Round Top

Round Top. Its what I look forward to every Spring and Fall. Miles upon miles of antiques. This trip was even more magical because I actually have things that I need to buy!

 

Tips:

 

1. Go with cash and a check book. While most dealers do take credit cards, there is usually a 3% up charge.

 

2. Skip Marburger Farms. While Marburger does have a lot of very good stuff, they do a lot of shopping at other dealers (since they open later than everyone else) and then mark up the prices tremendously. We talked to one dealer who called them the Marburglers because they came in and bought $18,000 worth of his items and then will turn around and sell them all for at least double that.

 

3. Don't be afraid to try new places. My mom, sister and I had our usual routine that we did year after year. This year we switched it up a bit and went a couple new places. If a place where you stop is a bust, then just don't go back. It won't take long to figure out either.

 

Here is what we did this year.

 

BLUE HILLS - This was a new one for us. They had a lot of good stuff!

 

I bought a Swedish clock like this one online last week on a discount website. Joss and Main I think.  Price? $480 including shipping. I will have to get it painted which will also cost me some, but the price of the clock below? $3000. I win!

 Love these dried botanicals.

 

 Blue Hills has a great place for lunch. A Methodist Mens group has a whole BBQ menu. The food was really good and its a great place to sit outside. If you try to eat in actual Round Top, its uber crowded with limited options for ordering. We frequented this one place where the options were chicken salad with tons of mayo, tuna salad with tons of mayo, or egg salad with tons of mayo.

Next up: OLD HENRY FARMS - This also was new for us, and where we bought most of our stuff! I had been looking for a piece that could double as a bedside table and a makeup vanity. I found this one at a Parisian antique dealer. All of these pieces were shipped over from France. I love all things Paris, so I was super pumped about it. The top of this cabinet folds down so I will be able to keep all my makeup etc. in there. Perfect! Prices were reasonable here and everything is bargainable!  

 

My sister bought this cute piece. Love it!

 

The Lone Ranger is also located here. He has a ton of good stuff, but is pretty expensive.

Then, I found one of my favorite places! In Houston, I love to go into MAI and Village Antiques.  A lady who has booths in both of those places has a booth in Round Top. After talking to her, I figured out she goes to my church! Anyway, I bought this wicker chair from her. Its not antique, but the price was great.  

I also bought this adorable chalk board easel. Ever since I saw one of these in a house we looked at during our home search I have wanted one!

On to the ARBORS. This is one of our usual places to stop. They have a ton of good stuff. Here, my mom is trying to get the price down for those two cabinets for the loft area in Durango. They look exactly like Restoration Hardware except half the price. Score!

Historical Marker: Smallest practicing Catholic church in the country. Cute!

 Last stop of the Day - EXCESS. This place has a ton of good outdoor items.

 

Love this table. It would look so good with kooboo chairs around it. I will have to remember this when it comes time for us to buy outdoor furniture.

 

 

I did buy this cool planter. I think I am going to put it on my dining room table. Now I just have to find something to put in it that my cat won't eat...

 

You do find some very....uhhh.... odd stuff up there too. Here we have a hanging life size astronaut and a large globe...

And a freaky clown with doll heads in its mouth....

 

And things like this. HAHA!

 We were about to leave when we saw this sign. Of course, I had to go in and check it out. I also wanted to go in because this is where my dear friend, Amanda, had her adorable Round Top wedding reception. Sadly, this wasn't the kind of French antiques we were looking for.

 

On the way home on 290 we also stopped at Leftover Antiques which is in Brenham. It was a super cool place, but we only had about 10 minutes because they were closing.

 

What a fun Good Friday day trip!