Friday morning, my mom and I set off early to hit the Lucketts Spring Market Early Bird day. I had scouted out some large terracotta pots for my espalier apple trees that were only available at the Winchester Home Depot, so we stopped there on the way to pick those up. I’ll share about them in another post, but once the pots were purchased and loaded, we drove the rest of the way to the fairgrounds in Berryville, VA. I didn’t have any large furniture pieces I was looking for, but I still felt nervously excited. Antique markets just do that to me. There is the tension of knowing most items are one-of-a-kind and you don’t want to miss out on something you like, but you also don’t want to jump at the first thing you see, knowing there are many more vendor’s wares to explore. I felt that tension and it was only added to by the energy of the bustling crowd. My mom bought a brass tabletop music stand while I waited and then I suggested we work our way towards a quieter part of the market so I could shop in a more relaxed frame of mind.
And, that did the trick. We were able to mingle and meander and I didn’t feel quite as rushed to make decisions.
The market was as enjoyable as always. The Lucketts crew always does such a good job putting on an event and, since I know many of the organizers personally, I know they really care about making the event special and successful for the shoppers, the vendors, the volunteers, and the guys moving all of the heavy things to load in customer’s vehicles. They want to make sure serious shoppers are happy as well as kids, spouses, family, friends, and even dogs who are just there for an outing. I also think they do a great job vetting the vendors to ensure those looking for antiques are happy with the quality and age of the selection. I know it’s a massive amount of work finding those goodies, getting them ready for an event, and setting up a tent, and the vendors hit it out of the park.
I loved seeing their creativity, resourcefulness, and talent on display. I did end up buying some of the things on my list, but even if I hadn’t, I would’ve come home with a full creative tank. Just getting out into the world and meeting people in real life, seeing their work in person, is fulfilling. I reconnected with a lot of old friends and acquaintances and met some new kindred spirits.
It was a fortunate thing I had gardening items on my list because they vendors were definitely on that wavelength! There were planters, outdoor furniture, garden decor, plant stands, watering cans, baskets, umbrellas, plants, cloches, gardening tools, plant markers, garden borders, bird houses…the lot.
Of course, I also had to admire the original, antique, and vintage art, though I didn’t buy any on this trip.
And, of course, there were loads of beautiful antique pieces.
I did end up buying a few things, which I’ll share in another post, but one thing I bought even before the event started was a concrete cat. I saw it on the @dutchhouseofantiques Instagram and messaged to see if I could claim it. I apologized for being one of “those people” when I knew they were busy getting ready for a market, but it was just perfect for me. It was a good thing I staked my claim because just when I was at the tent to buy it, four other people were looking at it and checking the tag. Instead of just playing it cool, I would blurt out, “It’s mine! I bought it!”
I also bought the set of three antique concrete planters…
I love their shape and they have such a pretty patina.
I knew Jeff would be thrilled that I was bringing home two large, heavy terracotta pots, three large, heavy concrete planters, and a large, heavy concrete cat. For someone who wasn’t looking for large things, I still managed to need lots of muscle to unload the van!
After scanning the bulk of the tents and buildings, we had our usual lunch of onion rings and a cheeseburger before more browsing. When I took a picture of my lunch, a gentleman sitting at the picnic table gave me a bewildered look. “So, why are you taking a picture of that burger? It’s not really that special.”
I laughed, “I share about Lucketts online, so I’m taking pictures of the day.”
“Oh, okay. Their food is good but it’s not that good!”
We ended up leaving the market around 1:00 and stopped at a garden center on the way home to look for a dwarf limelight hydrangea for my backyard. That stop was successful and we headed home. Another day at Lucketts was in the books and a good time was had by all. I think even this guy, who my mom had to snap a few pictures of, had a good time.
Over the course of the day, I was asked by several people if I missed being a vendor at Lucketts and if I would ever consider setting up a tent there again. In some ways I do miss it, but getting to attend as a shopper has been such a joy. I get to show up for a few hours, shop, and then go home. It’s a lot less work and I still get the enjoyment of seeing my old friends and meeting some blog readers in person. So, will I ever be a vendor again in the future? I wouldn’t count that out…
28 Responses
I really appreciate your Luckett’s pictures as I used to attend every year and miss it so much. (I was happy to meet you one year and often purchased from you.
But now I live in Wisconsin so I’m thinking it’s time for a trip out east. I’m also loving your recent gardening adventures.
It was a fabulous Spring Market ! The vendors really outdid themselves, the displays were really good ! Can’t wait for Home and Hearth Mercantile to open soon In Middletown,MD. Just 2 miles from me. You will have to check them out. I hope I have their name correct
You might enjoy the Walworth County Antique Market, now that you reside in Wisconsin. I have been there in the past–lots of vendors and wonderful antique and vintage items. Check it out.
