The social platform for antiquers, collectors, and enthusiasts

On the Road to… Texas

On the Road to... Texas

The Great State of Texas has it all – historic attractions such as the Alamo in San Antonio, world-class museums, the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, great food, shopping…
And in the spring and fall, the Round Top antique shows which attract over 5,000 vendors and 100,000 shoppers to this rural part of Texas to shop more than 60 antique, collector, decor and fashion shows in barns, dance halls, under tents and in fields.
ANTIQUE & COLLECTIBLES SHOWS & VINTAGE FLEA MARKETS
Fort Worth Show of Antiques & Art
March 3-5
817-291-3952 – https://www.facebook.com/FortWorthShow/
Will Rogers Memorial Center. 300 Burnett-Tandy, Fort Worth, TX
Founded in 1963, the Fort Worth Show is the original antique & art show in the American West, with art and antiques of all styles, eras and prices. 150 top exhibitors from around the US, hand-picked for the Fort Worth-Dallas audience, a delicious mix of quality, eclectic and spunky dealers, never found under one roof anywhere else.
Spring Metroplex Looking Glass Show
March 12-13
972-672-6213 – meyershows.com
Grapevine Convention Center. 1209 S Main Street, Grapevine, TX
Offering American antique and collectible glassware, including elegant glass, Depression glass and art glass, as well as china, pottery and kitchen collectibles. Come see why collectors have made this the largest and longest running glass show in North Texas.


Spring Round Top Antique Festival

March 17 – April 3
Round Top, TX
See Show Schedule here.
Touted as the largest antiques fair in the United States, “Round Top,” which has been around since 1967, attracts thousands of vendors who descend upon a 25-mile stretch of Highway 237 from Burton to LaGrange (with Round Top somewhere in the middle) for roughly two weeks every fall and spring. From dance halls to football field-size tents and wide open fields, the shows are as varied as the locations and dealers exhibiting. Enjoy the experience and shop exhibitors from all over the United States, Canada, Mexico and Europe for items as varied as old tools, architectural pieces, furniture, collectibles, artwork, fine china, jewelry, silver, and more.
Houston Antiques + Art + Design Show
March 18-20
https://houstonantiquesartdesign.com
George R. Brown Convention Center. Houston, Hall B
Features 125 premier exhibitors from across the U.S., Canada and Europe in beautiful room-settings offering fine antique furniture, decorative and fine arts representing all design movements from ancient to 20th-century modern.
Cole’s Antiques & Collectibles Show
March 24th – April 2
281-961-5092 – colesantiqueshow.com
Hwy 237 & Willow Spring Road. Warrenton, TX
Things are cool at Warrenton’s best show venue. Cole’s Antiques Show offers 63,000 square feet of air conditioned shopping heaven. Cole’s venue offers a variety of merchandise including fine antiques, fine art, gold and silver, fine glass, kitchenalia and collectibles.
Rose of Texas Antique Show
March 24th – April 13
817-944-0673 – roseoftexasantiqueshow.com
4345 Hwy. 237. Warrenton, TX
Located at the historic Legal Tender Saloon and Dance Hall, the Rose of Texas hosts 200+/- indoor and outdoor dealers.
24th Annual LaBahia Antiques Show & Sale
March 25-April 2 – First Friday Frenzy 8am-7pm, Sat. March 26-Fri. April 1 8am-6pm, Sat. April 2 8am-4pm
979-289-2684 – labahiaantiques.com
550 Texas Highway 237/290W. Burton, TX
You’ll want to make this your first stop during the festival. Held in a historic 1870 community center just west of Burton, TX, this long-running show offers an eclectic mix of antique and ‚vintage finds. Everything from glass, china, and jewelry to furniture, collectibles, decorative items, silver, and vintage linens. Free admission, free ‚parking, country cooking!
Antique Alley Texas
April 15-17
antiquealleytexas.com
Created in 1999 through the efforts of several local individuals and business owners, the show has evolved from downtown sidewalk sales and scattered pasture sales to a multi-faceted festival style event spanning the communities of Grandview, Alvarado, Sand Flat, Maypearl, Cleburne and Venus. Antique Alley consists of yard sales, local fundraisers, professional dealers and vendors set up along Highway 4, an old farm-to-market road, with the highest concentration of shows between Grandview (the center of the Show) and Cleburne.
South Central Texas Vintage Market Days
April 22-24
https://vintagemarketdays.com/market/so-central-texas/
Ellis County Fairgrounds, Waxahachie, TX
More than a flea market, Vintage Market Days is a unique upscale vintage-inspired indoor open air market ‚featuring original art, antiques, clothing, jewelry, handmade treasures, home decor, outdoor furnishings, seasonal plantings, and more.
Lone Star Vintage Show
April 22-24
HeritageEventCompany.com
Dallas Market Hall – North Hall, 2200 Stemmons Freeway. Dallas, TX
Quality antique & vintage shopping with 150+ dealers from across the United States.
16th Annual Comfort Village Spring Antiques Show
April 30-May 1
830-329-2870 – texasantiqueshows.com
Comfort Park, 403 Hwy 27. Comfort, TX
Expect to find fabulous booths filled with the very best country furniture, textiles and linens, blue willow, majolica, and antique tools collections from long ago. Look for stoneware and baskets, pewter, early advertising, cupboards and farm tables, benches, shelves, architectural and gardening. The thrill of the hunt for antiques in this show is accented by exhibitors that offer heirlooms from the past and treasures from the barns, attics and estates of America from New England to Texas.

