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Last year, I thought my new digs for Lucketts, a 20 x 40 “circus tent”, sounded enormous.  I kept adding more and more stuff to the “pile”, so I made sure the space would be filled. Well, two rental trucks later and the space was certainly full!  It was overflowing, in fact, and trying to find a place for everything was nuts.  We worked it out, but the tent was crowded and I would’ve been up a creek if it had rained before we moved some serious merchandise.

So, this year the Lucketts Spring Market moved to an entirely new location and I am in a large pavilion called “The Show Barn”.  I had a chance to see it a few months ago, but I really didn’t grasp the size of the space.

The stuff we’ve been working on over the past few weeks and months filled two 20′ rental trucks this year and I was starting to feel like I went overboard.  As soon as we started unloading those trucks this morning, though, my stuff seemed to shrink.  These pieces that looked so massive in the studio, were dwarfed by the tall ceilings and generous square footage of the barn.

Once we started arranging the furniture, I realized just how much space I have!  I am so used to things being tightly packed in a maze, that I felt a little uneasy with all of the excess space.  I then thought about how delightful that will be for shoppers, though.  Everyone will be able to spread out a little more and take in the vignettes from a few feet away instead of a few inches.

And I was able to make several “rooms” of sorts, with loose themes and color palettes.  They will come to life even more once we fill in with all of the accessories.

I really wanted to start styling today, but it was hot and I have a crew coming tomorrow to help me with all of the nitty gritty details.  Today’s crew was there to help with the big stuff.

So, once the large pieces of furniture were in place, one group of guys worked on hanging the mural…

(It’s good we had tall guys!)

And another group hung some garden lights around the edge of the barn.  I realize they won’t be very impactful in the daytime, but I think it lends a festive vibe and they just make me happy.  So many things I do for these booths are purely for my own enjoyment!

Once all that was done, we tucked everything in for the night and headed out to a late lunch at a local spot in Berryville.

I’ll be heading out tomorrow morning to get the space all set up for Friday.  We usually set up the morning of, but that’s always stressful and it usually turns me into a complete tyrant for about two hours!  I’m looking forward to having an entire day to play and get everything just the way I want it in a relaxed fashion.

I’ll post pictures tomorrow night and will share the 2017 guide for shopping my space and the event.

Oh, and just a reminder that tomorrow (Thursday, May 18), I will be taking an hour break from the styling to participate in a live chat on the Washington Post website!  The chat will be from 11 am – noon (live from my space at the fairgrounds).  You can ask questions ahead of time and/or join the live chat HERE.

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    33 Comments

    1. L. Thompson

      This large barn will be so nice Friday with current weather predictions, not good again but maybe rest of the weekend will improve and no rain or storms. I do not know what it is about Lucketts weekend EVERY YEAR!

    2. Botanic Bleu

      Marian,
      I am so excited for you and wish I could be there to see everything in person. Shoppers will love having extra walking-around space, and you will, too.

      Judith

    3. Victoria

      It’s funny that the barn is in colours that match your stock so well!

      • Noelle

        I was just going to say that!! It couldn’t be a more perfect location — and matches the mural as well 🙂

    4. Denise

      Will you ever come to the Atlanta Country Fair?

    5. Pam from Maryland

      Oh this makes me sooo happy !! I’m excited and believing that this will be your best yet !! ,,, I like the look of the more open space,, I agree with you that the shoppers will have more room to move and enjoy all your efforts,, and the color theme came together very nicely,, cant wait to see it finished,,,,, Blessing to you !!!! Have a wonderful time

    6. Randi

      Your space looks like it is going to be lovely! I hope you have a fun, relaxing and successful weekend!

    7. Julie Rose

      That is just fabulous, Marian. Your backdrop is lovely. Hope you have a successful Lucketts!

    8. Becky

      Wow! It’s going to be great. Everything looks so beautiful. For those of us who will probably never make it to Lucketts, all of your pictures and videos serve for such great inspiration. Thx Marian. Also, is that Lucketts green on the posts of the barn? Seems it was made for you. 🙂

    9. debbie delosreyes

      So wish I could be there this year! Have a wonderful week-end. Everything looks beautiful.

    10. Michelle

      I’ll be there!!! It all looks beautiful and I can’t wait!!!

    11. Darcy

      It all looks so great! And it will be nice for folks who are there shopping to have “room”. Good luck!

    12. Kim

      This is gonna be fabulous! Love that there will be space for gazing, cannot wait, see you Friday morning.

    13. Priyabell

      Can’t wait to meet you. See you Saturday! Good Luck!!!!

    14. Rowena Philbeck

      Looks wonderful. Wish I could go and see you and all your items. Little too far from Texas. Maybe someday I will just give me a gift and be their. Sounds wonderful and hope you have a wonderful show.

