A few weeks ago, LIBERTY 123 made our 2nd annual antiques pilgrimage, searching out one-of-a-kind treasures in the quaintest of towns, Round Top Texas.You may envision my buying trips to NY as glamorous, the truth is the 8 hours of walking a crowded convention center can be exhausting and leave me longing for fresh air and natural light! One of my buying trips fills that need ….
For the last two years my mom, Mary, and I have gone to this spectacular antique show in Round Top Texas search of all things "LIBERTY 123." Such a unique venue offers many simple pleasures (foreign to most standard buying trips), which come as a cool relief after our long days of hunting in the hot, Texas heat. We love the quiet landscape, the southern charm and of course, watching magnificent sunsets from the porch with a glass of wine (or two!)Antique shopping is all about the thrill of the hunt, searching out booth after booth, artist after artist, vendor after vendor... I may slow down for the occasional glass of sweet tea, or even pause to admire a pomegranate bush (I had NO idea pomegranates grew on bushes until I saw them during my trip!) but I keep searching through mile after mile of "junk beautiful" in order to find the perfect pieces. No table is too ordinary, no chandelier too tarnished, no writing desk too shabby for me to see the beauty that lies within. All it takes is a little imagination, a touch of elbow grease and our LIBERTY 123 stamp of approval!
Round Top is a town of 25 people (and no, that's NOT a typo!) located two hours outside of Austin, Texas. So, you can imagine this Antique Show is a pretty big deal for my new favorite tiny town! Over 300 acres display an overwhelming collection of junk, vintage finds & antiques - farmhouses become exquisite showrooms, front porches transform into charming museums, and open fields host the most incredible findings imaginable. The juxtaposition of antique collections against the candor of nature magnify the beauty in both worlds as they come together in a collision of past, present and future. One of my favorite sights during this trip was seeing a collection of old chandeliers hanging from an old farm porch eave!
While I love this show, it may be overwhelming to some. It is literally miles upon miles of stuff - the good, the bad, and the ugly. The 'bad and ugly' can be very bad and very ugly - it is amazing what people think they can sell and what people are willing to pay for! Because we have done our research and have established relationships with some of the vendors, we have streamlined the process a bit.
We now have our favorite spots to go, including the ones that are way out of our budget! These are some of our favorite spots actually, while we can't afford most of what we see it serves as great inspiration - some of the pieces are amazing from a historical standpoint and just plain awe inspiring beauty! It also pays to visit these pricey areas because you may be able to find gem at a reasonable price hidden within, like a gorgeous painted chest of drawers from an estate in Miami…this will be in the store soon!
Which leads me to my next point…all of our great finds will be arriving SOON so stay posted! Some of my favorite things include a great metal desk with turned legs – industrial, yet feminine and classic. An amazing Chinoiserie desk which we will refinish to enhance its inherent charm. Florentine gilded nesting table from Italy. The rest I will leave a mystery for you to come in and discover!
One of my most exciting finds from the show is actually not vintage or antique, but a new mixed -media artist that I just adore. When Aaron Hequembourg needs art supplies to create his mixed-media engraved paintings, he walks outside his 193-year-old plantation house near Monticello, Virginia and begins dismantling the dilapidated buildings — sharecropper and slave quarters, gin mills and trading posts — that still stand on the 2,000-acre farm he calls home. These one of a kind, historical art pieces are sure to be a part of LIBERTY 123 for years to come.
Also...I have thought that it may be fun to invite a few interested clients on one of these trips. We plan all of the details and take you on a Texas antiquing adventure. What do you think?
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