About Round Top By Suzy Kirchberg
“Round Top” is a term that has loosely come to describe one of the most unique, quirky and largest “junking” and “antiquing” experiences in the U.S. It is entrepreneurial spirit with a dash of gypsy soul tossed in, a heck of a lot of Texas hospitality and a whole lot of fun. Whether one is coming as a serious buyer or for just a few days of “gal time” and shopping, the events that take place in the cow pastures and old dance halls of this rural part of Texas twice a year are unforgettable.
The towns of Round Top, Warrenton and surrounding hamlets are nestled in between Austin and Houston, Texas (roughly 70 miles from either city), along the old Stephen F. Austin settlers’ route. Most of the year, this is cattle country. Long-horns, ranchers, oil, country folk. But twice a year, the area turns into a gigantic city of tents, antiques, international accents, artistic creativity and funky fun that attracts somewhere around 5,000 vendors and over 100,000 shoppers.
From rusty, chippy, peely painted flea market finds to museum quality antiquities; from BBQ on a bun to fancy four-course dinners severed under the stars on vintage china; from good ole’ fashioned rock ‘n’ roll to classical music in one of the finest chamber halls in the States; from the kooky “prom” party to the Hollywood stars who fly in by helicopter to take in the sights, sounds and antiques – the Round Top experience is a one-of-a-kind. It cannot be done properly in just a day or two.
If one is coming as a serious buyer, come early. The spring show roughly starts March 17 for early birds. Dealers are moving in, unloading containers of goodies gathered from every corner of the globe. Things are rather unorganized during this period, but it is a great time to beat the crowds, buy “off the trucks”, and really meet the interesting “hard-core” vendors and learn their stories.
If one is coming more for the “experience”, plan to attend between March 25 – April 3 for the spring, 2016 shows. The booths are “pretty” at this point and most all of the venues are open. There is live music and dancing at night, Champaign in the outdoor Bubble Lounge, wine and cheese tasting parties, late shopping events and much more.
The town of Warrenton has the largest concentration of dealers and “stuff”. Although it is less organized than Round Top, the mix of items is almost mind-boggling. One’s best bet here is to find a spot to park and just start walking. The setting is mainly outdoors – in cow pastures – and inside a handful of early Texas buildings. Admission is free throughout the area but parking is generally $5 for the day (free in some areas). Wear comfortable shoes, layered clothing (the weather can change almost in an instant), and carry a big shopping bag or bring a cart or wagon with wheels for hauling off your purchases.
Round Top, in general, tends to be slightly more refined in items offered and the displays. Some of the venues here are paid admission (but not all) and prices are often a bit higher. The town itself is charming – with many shops, boutiques, galleries, dining establishments and more – mostly housed in early Texas buildings. Round Top is roughly 5 miles from the town of Warrenton. Here too, one will find a huge array of temporary vendors from many different parts of the world.
Continue down Highway 237 – which is a 2-lane country road that runs roughly 28 miles and is the main corridor of the show area – another 5 miles, and one reaches the town of Carmine. More venues, more antiques, more shops, more food!
Burton, Shelby and Fayetteville also offer interesting and varied selections of antiques, food, lodging and more. All of these towns are within a few miles of each other.
The best way to get around and know what is going on is to pick up a free copy of the
Round Top – Warrenton Show Daily magazine. It covers what is happening in all of the different areas, has maps, individual show dates and times, and a Buyer’s Guide for pin-pointing specific types of antiques throughout the show area, information and more. It is available throughout the show area, or can be viewed on-line at https://www.roundtoptexasantiques.com/show-dates.
Suzy Kirchberg is editor of Round Top – Warrenton Show Daily magazine.

On the Road to… Texas