Randy gets around. And back around. And around again. New Jersey to Texas to California to Alabama to New Jersey and then up and down and around again from there. He’s a true backroads traveler and one of the most enjoyable Instagramsters I follow. During the Antique Show he somehow manages to come to a complete stop for a few weeks to set up shop at the Texas Rose Field. His funky little building is a curiosity cabinet of of carefully picked and plucked travel souvenirs that reflect his idiosyncratic take on the world. What a Wunderkammer!
Have you ever heard of a Flux Kit? Maybe you call it a Fluxus Box. Maybe? I got all worked up a few years ago when I stumbled upon the mazy details of the 1960’s NYC art world’s Fluxus Movement. As you might expect of a 1960’s NYC art movement, it encompassed life’s entire enchilada: art, music, film, architecture, culture, commerce, performance art, publishing, Yoko Ono, John Cage, Marcel Duchamp, clear plastic suitcases, and a ‘let’s switch our clothes during the ceremony’ wedding.
If The Jersey Picker’s slightly subversive, terrifically exuberant art-is-what-is assemblages tickle your fancy you might want to take a little Google Voyage yourself through the absolutely fascinating and inspirational Fluxus landscape. It’s a long and deep road that’ll take some time to travel and I know you may be kind of busy right now, so just so I don’t leave you hanging, distracted all day wondering what the heck a Flux Kit is, here’s just a snippet of the Wikipedia description:
The second flux-anthology, the Fluxkit (late 1964), collected together early 3D work made by the collective in a businessman’s case, an idea borrowed directly from Duchamp’s Boite en Valise. Within a year, plans for a new anthology, Fluxus 2, were in full swing to contain Flux films (with hand held projectors provided), disrupted matchboxes and postcards by Ben Vautier, plastic food by Claes Oldenburg, FluxMedicine by Shigeko Kubota, and artworks made of rocks, ink stamps, outdated travel tickets, undoable puzzles and a machine to facilitate humming.
Antiquing is pretty much the same as museuming, except you get to buy the exhibits. During my history walks through the fields and tents of Round Top I’m struck by the plethora of smoking memorabilia; tobacco silks and ashtrays and lighters and cigar boxes and pipes and such. It’s all a reminder of how successfully we’ve reduced the once stylish habit of smoking to a rather sorry process of dragging through the stick as quickly as possible while hunkered outside the service entrance in a stale winter coat trying to avoid small talk with Carl from Receivables. Heck, even our NO SMOKING signage has lost its mojo.
And while we’re on the topic, may I say that I’ve driven through most of the United States and one thing I’ve observed is this: There are still a lot of smokers in the state of Oklahoma. Now it’s true that most of my time in OK has been spent on its interstate highways, and it very well may be that I haven’t been seeing a lot of smokers, just a lot of places to buy tax free cigarettes. So how ’bout a look at the actual numbers? It turns out that there are a lot of smokers in OK (it comes in fourth behind KY, WV & MS). So I’m going to go further out on my limb and say that I bet it’s no coincidence that the National Lighter Museum was located right there in the town of Guthrie, OK. It looks to be a fun little stop… but heads up. I don’t see any updates on their website after 2008 so if you’re ready for that kind of museuming you should probably give them a call to make sure they’re still in business.
It’s time to leave our extrême adoration for Country French behind for a bref moment andhop aboard the Chunnel train. We’re off to the UK!
Not really. But we are going to take a little photo tour of McLaren’s Buyer’s Market, the delightfully British antiques venue that brings a taste of the Jolly Old to lil’ ol’ Round Top. It’s a huge indoor/outdoor space right along 237 and I highly suggest you stop in for a bit of a nosy.
Yes, those are well-priced Moroccan rugs in a canoe. Doesn’t get more British than that.
And I don’t know about what’s happening in your town, but vintage Seiko ship’s clocks are all the rage in the hip decor stores here in Austin, TX. McLaren’s has so many to choose from you can select the one that feels exactly right for you, kind of like a trip to the animal shelter. In fact, everything’s like that here: Loads and loads and loads of choices.
I’ve never met a Hoblin collector (as far as I know), but if you happen to be one, there are plenty of the little guys here for you. They claim to be “More than just a fairy story” and by looking at them I think that’s pretty darn obvious. For such creepy little things, they have rather jolly names: Pip, Pod, Puck, River, Spring, Spud and Twigg. It’s a list that may come in handy if you ever do find yourself at the animal adoption center.