    15. Jessica

      I’m beyond excited to go to this and see all your wonderful stuff! See you soon!

    16. Kim

      Are these shows rain or shine event? And if it rains do the shoppers still turn out?

      • Tammy

        It’s rain or shine! Last year it rained and was a muddy mess but we all still shopped. I felt sorry for some of the vendors who stuff was in water as their tents were leaking. The weather doesn’t look bad for this weekend and cooling off.

    17. Gavin from across the pond

      Ooooh I’m really excited for you I wish I could be there but my husband would say WHERE would we put it ……..
      You have sunshine 🙂 what’s the forecast ? Are you camping out !

    18. Debbie

      Oh, my! This is going to be your most amazing year at Luckett’s. I can just feel it! Tomorrow, it is going to blow you away at how you will be able to use this space to your advantage. So glad you realize that the empty space you are not used to will be a boon in the end. Speaking as a person who has helped with setting up one of the largest equestrian consignment sales on the east coast for 10 years with my dear friend, having extra space to move around in helps with sales. When we have so much inventory that people can barely move or even pull things out to look at when the sale starts can be frustrating for the shoppers. Things can get broken in the gift areas and that can cause less adventuresome souls to avoid treasure hunting. There is little to no room for presentation when things are literally packed into the space. We rent a huge building at the Raleigh, NC fairgrounds. It is nice to have walls to hang pictures and tack on. I can’t wait to see the pictures after you have styled. I pray that you have a blessed week and energy and good sleep and lots of good memories that you can take with you when you move… that you will recall with joy to your retirement days…not that the Marian Parsons we know and love will ever truly “retire” :o) Praying that God blesses you with a new home that will allow you to continue to have a platform to shine before others for Him and His providential grace and love. HUGS Debbie

    19. Lisa

      I can’t wait to see the rest of this!!!!

    20. Chris Moore

      GOOD LUCK Marian! Have fun!

    21. Kathryn Casey

      Even though I cannot attend, it’s such a joy to share in the excitement with you. I love seeing the pictures of Lucketts in process…and the videos!

    22. Sally

      Good Luck!! Everything looks great and you haven’t even done the accessorizing! It’s going to be wonderful.

    23. Tammy

      I love the new space. You hit the nail on the head as it will be much easier to move through and really enjoy the space without people being so on top of you. However you decide to style your space, it always looks beautiful. This year, I decided to come of Friday for the VIP in lieu of Saturday and Sunday. It will be my fourth year coming and look forward to it every year. Although this year, I miss not bring my mother with me. Not as much fun without my side kick.

      Looking forward to saying hello to you tomorrow.

    24. Elizabeth

      Your mural is beautiful, just the right scale for your large space.

      I agree with Debbie about the advantages of having breathing room in your space. If you attract lots of people to your pavilion, they need enough room to move about without bumping into each other. Squeezing in too much furniture wouldn’t leave room for the customers!

      It’s a good thing you brought a number of large pieces for this year’s Luckett’s. With the volume of space inside of the tent, you probably needed some larger-scale things.

      Thanks for taking the time to update us on Luckett’s. Have you written a book on merchandising yet? If not, maybe you should add it to your endless to-do list.

    25. mary m young

      Seeing your display is like meeting old friends as you have showed us all of your project this past year
      and now it is like a meeting of the minds. Everything looks like it is meant to be and placed perfectly.
      You have come a long way from the muddy trenches………..M.

    26. Marlene Stephenson

      Looks so wonderful, have a lot of fun.

    27. Michelle

      We are currently down Rte 7 staying at the Hampton Inn. Can’t wait for tomorrow, I will be rushing towards your pavilion!

    28. deb

      My sweet husband drove me down late Saturday last year, hoping to bypass Saturday’s rain and hit the market Sunday..and we all know what happened then! But on the plus side, we had a lovely dinner together Saturday night and it was a getaway no matter what. He was game for a re-do , so we are coming on down tomorrow and heading to the market right away. I’m not taking any chances! I’m dreaming of a t-shirt and autographed book;)

      I can’t wait to meet you! I’ll try not to gush.
      debz (nerdy milkpaint super-fan)

    29. Sandy

      Good luck Marian! Your space looks like it will be great. For those interested, if you click on one of the links to the live chat in the last paragragh you can read a transcript of it. Wish Washington state wasn’t so far from Luckett’s, sigh

    30. Barbara

      Marian, Your space looks awesome!! I am so happy for you. I have made it to Lucketts for the last 5 years. Although last year we decided to go on Sunday and it got rained out!!! I was so disappointed. I am looking forward to the open space and to the more relaxed shopping on Sunday this year. So excited…..

    31. Linda

      Thanks for posting pics…love your pieces! So, how does that work – do the vendors camp out at their spaces?

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