Wednesday, August 1, 2012

The Summer Market 2012…we interrupt this fabulous show…for a storm!!

 

We had been praying for weeks, and had fingers and toes crossed for “blue skies”…which we did have, but a bit of a storm blew through and tried to put a damper on things…but thankfully it was only temporary – ya just can’t keep a good show down!!!

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So…not sure where to start – but first of all it WAS an unbelievable weekend…show-wise, sales-wise, and weather-wise…ok let me put it in the right chronological order at least… weather-wise, show-wise, and sales-wise!  There, that works! 

This was our second  year at The Summer Market, although we feel so much at home, it seems longer!  (Thanks Erin and Kristen – you make everyone feel so welcome!!)

We rolled into Veteran’s Park about 12:45 on Friday (with a pretty heavy load – we always do that – go big or go home…you know??).  And started setting up right away (under beautiful blue skies). 

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Before I go rambling on any further, just have to share (cuz we’re so excited about it…and we’re such girls!!)…a great new addition to our space is our “new” check-out and sweetly decorated  chairs (by Susan and her mom, Ruth – big THANKs!)

We got the dresser at Springfield, it was already painted turquoise (just a little too bright for our “look”), so we added some Annie Sloan dark wax and our name to the back side…now the front side.

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Here’s the front side (now the back side) – dry brushed and dark waxed too, with room for money and supplies, wrapping paper and bags, and tools too!  Woo hoo, love it!

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And, of course – a little something to hold business cards – and a vintage “cashier” sign!

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Aren’t the “new” chairs awesome??  (re-styled by our Susan & her endlessly and fabulously creative mom, Ruth)

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Anyway, back to set up…we pulled everything out of the trailer AND the back of the van, and lined it up to be placed in our space (isn’t the view fabulous???).

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And, voila…3 hours later…open for business…  Here’s the tour!

Welcome to Nostalgia’s Cottage (on the lake – of course!!)!

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We had a lake-look going on!

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Terri’s sign and Susan’s bench – great combo!

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My wired/quilted starfish – found a perfect spot!

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This sweet pink desk was the star of the show…and was SOLD pretty quickly!

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On our farm table (an old door with an antique sewing machine base), I did a tablescape for two…I used a fabulous mirror, some mismatched dishes, rusty springs to hold the silverware, and some fun accessories – well, just for fun!

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The old photo was marked Jim & Delores…too cute!  (They never did show up for dinner though!)

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Some of my old architectural signs…

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A corner – two doors hinged together made the perfect spot for hanging “junk” and more!

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A wooden box redone to make a mason jar centerpiece.  Silver knobs added for feet, just because!

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Even the kids were shoppers!

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An old wooden ironing board used as a “bar” – and seating for two  – a junky wine holder, and again…drinks for two!  This could be used for so many things – on a porch for plants, an extra table for serving – a multi-tasking piece of vintage beautifulness!  I also used a couple different colors of paint, sanded/distressed, and then used Annie Sloan dark wax – the finish was SO cool!DSC07651

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Vintage redesigned jewelry and more handcrafted goodies!  Terri’s cuff bracelets, my watchlets, etc.

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    Sweet little mermaids for sale…and necklaces too!

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My little mermaid when she was about one and a half!  So sweet! (Oops…forgot to tell her I was using this picture!)

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Terri discovered the mermaid.  Isn’t she just the coolest?? – she didn’t last long either!

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Stacked books – dry brushed and ready for display!

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I think she’s ready for the beach (maybe just a little sunscreen though)!!

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This area became known as our back porch (and what a view)…just a lot of random, cool junk!

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Our craft cabinet…handy divided spaces inside, and shabby décor outside – hardware and a chalkboard for inspiration!

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Miscellaneous…bottles and stuff…

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Aren’t these the sweetest??  We had two sets, and still haven’t been able to figure out what the third piece was used for…salt, pepper and ??????  Anybody know?

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Seahorses…for hanging!

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Chalk tags (made from laminate samples) – so many uses!

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We had some great furniture too!

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Susan’s keyplates and spoons AND cool boxes!

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What great customers…and we made some new friends too!DSC07698DSC07704

We didn’t have much time to check out the other vendors…and there were some fabulous ones for sure!  Such a variety of art and handcrafted, and vintage treasures!

