As an interior designer, one of the most common questions I get asked is, “How do you stay looking so young?”
Oh, wait, that is not right. It is actually, “Where are your favorite places to shop?”
While I love frequenting local merchants like Dove’s Nest and Velvet Angel in our adorable downtown Waxahachie, I venture out, twice a year, to hit the mecca of flea markets called “Texas Antique Week” located in Roundtop, Texas.
There is a bit of mystery surrounded this week and rightly so— it can a bit confusing. It stretches over a span of a couple weeks with no official start or end time. It is not in a specific location, but actually stretches over numerous towns.
It is difficult to find a place to stay since the town’s population is 90, cell service is a notch better than being buried underground, and it can be hard to find a bathroom that cannot be carried away on a truck.
However, do not let these oddities deter you, because if you can weed through the hassles, it will be the best, most unique shopping you will find!
Experts Guide to Roundtop Texas Antiques Week
When:
Generally, the fall show is the first weekend of October and the spring show is the first weekend of April (and the weeks before). The bigger sales within the show have different start and end times, so almost no matter when you go, not everything will be open. However, it really doesn’t matter, because unless you stay the entire 2 weeks, you cannot possibly see it all. Think: First Monday on steroids, times 100, multiplied by the number of Friends reruns on TBS.
Stay
I recommend starting by finding a hotel room in an area in the surrounding 20-30 miles around Roundtop (like Breham or LeGrange). Most people stay this far out since the towns are larger, they have numerous hotels, and it is a quick jaunt to the shopping area in Roundtop. If you would like to stay closer to the show, the B&B’s are in town but you will pay a premium during the week of the show. However, this can be worth it because what you lose in higher hotel charges, you will gain in shopping time!
No matter where you stop, you will hit gold. It truly depends on your style and price point. The areas range from high end European antiques to rusty vintage items in the fields. Here is the shopping hint that needs to guide you: No matter what you find, you have to get it home! Every time I drive away with Roundtop in the rearview mirror, I am squashed up tightly next to the door because my car is jammed packed with every imaginable item that I couldn’t leave behind. But as long as I don’t have to roll down my window to squeeze in my the driver’s seat, one more purchase is always fair game.
Must See Stops, to name a few:
Old Glory Antiques- beautiful new huge showroom, very cool finds
Royers Pie- Home made pie. I keep trying new flavors and love them all, especially when sweet meets salty with chocolatey
Townsends Provisions- adorable gift shop and the biggest collection of vintage cowboy boots
Blue Hills- a collection of cute booths and a nice restroom (which was important when I was 9 months pregnant, came home from Roundtop and had a baby)
Junk Gypsy- the headquarters and mecca of all things “junk”. Great displays and usually crowded.
“No matter what plans you make, remember there is no wrong way to shop this week! Drive until you see something that looks interesting, park and shop! (Hint: It will all look interesting!)
