You couldn’t possibly have read every crush, could you?
The 2014 Fall Show starts this weekend and it seems like the perfect moment to rerun some of my favorites from the 2014 Spring Show. I must have at least thirty posts in my “Shopping: Antiques Week” category, so this is a shorty-short list of mostly early crushes that are hidden quite deep down the blogroll now. Skip ’em if you’ve seen ’em, click on the link if you missed ’em. As always I hope they’ll inspire you to get out to the show for a day or a weekend, and if you just can’t make it happen, perhaps they can serve as a somewhat satisfying substitute.
Eneby’s is at Blue Hills, right in the middle of the old part. I’ll be leading a few small group/individual tours during this show and Eneby’s will probably be our first stop. It’s high end and authentic and special and swanky and rustic and a great intro to what Round Top has to offer.
Next up is my post on Texas Rose, which is kinda right across from the Marburger tents. I’m not sure I love this field so much more than any others, but it’s right up there, and the photos surprised me and made me an even bigger fan than I had been. How is that, that photos you take yourself can reveal so much to you?
During my recent trip to NYC I had tons of fun discovering my dear Higgins Glass all over ABC Carpet and Home’s “Las Venus” mid-century glam set up. I’ve been saving pennies since the last show and my collection of vintage Higgins will begin next week!
I think this was my most rewarding post. Maria truly appreciated my words and spread the link to her huge fan base. Oh, I hope her star just keeps rising and rising.
In this one I tried to capture the sheer exhaustion that comes from a good day in the fields. Somewhere along the way I decided that Nomadic Trading and I were going to become friends, and I think they’re too hospitable to tell me that they’re just a booth, not my personal show lounge. But they do always seem to have a beer handy for anyone who asks, so can you blame me?
And if you have a bit more time, here’s the link to all of my Shopping: Antiques Week category posts to date. So many dear hearts!
Interior design is full of controversy (form v. function… floral v. floral never… a celebration of color v. for heaven’s sake show a little taste and stick to neutrals… Kelly Wearstler v. oh no). Taxidermy, with its love it or get freaked by it tendencies, certainly lives up near the top of drama mountain. But through clever utilization of resin and papier mâché and sculpey clay, the design industry has made it possible in recent years for you to have your dead impala and your PETA membership too. Everyone can agree to love Stray Dog’s pagan goat, right?
What do I think of dead mounted animals? Well… I’m a big fan when it comes to a huge sailfish or even a well-done striped bass. But I’m going to say no to family pet preservation. And when it comes to Round Top Antiques Week, it’s hard to be a taxidermy hater; all those old faces seem right at home somehow. So with all due respect for whatever your opinion on the subject may be, I offer an assortment of photogenic beasts available for purchase at the last show.
Have you noticed the plethora of bobcats? Or at least that’s what they look like to me. Except for the puma looking one up there. I’m not sure why so many bobcats turn up booth after booth. Are they a less desirable inheritance for some shameful reason? Or do they offer exceptional resale value? “Hey Granny passed last week… let’s hurry and cash in her bobcats!”
Obviously this trapped beaver is carved out of wood, not skinned and stuffed. But he looks awfully authentic with those lil’ round ears and super scary fingernails and ever-growing teeth.
Nothing says Round Top antiquing like overloaded carts!
OK y’all. I’m schlepping my own way through NYC this week, so I’ll let the pictures tell the story this time. Don’t they make you want to get out in those fields right now?? And my thanks to all of the folks shown here for helping me share the joys of Round Top. Roll on!
Warrenton Day is a big day (sometimes two or three) for me, so my motto is prioritize! Over the years I’ve finely tuned my W’ton routine, and it starts like this: First stop, Kettle Corn cart. Next stop, Tony McCray’s Rust in Peace booth over in the Zapp Hall area next to Dead People’s Stuff. I think everyone likes Tony so much because, as they say on Project Runway, he has a “unique point of view.” He’s also a super interesting guy to chat with and we all know that dealer charm goes a long way when you’re shopping the show.
Looking at that giant “EAT” word, I’m wondering, “Does anyone I know have a casual commercial design project going on?” An organic comfort food cafe maybe, or a bespoke denim studio? Tony’s booth is just perfect for something down-home-modern: Metallic letters for signage… fun lighting options… mirrors for the entryway or behind the cashwrap… all in multiples and on a nice large scale. If it were my project, I’d probably mix my Rust in Peace with a little Ken Bizell and then keep my eye out for an amazing statement piece or two. What would you do?
What if you only want a Junior Size portion of the Round Top Antiques Show experience?
The Fall Antiques Show is just weeks away, and many of you are happily getting geared up for some hard core tromping through the fields and tents of Round Top, TX. I’m with you for sure, but today’s post isn’t really for us. It’s for the others out there, the non-trompers, hiding in the corners in their cute wedge sandals. I’m with you too, and I understand your trepidation. You’re intrigued by the notion of Round Top and vintage shopping and countryside extravaganzas. But despite my efforts to demystify the experience, it still seems too much. What you really want is to gingerly mince into the whole scene with no more than one sweet, comfy day trip.
La Bahia it is! I’ve chosen this particular field for a few reasons. First, location. Driving from Austin or Houston or anywhere really, you’ll find La Bahia on 237 just below 290, well before all of the pedestrian v. vehicle v. parking v. gawking craziness of the highway further south. And the parking is free! Second, quality. The vendors here are a near perfect mix of hard core dedicated collectors of blueware or lindseywoolsey or whatever and plain old dealers of really great stuff. In fact one of the best episodes of this season’s Junk Gypsies showed the sisters shopping La Bahia, and those gals don’t mess around. Third, quantity. There’s plenty to see here but not really all that much. I’m guessing the 80+ vendors will be just enough.
Look! Don’t you just love that Lumiere decided to retire in Round Top? “Be our guest be our guest be our guest!!”
And when I look at the photos below that I took last spring, I must have been craving a Minnesota summer camp experience. I promise there’s more to the show than just shuffleboard and archery and plaid and totem poles!
And for you superfans of the show, if you’re still with me, I hope La Bahia’s on your list. Go on an early day if you can because there’s a lot of buying going on up there and you’ll want to see it all before it’s gone.
The Fall Antiques Show is just over a month away and it’s time to start getting our shopping muscles into shape. This is exactly like when it’s time to start doing extra lunges to get ready for ski season. Work, yes, but no one wants to hobble around Beaver Creek all week and the same applies to Round Top. (PS/BTW, I know you don’t come here for physical fitness advice, but I am loving my newfound Richard Simmons’ Sweatin’ to the Oldies on YouTube workouts.)
Now on to the task at hand. Let’s use these photos of Antoinette’s beautiful A. Vincent booth to practice one of the most critical skills for shopping a massive show like Round Top; seeing the trees for the forest. Flabby shoppers often dismiss a forest – a booth or a display area or even an entire field – because when they look at it, it doesn’t seem to be their style. That’s not good. Successful shoppers have honed their ability to look into a display, not just at a display.
Want to try it? OK here we go: You Mid-century Modsters and you Texas Tuscans and you Clean Contemporaries and you Cottage Shabbies, look into this forest of seemingly Old World European photos and find your tree – the item that would complement your design style beautifully. Go!
Admit it. That was fun! My tree? The row of white feathers in the top photo. Yours?
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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