Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Easter Weekend at Kane County


Come see us Saturday at the Kane County (IL) Flea Market -- we're all about SPRING! We'll have a brand-new load of furniture, lots of fun smalls from our recent shopping trips in Indy and Ohio, plus projects, chalkboards and more. Sunday, CELEBRATE -- Jesus is literally awesome -- get on your Easter bonnet, and come join us. I'll even be wearing a skirt in honor of the day! Maybe Joe will, too...you'll have to come to find out -- ha-ha. Click on the sidebar for show details if you need more information (about the show -- not Joe's wearing a skirt). xo

Monday, March 29, 2010

Columbus, By the Numbers

What do 2 weeks of shopping, 60 hours of painting and 10 hours of driving equal? A successful appointment with one of our favorite Ohio customers, Katie Palmer, of SoBo Style!

We headed out with a full load bright and early Saturday morning, stopping in Indy to refresh our space at the Midland Gallery, pictured above. By mid-afternoon, we were back on the road, bound for Columbus. We arrived around 8 p.m. -- plenty of time to catch up, scope out Katie's remodeling (the workmen had just finished the first project, installing an upstairs bathroom) and enjoy a delicious (birthday, oops, did I say that out loud?!) dinner, "catered" by Katie's mom, Mary Kay, delivered to the door by her dad, Dan. How's that for hospitality?

The next morning, however, we were all business, actually getting to the store half-an-hour before the set-up crew was even scheduled to arrive. Katie's been super busy since our last appointment, including hosting a very successful Spring Arts Open House just the weekend before, which averaged a sale every three minutes over the course of her business day! There were lots of holes to fill. Here are just a few photos of what we brought. This lovely original paint dresser ended up near the front door, making the base for a charming spring vignette, set up by Katie's assistant, Heather Riegle.

This set of 4 cottage-style chairs with mint-condition vintage vinyl cozied right up to an industrial-style table Katie had just purchased at a recent show.

And this primitive farm table fit right into another spring display of pussy willows, nests and the cutest little clip-on birds you've ever seen! By the time noon arrived, everything was unloaded, and we were saying our good-byes -- until next month, when we'll be headed back to stock Katie up for her annual open house. If you'll be in Columbus any time soon, or if you're headed to the Springfield Extravaganza, SoBo is a must-see!
Tomorrow, we'll be getting ready for Kane. The weather is supposed to be gorgeous. Plan to come and see us. xo



Monday, March 22, 2010

Not Your Daddy's Hardware Store, No Sir

Industrial was our big seller this weekend at the Wheaton (IL) Antique Market. We sold all our large pieces, plus a wide variety of smalls. Here's a peek at some of our featured items:

two trays of vintage wooden print blocks;


this great set of over-sized taps (if you see G.W. Fish, let us know!);

a whole collection of vintage price and date stampers;



and these over-sized mystery tacks. Anyone know what they were for?
We had a very busy early buy, but the show was quiet during the afternoon. Providence should know that a whole week of sunny, 60-degree days makes snow/rain/wind on the day of the show look even worse! But we made our sales goal. Many thanks to all our regulars for making that possible. And as always, to the Boyds, for their help and hospitality.
This week, we're getting ready for a double-header -- Midland on Saturday and Sobo Style Sunday. Can't wait. Stay tuned for details. And think SPRING! xo


Thursday, March 18, 2010

WHEATON THIS SATURDAY!

One of my favorite things about the antique business is that you just never know what you're going to find. For instance, last week Joe and I bought an entire stack of art boxes. But when we were cleaning them, we found that one was actually a seed box in disguise. What a great surprise.

So come see us at Wheaton THIS SATURDAY and see what treasures and surprises you can find. Grab a friend -- Zurko's 2-for-1 admission coupon is still good for this show. Just print it out below. Show details are on our sidebar -- we'll have lots of industrial, garden, projects and more. Don't miss it. xo


P.S. I wanted to thank everyone for their nice comments. I'm running a couple of weeks behind, but will try and catch up Sunday afternoon!

Monday, March 15, 2010

The Blue and the Gray

"The Blue and the Gray" is an apt description of this weekend's Grayslake (IL) Antique Market for several reasons. Number one, it describes the weather. Number two, it references the promoter's upcoming Civil War show, which was being advertised during the weekend by none other than Abe Lincoln himself. And three, it categorizes the colors of some of our best selling merchandise:

Such as these frames and chalkboards;


Some fun and functional industrial storage boxes, which looked like they were just part of the latest American Express ad campaign;


Our wonderful wire mannequins;


This sweet little grouping of metal objects;



Our beautiful May queen portrait;


This excellent pitcher with its robin's egg interior;


And last, but not least, this adorable farm cart, which was the first item to sell.
The weekend got off to a brisk start Saturday morning, despite the cold rain falling most of the day. Sunday was quiet early -- Daylight Savings Time changes always seem to throw people off -- but picked up was the day went on. We had a terrific time seeing many of our favorite customers and blogging friends. Today we start work on Wheaton -- the 2 for 1 admission coupon is good next weekend as well, so do come see us Saturday. It appears in the previous post.
We want to say thanks to all our customers for supporting the show -- we literally couldn't do it without you and are grateful for every purchase and for your continuing friendship. To Lynda Boyd, who gives up her Saturday each time we are in Chicago to help set up, bringing cookies and good cheer along with her (despite being sick this particular time!); to Diane for the excellent Girl and Squirrel notebook; to Jeannie for the fabulous "vintage" Anthro jacket, which I will be wearing today; to Joan for the super-cute Easter basket; Mark and Sherman for the excellent dinner suggestion and company; and to our good friends from the Bent Fork Bakery for the sinfully good treats. We are truly blessed! xo





Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Two-for-One Admission at Grayslake

We just heard from promoter Bob Zurko that dealer space for this weekend's Grayslake (IL) Antique Market is sold out, and they have a waiting list! To celebrate, Bob is running a 2-for-1 admission special. Just print out the coupon below, grab a friend and come see us -- we'll be chock full of garden, Easter, industrial, furniture and more. Click on the show sidebar for details!


