Click on any photo if you'd like to see it enlarged and enjoy!
If you happen to plan your visit on the 3rd weekend of the month then I have to insist you stop here! Yippee!!!!! my blood pressure immediately went up as we passed through the gates of Trade Days.
Trade Days takes place each month and is on several acres of land. 6 barns are filled with antiques, collectibles, old things, new things made to look old, repurposed things, foods, crafts....well this list goes on and it's entirely my love language. In addition to the barns, the outside area is filled with temporary booths, RV's turned storefront, and little homes that are situated throughout the area where dealers have all brought their wares.
This caught my eye although it didn't come home with me. A reclaimed portion of a door. I loved the big handle and was seeing this on our lakehouse back porch. Loved the rustic feel but this beauty stayed there. Pacing myself, it was early in the day.
Wow, look at all this architectural salvage. Anyone who knows me knows I love the concept of creating art out of old window frames. Here you will find just about any size and condition a person could want.
Oh how I love a sweet little church pew. I actually already have one but this one was definitely talking to me. It was talking to me at the same time my husband was talking and saying, "We already own one!"
booth upon booth with dealers selling the things they love.
This dealer was a fave of mine. What luck that they permanently reside just outside of Austin so I can go see them anytime I like. If you have some time, I highly suggest making a trek up to Georgetown to check out the store. The store is called Blends. They are in an old house where there is a vintage truck out front and fencing made from old bikes. Diane the owner is as charming as can be and her husband is muy talented at restoring furniture and giving it a fresh spin. Pure eye candy when you walk in their store.
More from the Blends booth.
Every now and then I'd lose track of the hubs. No worries if you drag hubby there, there is live music out in the food pavillion and he can enjoy a little Willie Nelson or just checkout the blacksmith and see what he's got going on. When lace and old furniture begin to bore them, there are escape paths for them.
oh yes, these needed to come home with me and they were selling like hotcakes. Reclaimed moldings from torn down homes turned into picture frames, yes please!
Several of the next pics are just some of the booths. You can see what seems to be hot in collectibles.
Old gym locker baskets seemed to be trendy. Who knew! What used to store sweaty gym clothes turned beautiful accessory in todays home!
Beautiful vintage sink....sigh :)
Adored this painted sign from some reclaimed wood.
An old cream can from France. This spoke to me and said take me home. I obeyed, it's sitting next to my church pew in my house!
Then we happened upon this precious older man standing at a booth that you'd normally find his wife at but she was home sick. He was eating chile out of his crock pot and about the sweetest thing ever. That's the thing about people at markets like this, they are truly salt of the earth. The kindest bunch you'll ever meet! He had some reclaimed doors stacked in back and my eye went straight to them and this one is now mine. I haven't done this project yet but this will be a headboard one day! Needs to be cleaned up and painted a bit and then I can't wait to see it in place. I've been obsessed with old doors and projects to create with them. Saw this project on Pinterest and that's what we're shooting for.
Wow, this little barbeque joint is a MUST visit. I love a good meal and love barbeque but even now, I'm thinking about this little hole in the wall! They are only open for lunch and they feed a packed house! On the outside would you give this spot a second glance? Nope, probably not but I assure you it is worth stopping for lunch. I'd call it a hole in the wall serving some of the best barbeque around.
I'm not even one to take pics of my food but clearly this time I did. That brisket was amazing. I like brisket lean and often times it means it's a bit dry. I can spot fat and gristle in my food a mile away and it turns me off. Well, whatever they do, I wish I could replicate it at home. The perfect plate of moist, no fat to be seen brisket. The sides are unlimited so if you subscribe to the notion in life you want the biggest bang for the buck. Well, you can eat beans, coleslaw, potato salad and banana pudding to your hearts content. Enjoy!
The towns Main Street is as charming as they come. After lunch that's where we head.
Shops galore but bring your wallet lined with cash. Prices jump considerably from Trade Days prices. ouch!