That Cat!!!—Ooohmygosh!!! I’d say it was the find of the day. Sounds like it was a perfect shopping trip with your mom. and did I mention—Love the cat 🙂
for some reason there were soooooo many ads that popped up on this story- I literally spent the entire time trying to close the videos and boxes and it wouldn’t stop! I ended up having to close my browser and restart, then it started up again! There are always a few ads but not sure what happened this time went CRAZY! I will try to read it again later. I wouldn’t mind the ads if they were off to the side, or were not popping up all over the page- I understand about advertising, but sadly it was over the top on this story.
I have the same problem and it causes my iPad to crash multiple times!!! It’s to the point I’m finding it to much trouble to try and read anymore 😒
Sorry about that! I’ve sent these comments along to my ad managers to have them take a look.
Whatever your ad manager did- it worked! YAY! I was able to read it all today without ANY interruptions! THANK YOU!
I use an ad blocker on this site because of all the adverts – it says it’s blocked 47 items & if I turn it off the site page doesn’t fully load on my slower country internet for well over a minute. The adverts are mostly unrelated to the content as well & really degrade the whole experience. Pop ups & video ads are the worst.
Thankfully I don’t have trouble with ads popping up, but I wish there was a way to stop the movement of Marian’s book. The constant back and forth movement of the book makes me want to very quickly scroll by that part of the blog. Loved this post about Luckett’s. I’ve never been and probably never will get to go but I love seeing some of the cool things for sale.
What do you call what looks to be a tramp art wall hanger in the tenth picture? I also love the urns that you bought.
those old ledger books…..!!!!!!
I was there as well, but I was so focused on finding some treasures that I probably walked right past you. Love the cat! If I had seen that, it would have come home with me. I took photos of some of the same things, but missed some of the other beauties. This is my first time as an early bird and what a difference! A lot of vendors were nearly sold out by 1:00pm. I’ll be back in October!
The cat. The end. Heart emoji.
Lucketts is so fun! I took a similar approach to yours this year and started my perusal from the back to the front—much calmer, although the thrill of so many like-minded shoppers is part of the joy of the day. The Lucketts ladies never disappoint!
Fun was had by all!! Even the sweet Frenchie…..so cute!
As soon as I saw the sold tag ,I knew it was you who bought it! Did you yell SCORE ! As you walked away ? I would have !
I was just coming in when you were leaving! As always, it was a well-organized and well managed show but for some reason I thought there wasn’t as many vendors as in the past. Maybe it was my imagination. However, I managed to find a few treasures. I was really looking hard for some well patinaed brass sconces and had no luck. All and all, it was still a great show.
Glad that you and Mom enjoyed the day shopping for treasures! The cat and those concrete planters are a real treasure and will look great in your yard.
I’m on a train in Sweden, heading to the airport to NY. It’s such a treat to visit Lucketts via your amazing pics. Thanks for sharing.
I love reading your postings but I get beyond frustrated with the constant ads and the page going black and then refreshing. By the time I get to the place I was reading it happens again.
I had to switch to Firefox browser and have my son install an ad blocker. This blog is SO AGGRESSIVE with ads it is unreadable with out ad blocker. It really is a shame. There are so many other ways Marion makes money, it seems over the top to spam readers that hard.
Unfortunately, it is the nature of ads on a mobile phone. Since there isn’t a sidebar and screen space is at a premium, the ads almost have to be intrusive to fit on the screen. My blog is my primary source of income. Not only does it take a lot of work, but it costs a lot to run a website (to pay for hosting, tech support, design support, etc.) Asking me to reduce ads is asking me to take a pay decrease while still working the same amount and having the same monthly expenses. My ads are not spam and are consistent with comparable websites and blogs. I hope you can understand and appreciate that this is how my blog can be read for free.
Thank you Marion for explaining how it works.
I completely understand the need for the ads- it is your “livelihood” – I hope you didn’t think I was saying there should not be ads. The usual amount is not too much- for some reason it was just this one page/post that went crazy for me like something had went haywire. Today the page is “quiet”. I guess it was stressful trying to close all of the windows and hurry up and try to read in between- which I’m sure is the opposite of what you intend for your readers. P.S. I’m viewing it on a large screen computer- not a mobile device, so it is rare for so many ads to obscure the entire screen at times and ten videos going at a time- I’m sure it was a glitch and not the norm.
Thanks for the follow-up. I did have my blog’s tech support look into it and they were unable to replicate issues like crashing, the site scrolling on its own, or ads that wouldn’t close. I also looked on a few different devices and couldn’t replicate it. It sounds like it was a technical glitch with the ads since you’re having a normal experience today. I’m glad to hear it! If ever ads are going crazy or there are technical difficulties on the site, please know that it’s a glitch and not the intention to overwhelm the content with ads! Something has gone awry. You can always let me know, though, so we can look into it and fix issues we find. 🙂
Thanks for documenting another amazing Luckett’s event. I’ve never been in person since I live in the Midwest and timing for travel hasn’t worked out… and yet I’ve attended virtually through your posts for years and it’s always fun to see the show through your lens. I know it takes time and effort to stop and set up a shot and then blog it all. Thanks for taking me along. I appreciate it!
Oh wow, I love that cat! Your day sounds amazing – I’m glad you could share it with someone you love.