Around here, in the frozen tundra of Fargo, North Dakota, the Labor Day holiday weekend signals the end of summer, cook-outs on the grill — and the flea market season. Sure, there are a few stragglers… The odd garage sale sign posted every now and then, the rare nice afternoon to still barbecue on the grill… But the major collectibles hunting (and food preparation) is now limited to indoor places.
As a Wisconsin native, I miss the nicer weather which extends the antiques and collectibles hunting season. And I know, those of you much further south have no real seasonal limits — how I envy that! I’m looking forward to the day I can travel to extend my hunting, so won’t you help me out?
Post in the comments where you live and when the antiquing season ends (or, if it doesn’t end, when it slows or what seasonal or weather changes bring) and I’ll enter you in a chance to win this vintage grilling cookbook: the Big Boy Barbecue Book, by the Home Economics Staff of Tested Recipe Institute, Inc, with the cooperation of the barbecue experts of Big Boy Manufacturing Co. and the Kinsgford Chemical Co., copyright 1956.
Additional Ways To Enter:
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I’m talking about the flea market season, antiques & vintage collectibles @InheritedValues — There’s a giveaway too!
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Here’s the giveaway fine print:
* Giveaway is open to US residents only
* Contest ends September 16, 2011; entries must be made on or before midnight, central time, September 15, 2011. Winner will be announced/contacted on September 17, 2011. Winner has 48 hours to respond; otherwise, I’ll draw another name.
Living in an old steel town, with all of the coal mining towns just to our north, antiquing never really ends around these parts (I’m also a big fan of “junking”). There’s always a house being cleaned out, or a family moving, etc. Even during a winter cold spell, you’ll find a roadside table here and there, being attended by one or two people dressed to survive the wind chill. Of course, we also have Adamstown, which is hailed as the antique captial of the world (so they say), along with entire regions known for antiquing, such as Lancaster county — but these are strictly indoors during winter months. We’re not too shabby here in Lehigh county either: we are being invaded by the new “antique malls”, which are taking over empty department store buildings. They’re huge and can have hundreds of vendors. So I don’t worry too much about winter time coming . . . other than shoveling a lot of snow. But the antiquing remains good. And, like they say about fishing, a bad day of antiquing is better than a good day without.
When the rain comes, antiquing moves inside up here in the Northwest (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada to be precise), but with so many small towns in the area, the church basements and devoted barns keep on giving. We have a huge warehouse right in town which opens every weekend and tends to feature mostly new import junk, but there are individual vendors with some incredible finds if you are willing to pick through it all (which, of course, we are). Fort Langley, New Westminster, and Mission are all great spots on the outskirts, and with a bit of a bible belt vibe, some pretty odd bits show up. There is an antique strip here in town on upper Main Street (though it tends to be more and more overpriced). When summer is over things just seem to improve as people tend to forget that these places run all year round and prices are lowered as the crowds start to thin. One of the Main Street shops has taken over an incredible collection of one couple’s ’70s world travels dubbed “Exotic World” (formerly housed in a devoted space by the couple prior to the husband’s passing away). – bugs, baboons, unknown tribes and cannibals! An amazing exhibit of homemade displays, cassette tape recordings, and hand-typed index card descriptions. Another great store is Baker’s Dozen, a place that occasionally features private collections of truly stunning folk art and antiques – the best I saw there was a collection of hand-carved ruddy amateur 3 foot tall wooden puppets – primarily consisting of the cast of Popeye – Bluto, Olive Oil and a few townsfolks, along with Popeye of course. Man was I envious.
I live in central Iowa and I don’t think antiquing really has a season here. There is a large antique mall off the interstate that my husband and I love to frequent, even if it’s just to ogle every thing though I am still kicking myself for not picking up the most fabulous 1940s hat that I had ever seen outside of a catalog picture. Then there is the State Fair in which a lot of dealers get together in one of the old barns…there is a lady I’ve seen that is there every year and she has some wonderful items. Last year I found two vintage Yardley compacts completely unused…you could still see the pretty imprints in the pressed powder. The year before that, she was selling some vintage lusterware…after I bought them I researched the markings under the bottom…someone had gathered up some vintage (early 1920s) Rosenthal china and painted them. I really can’t tell if the luster in not as vintage as the dishes but I love them anyway.