I am drawn to farmhouse style antiques but on Main Street you will also find dealers specializing in Old European antiques...expensive ones!(note, they do not like you walking in with a camera!)
At about this point my hubby found an outdoor patio with football games on and they were serving beer. He excused himself while I continued my trek!
I ventured off of main street and found one of THE most beautiful stores ever called Spice. The owner is a delight, welcomed me taking photos and she had such a wonderful arrangement of pieces. Prices were very reasonable and you are bound to find things that will certainly add some warmth to your home. She has transformed an old home into her antiques and collectibles store. Plenty of old mixed with a bit of new which is the fresh approach I'm drawn too. Each room has a distinct feel whether it's turquoise, neutrals, kitchen things etc.
Look at these adorable metal rose knobs. love these! oh and let's not forget that silver tray. I grabbed 2 of them from this store. They are such simple ways to ground some pieces you have on display in a group or one of them I put on the backside of one of my bookshelves because it just needed a bit of shine and umpf. Yes, extra umpf made perfect. Silver trays = goodness.
These brightly lit rooms cheer me up to walk in. Did I need cheering up? No but it just elevated the day!
A sweet painted mirror. Oh how I wish my girls embraced this look and would let me put these pieces in their rooms.
For the love of burlap! The owner Tonya is in this pic but she's hidden behind that chair. Darnit, wish you could see how adorable she is on top of friendly.
But what I do see is the little old piano stool that I bought. See it there on the right just right of the table? It's adorable with it's round seat and adjustable height. Who needs ordinary pieces or accent tables holding decor or plants when you can have a cute piano stool doing the job.
After that I headed over to the Red Baron Antique Mall. Booth upon booth of collectibles. I always enjoy seeing what people stock their booths with and sometimes I get a good chuckle at what people have saved over the years or found to sell.
Hello shabby old ladder. SOLD to moi. If you follow me on Pinterest, you know I have a thing for old ladders too! This is one of my favorite ladder inspiration pins.
Feed sacks, love but spendy so these stayed there.
Shabby Goodness
Speechless, just loved stopping and staring!
I love old carrier boxes. Perfect excuse to collect something new and fill them!
Old baskets...I wonder where all in the world you've been.
I did end up grabbing this beauty at the antique mall in addition to my ladder. They proudly informed me this scale can still accurately weigh things. That is of little concern to me! It was beautiful, the right color and I knew just where in my kitchen it was going to go where it'd never weigh a thing!
This is the one thing that made me snicker. Really, are little troll dolls collectible? Maybe his blinged belly button makes him rare. I guess to each his own but this 4 inch high doll with a price tag of $15 stayed on the shelf with all the other troll dolls being sold by this dealer but it did make me laugh. To each his own.
This is another store I made it into. A young gal, mid 20's I guess owns it and is a sweetheart. Just a small charming store where I knew I was going to buy something just to support this eager young dealer. What a pleasure meeting so many people who share the love of old things that have a story.
We ended our day at this restaurant on Main Street. The atmosphere feels like a European bistro. We both had fish dinners and they were delish. My only other recommendation that I must throw in even though I don't have a photo was our dinner from the night prior. Hop in your car and have dinner at the Cabernet Grill. Oh was it amazing. I had a filet kabob and the hubs had buffalo enchiladas and we walked out stuffed leaving no leftovers. Try it, you won't be disappointed!
So that about sums up our Fredericksburg trip. We went in January, it's considered a slower month because of weather but we lucked out with high 60's and sunshine! I will make it back soon. I'm eager to be back at Trade Days to see all the dealers who don't come out for the month of January as they are getting a little R&R from the busy holiday season! That's the thing with this sort of shopping, you never know what treasures will be there so a revisit will always be in the works.
2 comments:
OH my goodness...I am so jealous...I had to scan through the last 3rd of the post (stopping for the hilarious troll) because I couldn't stand all the "i want that!" "I wish I had been there" "that is so coooooool!" I would SO love to have had that trip - wowsas!
Grew up in Kerrville! Great places in the Hil Country:)
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