Marburger FarmAntique Show and the Search for
 the Best Customers inthe Country--- Mission Accomplished, Baby Boom Announced

April  2011 Round Top, TX  --  FromEddie Ross to expectant moms, customers at the spring Marburger Farm AntiqueShow in Round Top set a new standard for a shopping stampede. On March 29 -April 2, they quickly relieved the 43 acre mega-show of antiques and vintageitems of all types. Plenty of tacos, “Marburitas,â€� cold beer and lemonade alsodisappeared.

“When our family bought the Marburger Farmshow in 2007,â€� says show co-owner Rick McConn, “we already had the best mix of quality antiquesof any show in the country---plus a glorious location. Our goal was to grow thebest quality of customers of any showanywhere. Based on this spring show, I say: Mission Accomplished. When I walkedthe aisles Saturday, dealer after dealer told me that this was their best showever. On behalf of over 350 vendors and all of us in the Marburger Farm family,we say thank you to the best customers in the country.â€� 

Who are these shoppers who come twice ayear to tiny Round Top? Many come long distances, arriving in the central Texascountryside in vehicles rented at airports in Houston or Austin or San Antonio.The Texans tend to come in groups for never-to-be-missed re-unions. Some arrivein SUVs and pick-ups with packing blankets ready, some in limos with a lunchspread. Some arrive at Marburger Farm on horseback and others alight byhelicopter. Many are young adults and college students who have just discoveredthe verve of the vintage. Many others are interior designers and store owners expectingto find fresh ideas as well as inventory.

And then there are those who are justexpecting.

This spring, the Marburger Farm herd of Longhornswas not the only group with babies or babies en route. Marburger Farm reports a new baby boom in America, with anotable portion of shoppers at the spring show either pregnant or with tinyones in tow.

In addition to a bulging attendance, MarburgerFarm also drew a media blitz. “In our second year of reaching out to bloggersacross the nation, we were delighted to host top blogger Eddie Ross and otherbloggers from coast to coast, “said show co-owner Ashley Ferguson. “I’m a bigfan. Eddie Ross gets it about using antiques and vintage items for the way wewant to live today.�

In addition to regional and national mediaon the scene, design authors Sue Whitney, Mary Emmerling and Rachel Ashwelltoured the show. Whitney, of JunkMarket in Minneapolis, served as a host for anew video about her experience of shopping the Marburger Farm Antique Show. MarburgerFarm also hosted editors from SouthernLiving Magazine, multiple TV and video crews, one live radio broadcast intocentral Texas and another across the Midwest with Kansas City’s “Junk Mafia -Junk in my Trunkâ€� radio program.   

In terms of trends, everything was selling: furniture, smalls, garden antiques, French,English, American, mid-century modern, jewelry, industrial, high-end andmid-range. Many exhibitors noted the ambitious shopping that customers did forothers---for their children, for wedding, graduation and baby gifts, for familymembers and friends. One generous shopper bought her son-in-law a 1969 PaulEvans CityScape cocktail table, possibly the first one ever sold on thisparticular cow pasture.    

Another trend was the hefty buying done byshop owners and out-of-state dealers, especially from the west coast. BuyerMardi Schma of St. Helena, CA said, “I found really unusual pieces--- lighting,industrial antiques, interesting and unique items that are hard to find andthat I can re-sell. That’s why I come!�

And the Marburger vendors, of course, cometo sell. From nearly 40 states and several countries, the exhibitors spill overin ten huge airy tents and twelve historic buildings. Exhibitor Adele Kerr solda chinoiserie desk, a gothic architecturalrailing made into a headboard, framed Swedish botanicals and a pair of Frenchdeco chairs. “It was a good mix of retail and trade,� Kerr reported. “I sold toa store in Nashville, to designers and to some very hip young housewives. Icouldn’t be happier.�

Exhibitor Sherry Stevenson was also happybecause of her own superb sales and because the spring Marburger Farm AntiqueShow donated a portion of its proceeds to the Texas Children’s Hospital, one ofthe top pediatric research and treatment facilities in the world. “In 1953,�Stevenson reports, “I became the first out-patient at the brand new TexasChildren’s Hospital. I am appreciative of this great hospital and of Marburger Farmfor lending its support.� Stevenson had even more to be grateful for: hernew-born grandson received state-of-the art treatment from Texas Children’sHospital just last month and all is well.

So, from baby boom to booming show, theMarburger Farm Antique Show sent its delighted dealers and determined shoppers backto their far-flung homes, already plotting their return to Texas this fall. Youcan be there too! The fall 2011 Marburger Farm Antique Show runs TuesdaySeptember 27 through Saturday October 1, with a portion of show proceedsbenefiting the Houston Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.  

You may have to dodge the strollers!

For information on vendors, travel, maps,lodging, shipping and special events, see www.roundtop-marburger.comor call Rick McConn at 800-999-2148 or Ashley Ferguson at 800-947-5799.