparents. He told me wonderful tales of the antique shows held twice a year. It was hard to imagine that the fields of grazing cattle could be filled with tents and booths full of treasures. (They do move the cattle!) We love garage sales, prowling through antique stores, flea markets and thrift stores. In California we attended some legendary flea markets including the Rose Bowl and Long Beach. We spent our Saturday mornings driving through the greater Claremont area finding some wonderful treasures at garage sales.
With time on our hands and treasure hunting in our souls, we decided to utilize David’s computer skills and develop a website that would serve as a resource with information about the semi-annual Warrenton and Round Top Antique Weekend and a directory for the ever-increasing number of show sites and vendors. It was a different world 13 years ago. Few show sites and even fewer vendors had websites. And social media was unheard of. With smart phones and tablets the world has changed and we can see it in the visits to our website. And we have changed, too. The website now has a clean new look. We are on facebook and twitter, have thousands of photos on twitter and instagram, send a periodic newsletter and have recently launched an AntiqueWeekend blog.
We have changed, too.
We bought our own old farmhouse, planned weddings and have wonderful granddaughters who love to visit Mimi and PopPop at the farm.
We bake cookies and do crafts and many of the pictures you see on the blog are projects we have done together.
When you are making your plans to visit Antique Weekend we want you to have all the info you need and great photos of what you can expect to see. Between shows we want to inspire you. We’ll share ideas, memories and information about events that happen here “the rest of the time” so you can plan to come back more than just twice a year.