By Skye Lovelady
Are you looking for quality antiques? The Round Top Antiques Fair has this and more! The fair is a central hub for treasure hunters with 60-plus venues including the Big Red Barn and Annex and the Continental Tent. Visitors can explore room-style settings selling the unique and the unusual, including furniture, art, advertising, jewelry, and everything you expect to be in a well-appointed home. The fair celebrates 50 years of collecting and selling antiques of all variety Oct. 1 through 6. Susan Franks is the owner and bought the original show from Emma Lee Turney in 1968. The fair has been running and expanding its treasure trove ever since.
The Big Red Barn and Annex and the Continental Tent house different vendors who sell authentic antiques (meaning no reproductions or new items). Their dealers are professional antique dealers who guarantee their merchandise. “We absolutely adhere to our format, which is all antiques, quality antique, and vintage,” she says.
If you’ve never been to the fair before, Franks offers a few tips and tricks to make your Round Top trip a success. She recommends coming in on Highway 290, for any other highway may result in traffic. Second, wear closed-toe shoes and comfortable clothes because you’ll be on your feet all day. She says to book your hotel arrangements early because the area gets booked quickly. Lastly, if you intend to make a lot of purchases, call your bank to increase your debit purchase limit.
Once you arrive, all the fun begins. “This is a festival,” Franks says. “This is not a stuffy, old antique show … There’s everything that you can imagine to buy, everybody will find something.”
The Round Top Antiques Fair is a week full of surprises and offers something for everyone. Whether you are looking for country furniture, European furniture, accessories, jewelry, or treasures for your home, you are sure to leave the fair with a piece from the past! For more information, visit www.roundtoptexasantiques.com.
