The antique fair in round top

The bi-annual, two week fair takes place in a town with a population of 87 people. It brings over 4,000 vendors and 200,000 designers, shoppers, and vintage hunters alike to this 11 mile stretch of rural Texas and let me tell you, it was one of the coolest experiences I’ve had to date.

We flew into Houston on a Thursday and made our way west, until the bustling city started to disappear and the highway became dotted with farm fields. One of the first things we noticed about these farms were how beautiful the homes on them were. Many were Craftsman meets Farmhouse style, with timber frames and accents and board & batten siding. They were sprawling and beautifully landscaped and the odd tree swing only added to the character and charm.

Our Airbnb was the guesthouse on a 30 acre farm and only a few minutes away from the main stretch of the fair. We got ourselves settled and spent the evening on the porch with glasses of wine and complete silence around us - it was heaven.

On the Friday, we headed over to Market Hill - two buildings with over 25 vendors, offering a mix of high end antiques and home goods. We had no idea what to expect and let me say this place did not disappoint. We saw incredible original pieces of furniture, centuries-old tapestries from Europe, stone and earthenware decor, and lighting straight out of castles. One of the most interesting things I noticed was how ‘influenced’ the offerings are at mainstream retailers by these original pieces. Some of the things I saw there, I had already ‘seen’ at a big retailer at home, only now I was seeing the original. I left Market Hill with a personal goal of trying to incorporate more vintage and original pieces in our projects moving forward. Not only is the quality clearly superior, but the story behind the pieces and the character that they carry adds something very romantic to a home.

That night, we dined at Lulu’s in town and got all the insight from our server into the town of Round Top, and what happens the other 48 weeks of the year when the fair isn’t on. She shared with us that, aside from the 87 people that live in Round Top, most people only come on the weekends to their weekend homes. The storefronts are typically second locations, with the primary locations being in Houston, Austin, San Antonio, etc. I asked how people can afford to pay rent on storefronts that are only open on some weekends and during the 4 weeks of the fair, and she said the revenue they earn during the time that they are open more than covers the cost of rent (clearly this isn’t Toronto).

On Saturday, we got in line on the side of Highway 237 to enter Blue Hills - over 100,000 square feet of curated shopping in picturesque barns and tents. Stocked with antiques, vintage furniture, lighting, decor, and art, there was truly something for everyone. This was exactly the ‘Round Top’ experience I had pictured in my mind. Shoppers by the thousands weaving in and out of tents, arms full of purchases, and - maybe most noticably - dressed to the nines. I’m not a colourful attire kind of gal, but man did I want to go buy some insanely bright, busy, floral printed dresses after this trip. And a suede cowboy hat, because the ladies made those look real nice too. The logistical part of my brain wondered just how much planning and costs go in to getting product - some of it from Europe and the rest from all over North America - to the show for the two weeks twice a year.

That night, we ate dinner under the stars at an event put on by Unsubscribed and Blue Hills. It was a beautiful evening where we had a chance to mingle with other designers, vendors and guests in the hayfields behind the tents.

The next day, we packed up our Airbnb and headed back to Houston for our flight home. We had a few small souvenirs to remember our trip, but sadly we didn’t make any huge purchases - we just had to take everything in this trip. With that said, it is a part of PMD’s future goals to be able to make Round Top more of a purchasing trip, so stay tuned!

We plan to visit Round Top again and explore some of the places we didn’t make it to this trip - despite how small the town was, it sure did pack a punch.

xo

Parris