Antique Festival Shopping Guide: Thrifting with the Gals Tips for Success
‘Tis the season for antique festivals and pop-up vintage shows! There is truly nothing more fun than spending a Saturday browsing booth after booth of curiosities and one-of-a-kind finds. However, these large events can feel a bit overwhelming. After visiting two very different shows in recent weeks, I wanted to share some pro tips and lessons I learned along the way.
First, we headed to the Liberty Antique Festival, the largest show in North Carolina, and last weekend we shopped the Spring at the Farm pop-up hosted by Ruffin’s Roost. While both were wonderful, they offered very different experiences. Let’s look at the unique advantages of each and how you can prepare for your next thrifting adventure.
The Pros & Cons of Both Festival Styles
As I mentioned, we started the season at one of the largest antique festivals in NC, the Liberty Antique Festival. Then, a few weeks later, we attended the Pop-up, Spring At The Farm Antique Show, which is hosted by Ruffin’s Roost. Both were outdoor events; therefore, booth styles were not a major factor, as they were all somewhat similar. Most were tented booths with table displays of a hodgepodge of vintage and antique finds, and plenty of items on the ground to take advantage of the space in front. We loved the thrill of the hunt at both, but there are some pros and cons that you should be aware of before planning to attend.
Massive Antique Festivals: The Advantages & Pitfalls
First, let’s talk about the advantages of a large-scale Antique Festival.
Advantages:
- A large number of vendors are coming from long distances, so there’s more variety.
- Usually, it’s at least a two-day event, and most allow you to attend both days for the price of one or at a reduced rate.
- More large-scale furniture is available.
- A larger number of vendors to choose from.
- Parking was free, and attendants were helpful in directing traffic.
- Plenty of food and beverage booths were available.
Cons:
- Must pay to attend. My husband and I both attended, so we spent $20.00 before purchasing anything.
- Most booths were pricey. There were not many deals to be had. Although we did luck up at one.
- It’s a lot of ground to cover, and the weather is a factor.
- You are a long way from your vehicle, so you need to prepare to carry your purchases. However, most vendors will allow you to leave heavy purchases until you have finished shopping. But then you have to find their booth again, and it can be a hike. LOL
Pros & Cons of Pop-Up Festivals
I’ve wanted to attend Tiffany’s Farm Sales for several years, but this is the first one I was able to work into my schedule. She has a great shop at her farm, and I’ve stopped in a few times as it’s only about an hour from my home. We are slightly surprised to see how many were attending, but they had plenty of parking. Let’s start out with the advantages of a smaller pop-up antique festival.
Advantages:
- Free to attend
- Although smaller, 50 vendors made for a fun morning of browsing.
- Prices were reasonable at most of the booths. Vendors were there to sell and were friendly.
- There was a good variety of vendors. Each booth offered something unique.
- Free parking with attendants to direct traffic
- Food and beverage booths were on-site
- Live music
The Cons:
- Many of the vendors had wonderful small-scale antiques, but not a lot of furniture or large pieces (if that’s what you are shopping for)
- The smaller venue is not a day trip. It only took about 2 hours to explore everything twice. But it was fun for a one-day show.
- It is an outdoor event, and the weather can be a factor. It had rained earlier that morning, but thankfully, when we arrived, all was clear.
Exploring at The Liberty Antique Festival
I thought I’d share some of the antiques available at the Liberty Antique Festival. As I said earlier, there were more large-scale items and furniture available at this two-day festival. There were also more curiosities and unique finds.
Unique Furniture Finds
As with most shows of this type, the early bird gets the prize. We arrived on the second day of the show, and many great pieces of furniture had already been marked as sold. We were not currently looking for furniture, but I always have to take a look. You never know when you’ll find your next great piece with tiny drawers.
This primitive cabinet caught my eye, but it was sold. As my husband pointed out, we didn’t have a place for it anyway.
These chairs were amazing, and several booths had fun chairs and tables.
Handcrafted Vintage Finds
You know that I’m all about preserving the art of handcrafted pieces. I love finding a needlepoint or cross-stitch piece for cheap. However, I think everyone is catching on, and many items are no longer inexpensive. So I’ve been recreating some of those vintage styles on my “Old School” Nostalgic Craft Series. Click to see all the projects so far.
I love how they used these partially finished crochet doilies, with the yarn still attached, in this cute dough-bowl vignette.
Other handcrafted booths and displays offered lovely old quilts, bedding, table linens, and hand-crocheted afghans.
Vintage Crocks, Stoneware, and Baskets
There were plenty of smaller wares to be had in the booths this year. Lots of crocks, pottery, baskets, dishes, and glassware. Prices were all over the place for these finds. I’m glad I already have a good selection. LOL. I love using these rustic pieces in my farmhouse because they add so much character and texture. If you’d like to learn more about using them to decorate, check out “Vintage Stoneware Crock Decor Ideas: Charming Farmhouse Style.”
