Tales of a Tract Home: The Vintage Whites Market Field Trip

I was supposed to spend the day purging and cleaning out the garage. Originally I had every intention of being good and helping Brett. Really I did. I mean I was up by 4:30 a.m. eager to make some progress in the "cave of doom," but by 8:30 a.m. I was over it, anxious, and overwhelmed over the ever-growing Saturday to do list. The hubster being well acquainted my with my "Saturday anxiety" asked me if there was something else that I would rather be doing (what a good husband).

I confessed that I had been mildly interested in attending the Vintage Whites Market at some point during the day, but that I didn't think he would have any desire to accompany me. I didn't push the subject because remember I had promised to help clean out the garage, and really I was fine with working through my chore chart angst and getting it all done.

A bit later, I happened to check my phone to see that my lovely friend Kim McCrary had messaged me to see if I wanted to go with her up to the show. DONE! I called her back and we made quick arrangements to meet just an hour later.

Being the very good husband that he is, Brett seemed almost relieved to have me taking all my negative energy off somewhere else. Sigh. I wish I enjoyed chores so much more than I do. In my head I'm terribly helpful, in real life? Not so much.

The Market was everything I hoped it would be. As an avid junker and antique shopping "lookie-loo," the market was full of beautiful booths and inspiration. Packed to the gills, some booths had squeeze through room only. Determined to almost literally push through and see everything, I realized I needed to get my bearings first so I snuck off to take in the entire show in one grand tour before my precision strike shopping approach.

After a general perusal of all the items and booths available, I then started making the rounds looking for items that inspired me. With set-ups like these, who wouldn't feel inspired?

The vendors were all very generous and kind and helped me find exactly what I was looking for. There were a few things I REALLY wanted, but couldn't justify the price tag like these $200 and $300 handwriting charts that measured about 5' wide (oh how I wish they'd been in my price range as they were totally swoon-worthy):

Or this bubblegum dispenser that totally wanted to come home with me and be filled with buttons or other delightful embellishments:

There were also items that just made me smile and ranged from the creative, to the remade, to the newly invented:

And if that wasn't enough, each booth in and of itself was a work of art full of inspiration for home decor and creative space decor:

So what did make it home with me? Sticking to my CASH ONLY budget of just $50, I was able to bring home the following items (a two foot #1 vintage sign piece, two vintage spool drawer pulls, three vintage metal tags, a small film reel, and a map that was SUPPOSED to be a map of the Southern States but somehow got mixed up and now I have a vintage map of Yugoslavia, which is also beautiful and now divided into several countries):

Will I go again next year? Most definitely, especially if it helps me get out of cleaning out places like nasty garages.

Thinking of going yourself? While getting there early seems most appealing so you don't miss out on any cool items, I promise you that there was plenty of very lovely items left later in the day. It was also less crowded by mid-afternoon. I would imagine that by next year, it's going to be even more crowded (which should not discourage you but only make you more excited to participate). This beautiful market did NOT disappoint, and it made my friends and I realize that we need more frequent "creative field trips" to feed our creative souls. We're working on that. Look for more field trip write-ups soon as I hope they make you as happy as they make me.