As you may know, I’m forever delighted and grateful for the semi-annual Round Top Antiques Show/Texas Antiques Week extravaganza. What a spectacle! I can’t believe so many people work so hard to put on a magnificent multi-week mega-event just for me. Oh, and you.
Wanting to know more about what goes into Show preparation, I recently asked a few dealers to take us behind the scenes. And one of my all time favorite people, Marc Elson of Loblolly General Goods, responded! So without further ado, here is Marc’s diary of his days just getting from his home base in Michigan down to his gorgeous Show booth at Blue Hills. With pictures!
- …Reserve 26′ Penske Diesel. (With wind chill of -15° it can just stay running with the heat on for 8 days, or until the Texas border).
- …Pack clothes for all 4 seasons and book 7 hotel nights.
- …Hire three laborers for loading. That one cool industrial piece I had to have weighs 500 lbs.
- …Gather bungies and rope and 300 packing blankets.
- …Load furniture, lights, art, china, glass, garden, walls, flooring, wiring, tags, office, tie it all down!
- …Locate every antique mall and shop along the route…..Don’t forget the windshield ice-scraper and de-icing fluid.
- …Drive 1300 miles. Allow 200 miles for seeking out items to fill remaining space in Penske.
- …Purchase items along the way and repack Penske. Always look for exit before pulling into any antique mall parking lot.
- …Meet a ton of great people in the business.
- …Dodge every ice, sleet, hail and snow storm. Plan on getting stuck in Guthrie, OK for a day..it’s an impossible place to avoid the weather in February.
- …Vow to never to eat at Subway again.
- …Get to Waco just after a snowstorm.
- …Remove long johns and wool socks.
- …Unpack truck into storage space.
- …Sleep for 3 days.
- …Start the list to prepare for show move in