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And a couple hours later…the skies started threatening…  The winds came (in literally a lightning flash), along with rain and hail and lightning…and did I mention the wind??  It was unbelievable.  If it wasn’t for the help of customers and passersby – a lot of vendors wouldn’t have made it – tents were being destroyed, as well as some artwork, etc…

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After the rain (but the wind was still blowing like crazy), I was able to snap pics of a few of our “angels” – thanks to everyone who helped!  I’ve never been out in a storm like that before, and it was amazing how people didn’t give a thought to safety (considering the rain, hail, wind AND lightning), but just helped.  There was a lady who came through in the middle of it and helped to get the tents lowered – we don’t know who she was or where she came from…but again…an angel!  And I guess she may have been part of a group of people going from tent to tent and helping to lower/stabilize tents – I know every vendor affected by the storm appreciated each and every person – more than we can say!

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Here’s the after…it could have been so much worse (the tent beside us was destroyed, along with the artist’s artwork).  We felt so bad for her.

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Everything was soaked, and some things damaged/broken…it was all just “stuff” anyway – and we were so thankful at the end of the day….that there weren’t any injuries, and for us and many others…no major loss of “junk”.  People started shopping again, before the winds even stopped, and even with our tents lowered…they just ducked and came in (it even got a little crowded under there at one point).  Terri actually had a lady hold a pole while she checked her out – now, that’s a serious shopper!

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Before leaving for the night (another storm was forecast), Erin enlisted her “Market Chicks” (a group of kids made up of their daughters, and possibly cousins and friends) to help us pack up our trailer with all our small items and handcrafted things too.  They also helped us put all our big furniture under the tent and lower it to the ground – they were awesome…even with lightening, we all just kept going (the Market Chicks too) – and got everything buttoned down for the night!  We said a prayer and drove away.  I just have to say for us at Nostalgia’s Cottage – the Market Chicks rock!!!  AND A HUGE THANK YOU TOO!!!

And, then, on Saturday…a rain storm hit early in the morning (we were up at 5:00 am, and started hearing thunder about 5:30), but we were able to start setting up at about 7:30, and were ready for the show to open at 9:00 am.

And the customers came in droves, and shopped, shopped, shopped!  It was a very windy day, so everything that had gotten wet was pretty much blown dry.  Saturday definitely made up for Friday night!

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Our friend, Shannon Vance, of Stash Style – was back in selling mode too – right out of the back of her truck!!

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Here’s the view behind us.  The waves were pretty big all day long – and beautiful blue skies too!

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It definitely was a “kite” day!

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Well, all packed up – wore out – but happy girls!  Good bye Summer Market – blessings to all involved and have a fabulous rest of your summer – we’ll be back next year!

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So, now we all feel like…

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I’ve done it again – a ton of pictures…just can’t help myself.  Hope you enjoyed our weekend at The Summer Market – and also hope you can come next year – it’s such a wonderful event, with so many talented artists/vendors involved, and The Summer Market crew are the most amazing group of people – see y’all next year!!

Big junk hugs,

Kathy (& Terri & Susan)

Oh…here’s my “casualty”…the vintage watch I was wearing was definitely not even “water resistant” (and we weren’t really either…all of us soaked to the bone!!)…oh well, I’ll use it in a project of some sort! 

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P.S.  Just because…there always is a P.S.!! 

My girlfriends and I (6 of us AND a trailer) will be taking our annual girls’ trip in a week…heading north on the “Yard Sale Trail” along beautiful Lake Huron in Michigan.  (and don’t worry “please”…there will be pictures!!)

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Can’t wait – big fun to be had by one and all (six of us). 

Watch out Michigan

the Buckeye Junkers are getting ready to invade!! :)

(I think I’m going to have to make a sign for the trailer…)

After that…Nostalgia’s Cottage will be going into “show mode” and start getting ready for the Vintage Marketplace at the Springfield Antique & Flea Market – September 14-16!