Another favorite vintage collection is old baskets. I was so surprised by the prices of these less-than-perfect finds. The one that caught my eye was $150.00. I have picked up baskets with less damage than this one for $5.00. Damaged or not, the baskets were pricey and easy to pass on.
Looking for interesting ways to decorate with baskets? Check out “How To Decorate With Vintage Baskets in a Modern Farmhouse”
Antique Festival Curiosities
Another thing I noticed at the Liberty Antique Festival was lots of unique items that were more of a curiosity to me. Not something I’d want to collect. Probably the most amazing was this huge elephant made of old gears and metals. I was so disappointed to see that it had already sold – NOT! LOL
There were several old carousel horses and this fun wooden pig. Lots of primitive, old toys and handmade rocking horses were found.
What I Was Looking For & Purchased At Antique Festival
As I said earlier, I wasn’t looking for furniture, but I did have a chandelier on my wish list. I’m always looking for vintage brass pieces as well. Just after we arrived, I stopped by a booth and recognized the owner as my friend and former partner at The French Farmer’s Wife. Gail and her husband told me this was their last show, and they were retiring. It was my lucky day because I got this cute little chandelier for a great price.
After bringing it home, we have decided it will work best at our beach cottage, so I’ll update when we hang it.
If you’d like some ideas for upcycling an old chandelier, check out How to Repurpose a Thrifted Chandelier.
Another fun find was a set of brass candlestick holders/plate holders.
I knew immediately where I would use them and rushed home to restyle the space.
I already had the plates surrounding the mirror, but adding the brass sconces to hold the top two plates just elevates the whole display. They are a good price, and I’m always looking for vintage brass candlesticks and holders. You can find more tips on using vintage brass in “How To Decorate With Vintage Candle Holders.“
After the Spring Show, rumors circulated that it was the last one. However, it will return in a new location in the fall. Mark your calendar if you are in the area. Here is more about the Liberty Antique Festival.
Exploring Spring At The Farm Antique Show
We took off to explore the Spring at the Farm Antique Show a few Saturday mornings ago without a list of items to look for. Just a fun morning out without any agenda. There were many things I loved, but I only brought home a few.
One thing that caught my eye was these concrete molds. I’ve not seen those before, and I think they would make interesting wall displays.
Ruffin’s Roost is a treasure trove of unique finds. She had many concrete garden statues that I’d love to add to my collection, but Brad said we had parked too far away. LOL.
Ruffin’s Roost is an antique shop open on Saturdays, and she hosts two pop-up shows a year. She has already scheduled her fall show.
What I Purchased From Spring At The Farm Show and How I Used It.
Well, I found some local honey and some homemade dog treats for Rudy. In addition, I mentioned that there were concrete molds and, along with those, these unique wooden wallpaper stamps. I felt the stamps looked like architectural finds, so I brought some home.
I recently shared this post, “Using Architectural Salvage for Curated Art: The Secret to a Character-Filled Home,” in which I featured the stamps framed on my staircase gallery wall.
Conclusion: Which Is Better?
I really can’t determine which type of festival is best for your shopping experience. It really depends on what you are shopping for and how seriously you are shopping. Here are my final thoughts.
- Because there is usually a fee to attend, a large show is great for gathering ideas and for the serious shopper. But keep in mind, if you are just browsing, it still costs you to attend.
- If you are just browsing and have nothing serious in mind, the smaller shows without an entrance fee make more sense.
- Both offer a fun time and a thrill of the hunt experience.
- If you are looking for a fun excursion with the possibility of a treasured find, you can’t go wrong with either.
FAQ
I hope you enjoyed today’s Thrifting with the Gals article. But hang on, there’s more.
Thrifting with the Gals
Today’s post is part of our monthly series, Thrifting with the Gals. If you are new to our series, we are friends who share a love for vintage and thrifted decorating. We all live in different parts of the country, but we come together once a month to share thrift store shopping ideas and tips on decorating with your treasures.
Here are the Gals:
- Ann from Dabbling and Decorating finds her treasures as she travels between Vermont and Maine. She decorates both homes with so many vintage treasures.
- Robyn from Robyn’s French Nest loves to travel and bring her vintage treasure to her lovely Florida Home.
- Lora from Lora Bloomquist Create and Ponder is thrifting and picking up amazing roadside finds to decorate her home in Minnesota.
- I am from North Carolina and love filling my farmhouse and beach cottage with thrift store finds. I focus on budget-friendly decorating and DIY projects.
Ann’s Blue & White Amish Quilt / Lora’s Patriotic Vintage Mantel / Robyn’s How To Recover A Thrifted Chair.
Thank you for stopping by this month’s Thrifting with the Gals! I look forward to sharing my next adventures with you.
