Anybody else love antiqueing?

[Shada]

My favorite thing to do.. antiqueing! I love to browse local (within 45 miles)antique shops. In my area, we have a monthly antique show at the fairgrounds, along with twice a summer antique show at a neighboring town.

Will today was a antique show and I spent all day there! Temperature was great, high 60's, but wind was strong at times. The dealers were in a very large tent, along with dealers outside of tent using 3 sided tarps and another tarp for top. At one point, wind came up, and the outside dealers tarps went flying, merchandise was being toppled over, sound of breaking glass, total bedlam.

I along with my friend Lu, spent probably 20 minutes at one dealers section holding down the support beams holding his tarps in place. It got a little scary, many dozens of people milling around, some were helping, others were still in and out of these dealers spots looking around, hard to believe because things were collapsing all around them. Help finally came and the tarps were all dismantled.

I felt so bad for the dealers who lost their merchandise due to breakage. Many packed up right after that. It was a mess.

Other than the wind causing such a problem, it was a good day. I bought a nice vintage linen kitchen towel. Also brought home a life sized ceramic poodle dog. Passed on a beautiful small wooden chest. Now that I am home I am kicking myself for not getting the chest box. It would have made a great small coffee table. Hoping I see it again at next show, but the odds of that are slim.

Had lunch there that was a half (small) chicken cooked on a huge fire pit, stopped on the way home at my favorite resturant to get a quart of their potatoe salad. Beyond yummy that is!!

All in all a great day, walked for miles, feet hurt, can hardly wait for the next show!

[Janet]

That sounds like so much fun really. Even with the wind. I like going and looking but very seldom buy anything. I need to get rid of more stuff to make room...LOL. I also like flea markets, auctions and garage sales.

[Marilyn]

Sounds like a nice time. I never have time for things like this. I work all the time and weekends are spent cleaning and catching up on things I couldn't do during the week because I was working or doing things that hubby needs me to do for him or his business.

I have a daughter getting married very soon, and needed a punch bowl, so I've been darting into a few antique shops during the day, I'm outside sales, so travel some for work. Found a really nice punch bowl and some crystal bowls to use at the wedding. From this brief experience, I think antiquing would be something that I would like. Maybe when I retire.....

[judy]

An antique punch bowl would be such a lovely gift Marilyn. Have you checked on ebay? It can be difficult because you can't actually see the bowl.

I can't wait to go flea marketing, etc. when I move. I love to decorate. I don't use a lot of furniture. More "things."

I can probably count the number of things I bought new on one hand.
Antique shops in NY are over the top expensive. Thrift shops, flea markets and so on are the way to go here.

Jessie bought a ton of stuff at auctions up there. She got really great buys.

[DianaB]

I love to go antiquing!!!! I love to go to flea markets and garage sales too! And E-Bay!! I wish that I had a friend that liked to go to those things too but it seems like nobody else is into that kind of stuff or they're too busy. I used to drive to Canton, Texas, for the really big flea market that they have. They have it every month but I could only make it once a year because it's so far away. I have aunts and uncles who camp right near the grounds and I would stay with them. I was there last spring and it's gotten so much imported stuff now that I don't think that I'm going to go again. I'll just head to a few of the farther away antique malls and save money on gas. Wish that you lived closeby!!!!

[Shada]

Originally Posted by DianaB

I love to go antiquing!!!! I love to go to flea markets and garage sales too! And E-Bay!! I wish that I had a friend that liked to go to those things too but it seems like nobody else is into that kind of stuff or they're too busy. I used to drive to Canton, Texas, for the really big flea market that they have. They have it every month but I could only make it once a year because it's so far away. I have aunts and uncles who camp right near the grounds and I would stay with them. I was there last spring and it's gotten so much imported stuff now that I don't think that I'm going to go again. I'll just head to a few of the farther away antique malls and save money on gas. Wish that you lived closeby!!!!

I am fortunate to have a town 35 miles away that is nothing but antique stores. LARGE stores! It can easily take a day just to go thru one! Right now I am looking for a small chest and vintage red dish drainer. What fun it is to look and hunt.. then most always find a little treasure I wasn't looking for but found anyway...
Also have a large outdoor flea market about 15 miles from me that is open Tuesday and Wednesday thru summer months. It is a tourist town that is also filled with unique shops, along with my favorite Amish Resturant, have to eat sometime!! Then a really nice antique store across from that which is open year round. Couple hardware stores from years gone by it seems like when you walk thru their doors..
Estate auctions, garage sales, love 'em all.

If I had the time and money I would be out every day hitting at least one of them..