For some reason the Hoblins made me think of one of my all time favorite BBC Productions, Bleak House. It’s a classic that I hope you didn’t miss but if you did it would make for a perfect winter weekend bingewatch. Mr. Smallweed’s “Shake me up Judy!” is such a common phrase around our house that even the dog says it. Or I think that’s what he’s saying. And since we’re back to dogs, here’s a second list of names for your new pooch, all Bleak House characters: Lady Dedlock, Mr. Tulkinghorn, Inspector Bucket, Mr. Weevle, Mrs. Jellyby, Miss Flite, Mrs. Pardiggle, Mr. Turveydrop, Mr. Guppy and Guster (The Snagsby’s maid, given to having fits).
This wonderfully talented couple sets up a fabulous display at Round Top every single show. They’re also well loved by the Texas decoristas who visit their full time store down in Beaumont. This Spring Show they’ve moved to their forever Round Top home at the Rendezvous Field, which happens to be directly across the highway from the about-to-be-opened new event and everything else spot, The Compound. Since that’s right next to Marburger, Urban Habitat is now completely in with the in crowd.
The new space is in a little house that very well might be an exact replica of Elvis’ birthplace in Tupelo. We made the pilgrimage to Tupelo long ago and of course what I remember most is the gift shop. There was a box full of envelopes printed with the phrase “A piece of Elvis’ costume for you!” and inside each one was a little scrap of polyester double knit fabric in some crazy print, cut with pinking shears. We bought every single envelope and for years they were our go to housewarming/birthday/stockings stuffer gifts.
It’s taken me this long to put Urban Habitat on List because I just haven’t had the photos to do them justice. But this new space is a charmer and tons of gorgeous shots practically jumped into my camera. Have fun with them.
A prime little piece of Warrenton real estate, right across 237 from the Tin Star/Bar W footbridges was recently rebranded The Chicken Ranch and it’s been getting shoppers to cross the road ever since.
If somehow you’ve managed to miss both the film and the Broadway version of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and you don’t know the story of the La Grange Chicken Ranch, you’d best click the Texas State Historical Association page here. While those folks read, how ’bout the rest of us take a moment of appreciation for the stars of those cheesy, saucy musical works of art: Dolly Parton and Burt Reynolds on screen, and beloved Match Game panelist Fannie Flagg on stage?
The front of the Chicken Ranch field is full of high quality vendor tents. But if you visit, be sure to make your way to the little farmhouse at the back of the lot. It’s an old school spot with good prices, nice folks, a pair of cute dealer dogs and a vaguely sinful collection of collectibles.
They’ve gathered the saints in the front parlor to greet you, but as you work your way through the house to the back bedrooms, you can’t help but appreciate their subtle nod to the naughty. Or I at least that’s how I saw things. Maybe if you’d taken the photos they’d be wholesome as heck.
Which brings me to the confession that my all time favorite book is Truman Capote’s Other Voices, Other Rooms. This little house is no decaying Southern Gothic mansion of course, and I saw no signs of Missouri Fever in the kitchen, but hey, when you love something you find yourself seeing it all kinds of places. Um, don’t you?
Today I’m updating one of my very first and very favorite crushes, the beloved Antique Show venue commonly referred to as “Arbor” or “Arbors” or “The Arbors” or “Arbor Field” or “The Pretty Field with the White Tents and Pandora, You Know The One”. The official name is really best though. It’s at the top of this post and rightly includes the words International and Interior Design.
I’ve taken so many photos at Arbor over the years. The ones I’ve posted here are not necessarily of current or even recent items available. I chose them because together I think they express Arbor’s unique vibe of softness|sophistication|luxuriousness|authenticity. Walking through the tents here never fails to calm me down – and not just because I often start my visit with a complimentary hand massage at Pandora’s sweet-smelling, air-conditioned space!
There’s a bit of everything here – it’s a big venue – but Arbor is where I’m sure to send people who’ve asked me where to find a few specific things: bedding, fine art, rugs, garden/outdoor and furniture for real life.
The people behind Arbor have also been real pioneers in the development of the experiential side of the Show. So if you’re smart enough to be in Round Top for shopping and the special events like live music and food trucks and jewelry pop-ups and after hours nights and celebrity shoppers and book signings, I’d send you here for all that too. Have fun y’all!
The good news? You've discovered The Crush List. The not so good? I haven't been actively posting here for a few years now, which means the never terribly reliable details about my crushes are even more unreliable. Antique vendors have switched venues, shops in town have moved or passed on, donkeys may or may not be in the same front yards... In spite of the risks of massive misdirection I've left the site up in hopes that it still achieves its goal - to inspire you to visit Round Top for the Antiques Show or any time you have the time.
With that said, I leave you to explore this random list of my very favorite things about my very favorite place. I’ve tried to capture the area’s special pieces and parts. Some are big deal, some are small gestures, some are legendary and some are just tiny pip and squeak.
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