Monday, March 8, 2010

It's 4 a.m. Do You Know Where Your Dealers Are?

When the alarm goes off at 4 a.m., I generally make a mental note to find a profession that does not involve getting up so early. However, last Saturday, I managed to convince myself once again to go ahead and get ready, and by the time 5:30 rolled around, Joe and I were 20 minutes into our "commute" to Chicago, sketching out a floor plan for our booth and going over the price and request lists.

By the time we reached the fairgrounds, breakfast had been eaten, and more importantly, coffee had been ingested. The sun was shining, dealers were lining up in the parking lot, and we were ready to get working on the season opener for the 2010 Kane County (IL) Flea Market.

By 9:15, the dealer gates were open, and we were headed to our space in the Main Building. At 11:25, the show gates were opened, and we were off. Excitement was in the air as shoppers streamed in. At some points during the afternoon, the building was so packed that you literally had to walk sideways to get through.


Furniture in all categories sold very well Saturday. We loved the soft green on this pair of original paint dressers.

Smalls also sold well Saturday, with projects and prints doing better Sunday. We were excited to see most of our "Alice" bottles go home with new owners before the end of the show.

When the show ended, we had only 3 pieces of furniture left out of an entire load! We enjoyed seeing many of our favorite dealer friends and customers. The bottom line for me -- what will keep me getting up at 4 a.m. every Wednesday and Saturday -- is seeing people connect with the things that we love and create. And so we move on to next week. Be sure to join us at Grayslake. And don't worry, we'll have had our coffee by the time you get there! xo
In other news:
We wanted to congratulate friend and fellow dealer Judy Walsburg on her article, which just appeared in "Belle Armoire," an altered couture magazine. Judy is one of my personal favorites -- her pieces are totally funky, but very warm. I bought this scarf from her several shows ago, and just added this wonderful millinery-wire crown this weekend.

Team Rhubarb once again brought home the gold from our excellent friend and customer Lynda Boyd's annual Cookie Exchange. Although the Joe member of Team Rhubarb was excused this year (all the men went to a friend's house to drink beer and play drums, go figure), I was determined to defend our title in the Presentation category. I would totally never win in any of the baking categories! While the exchange is just for fun, don't kid yourself -- the competition is fierce. Thanks to having the only bi-lingual presentation (ya gotta have a good angle!), we get to keep our trophy for another year, but it was close. Whew!


Our thanks as always go out to the Boyd's for their tremendous hospitality. We were two of 10 overnight guests -- and they do this all the time! We are in your debt, Lynda and Preston.
In closing, we have been made aware that several customers are struggling with some very serious health issues, each with more grace than I could muster in similar circumstances. Ladies, our thoughts and prayers are with you. xo



Friday, March 5, 2010

Kane County Season Premiere This Weekend

It's a sure sign of spring -- the Kane County Flea Market is returning to the fair grounds in St. Charles, Ill., this Saturday and Sunday. Click the show sidebar for details and be sure to join us. We have so much great stuff and are chopping at the bit to see everyone! Don't be late. xo

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Saturday at Midland

Saturday, Joe and I were at the Midland Gallery in Indianapolis to restock our booth. If you're ever headed to or through Indy, Midland is just off I-70 and well worth taking the exit. Here's a 360-degree mini-tour of what we just dropped off:








I hate to just throw a bunch of photos at you and run, but I'm off to a dinner party tonight. The count-down for Kane County's opener has begun down at the studio. Click the show sidebar for details and plan to join us Saturday! xo













Monday, March 1, 2010

Some Kinda Wonderful

Joe and I have been the recipients of some wonderfully kind gestures of late. So much so that I wanted to share just a few of them with you:

One of our excellent Chicago customers, Frae, brought us FIVE bags of goodness (she'd been spring cleaning) at the last Wheaton show, including this lovely Sunday painting. Reminds me that it won't be long before there are lilacs blooming in the alley again!

Another excellent Chicago customer, Linda, left us speechless by naming ours as her favorite blog when she was interviewed in the latest issue of Flea Market Style magazine. Wow! Check out her profile on page 28.



Olivia, youngest daughter of our fellow dealer Diane, made this adorable house for my cat Maddie; Calvin and Ruby, who belong to Michigan/Indiana/Ohio customer Shannan, made me these swell pictures after I met them while on a lunch date with their fabulous mom last week;



Our excellent friend and long-time customer Tina made these adorable cards and chains from vintage papers. Love, love, love them.

These yummy chocolate bars came from still another Chicago customer Lisa, along with the cutest little squirrel pin. I still have the pin, but the chocolate didn't last the week!



This necklace is a real stunner. Chicago customer Jeannie was kind enough to let me buy it right from round her neck at Grayslake last month, and people literally stop me in my tracks to ask about it whenever I have it on.



We always say we have the most wonderful customers in the world and here's just a little proof! Thanks for all the kind things you do for us all year long. Will post about our weekend trip to Midland, probably on Wednesday. And get ready -- KANE COUNTY starts its season Saturday. We can't wait! Be sure to join us. xo