Too bad you don't live closer!!!
I would treat you to a custard ice creme cone! LOL.. there is also a small shop selling different flavors every week. Next week they open and the first (and my favorite) flavor will be lemon custard.
I am so looking forward to my first taste of that since last summer...

[gja1000]

Diana,
You should travel to Warrenton/Round Top Texas for 10 days of antiques, antiques, antiques!!! Here's the website - it's called Antique Weekend, but when you check out the dates, it is actually 10 days. http://www.davidstall.com/indexmain.html

It's further than Canton, but well worth the trip. It happens the first of April and the first of October each year.

My husband and I take our travel trailer and park it near so we can go for several days. There are over 1500 dealers in Warrenton and that doesn't count all the dealers in all the little towns dotted over the countryside.

[DianaB]

Originally Posted by gja1000

Diana,
You should travel to Warrenton/Round Top Texas for 10 days of antiques, antiques, antiques!!! Here's the website - it's called Antique Weekend, but when you check out the dates, it is actually 10 days. http://www.davidstall.com/indexmain.html

It's further than Canton, but well worth the trip. It happens the first of April and the first of October each year.

My husband and I take our travel trailer and park it near so we can go for several days. There are over 1500 dealers in Warrenton and that doesn't count all the dealers in all the little towns dotted over the countryside.

I would love to go but it's really too far away. I had an aunt that lived in the Austin area but she's moved to Van, which is 15 miles from Canton! I have a hard time justifying the motels and gas for what I buy. Things end up pretty expensive by the time you've included those two things in with the price.

[DianaB]

Originally Posted by Shada

........Too bad you don't live closer!!!
I would treat you to a custard ice creme cone! LOL.. there is also a small shop selling different flavors every week. Next week they open and the first (and my favorite) flavor will be lemon custard.......

(Big Sigh) I wish that I lived closer too. It sounds like it would be so much fun!! The custard ice cream cone sounds wonderful!!

[Gina]

I go to antique shops occassionly I do love garage sales they are fun and I try to go when I can on the weekends. Ebay is a great open fle market you get awesome stuff if you know your prices..

[blowry]

This is one of my most favorite things to do! I also love collectible shops...they have alot of antiques there too. We go to Maine every year and route 1 is LOADED with antique/collectible shops...of course I can't afford to buy alot of them...but I love to look.

[Marilyn]

Hubby and I didn't know about the Warrenton/Roundtop thing and one weekend we were out riding our Harleys and happened to drive through there when the vendors were all setting up. This thing goes on for miles. We've been wanting to go back with a vehicle we could carry something on. Can you imagine happening on something like that on bikes!! It was pure torture.

Hopefully we can try to go this fall after the wedding.

Judy, I did a lot of checking on E-bay for the punch bowl. Got tired of watching the auctions. I just wanted to go somewhere and get one. Found a very pretty one at one of the antique stores and a friend it turned out has one just like it she loaned us so we have two. One to serve and one to have ready in the kitchen.

[judy]

Originally Posted by Marilyn

Hubby and I didn't know about the Warrenton/Roundtop thing and one weekend we were out riding our Harleys and happened to drive through there when the vendors were all setting up. This thing goes on for miles. We've been wanting to go back with a vehicle we could carry something on. Can you imagine happening on something like that on bikes!! It was pure torture.

Hopefully we can try to go this fall after the wedding.

Judy, I did a lot of checking on E-bay for the punch bowl. Got tired of watching the auctions. I just wanted to go somewhere and get one. Found a very pretty one at one of the antique stores and a friend it turned out has one just like it she loaned us so we have two. One to serve and one to have ready in the kitchen.

Well show us a picture. Motorcycle Mama! I'm glad you found one. Actually, two!

There's something called a Bid Assistant on eBay if you don't want to bother with the bidding yourself.

[Marilyn]

Hubby thinks I need more to do, so antiquing won't be on my list for a while. Now he thinks I need to patent an idea he has. I told him to do it, and he said I'm the engineer, not him. He also wants me to start up a company selling soap to the chemical plants. Of course, I can't quit my current job until the new company is up and running. He thinks with all the great contacts I have, I'm passing up a huge opportunity if I don't do it. It doesn't matter that I know nothing about the kind of products they use, or how they use them. Another guy is making a fortune doing it, so I should be able to do it too. Sometimes, I just don't understand. Why me??? I've never been able to do enough for the people around me. My parents expected more, my husband expects more. They make me feel like such a failure sometimes. NO matter how hard I try, it's never enough for them.

[Janet]

That is sad Marilyn that you're just too busy to enjoy life. What is the motivation behind wanting you to do more and to start a company?