See ya!  (I’m really stopping now…) Winking smile

17 comments:

  1. My husband and I attended the The Summer Market on Sat. What a great show with so many cool vendors! Their passion for all things vintage was evident -from the creative displays and excellant quality to braving the elements. The wind was crazy!I stopped by your booth but it was pretty packed with shoppers and you were very busy.It seemed like you had the brunt of the wind whip. Everything in your booth was top notch. I took a few photos of some vendors and created a post about it if you would like to check it out.Looking forward to next year!

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    1. Cathy - so glad you were able to make it to The Summer Market - it turned out great, and like you - the customers came back for Day 2! :) I stopped by your blog - thanks for stopping by mine!

      Kathy

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  2. Great pictures, Kathy! You ready for Springfield again? : ) I just found out the Country Living fair is the same weekend. That's going to be fun for me to try and pull off!

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    1. Kathy - thanks for stopping by. We'll be gearing up for Springfield soon - we've got a lot of great furniture already, and now it's time to get busy on my projects (formulating my "to do" list now). See you in September!

      Kathy

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  3. Good grief...I'm plumb wore out just reading about your show adventures.
    I love an outdoor show...except for the storms...and the heat. Y'all were real troopers and so were your shoppers. I just imagine they realize how hard it is to do an outdoor show and all the work involved.
    Love, love, love the mermaid. I can see why she sold so fast!
    Go Team Buckeye Junkers!
    Deb

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    1. Deb, you know us junkers (you being one of the "originals"...) - we're a bit crazy and don't give up easily - neither wind, nor rain...etc... It's worth it - to do what we love, and helping people find the "junk" they love! (But, gotta say - it was a bit scary - so thankful for all the help we received from our customers.)

      You should have seen us when we got back to our room...had to blow dry checks, money, crocheted bracelets - too funny!

      Hugs to you!! Kathy

      P.S. I know you'll be cheering us on in spirit as we junk north!! xo

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  4. Kathy
    It looks like you guys " weathered the storm " pretty good. Wow I'm glad you guys had a great show though. You can't keep good, no great , people down. Hope you have fun on your trip and find lots of wonderful JUNK ! I know you will. We'll miss seeing you at the Springfield show, but Tim and I will be doing the Columbus Country Living Fair. Great post as always. Tell Terri hi. Maybe I'll see you in Nashville, Tn again next year?
    Shannon

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    1. Shannon - yep - we got through it, thankfully! And the show ended up being even better for us than last year!

      I know you're going to do fabulously at CL Fair - wishing they weren't on the same weekend. So, hopefully you guys will be back at Springfield in the spring!

      Hugs to you! Kathy

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  5. Sounds like a super fun filled show Mom! Glad to see I was there in spirit with my tiny pink bikini :-) haha

    xo
    Boo

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    1. Yes, the pink polka dot bikini was a hit! And, I sold all but one of the mermaid necklaces!

      Love ya (and I know you've got The Summer Market on your calendar for next year!!!).

      Mom

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  6. Kathy, I am in awe of you....such a fabulous post! I am so glad you all had a chance to get pictures. It was definitely a weekend for the ol' memory book! It was fun to see your booth in the pics, I didn't get a chance to see you all until late Saturday and you surely didn't have that much left! Summer Market is the best!

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    1. Thanks Carrin - you're the sweetest!! So bummed I didn't get over to your space to take pictures. You've always got the greatest furniture, etc.!

      We'll see you in September! Hugs, Kathy

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  7. Great blog, g/f!!! You're headed up to my former stomping grounds - Michigan's thumb!! I had family that ran the marina at Grindstone City on the tip! Anyway...if you're heading down I-75 on the way back - or even if you're not - check out this place: http://www.prideandcountry.com/ off Of I-75 in Saginaw...you can also take backroads there...M-15, I think. You'll love it! Make sure you ride through Frankenmuth, MI, too!

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    1. Thanks for stopping by! I'll see where Pride and Country is, and we'll add it to our stops if we can.

      Kathy

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  8. Good stuff in your booth, girls!!! Can't wait for S'field again. Always so much fun to hang with ya, girlfriend. Say hi to Terri and Susan. xo Sue

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  9. Hi Kathy....I was sitting on the edge of my seat reading your post....glad the market had a silver lining before & after the storm!
    Kari

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Thanks! It was so sweet of you to pop in for a visit! Have a blessed day!