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American Picking Part 2: Marburger

Two days ago I wrote to you about an antique market in Warrenton, Texas and showed you some of the jewels in the world. I also mentioned that I’d be going back for this one part of the market that wasn’t opened until Tuesday. Let me explain…

It’s called “American picking on speed.” This particular location is on farmland called Marburger, which I of course called Hamburger the whole time.

It is off limits until Tuesday morning at 10 am, strictly enforced by a sheriff on a steed and some other fencing with sharp edges.

It causes a traffic line down the road just to get into Marburger at 9 am in order to wait to be let in. It also costs $25 per person just to be allowed to shop. Just for the privilege.

Oh the pageantry.

Oh the red tape.

Oh the deals that were being made under the red tape at 9:43 am.

I loved it all. Especially when the red tape was finally broken and people began rushing in like it was Christmas season at Target.

Hamburger, I mean, Marburger, is decidedly more high class than the rest of the antique show. Definitely more ornate. I watched a woman spend $18,000 in under 10 minutes. It was a spectacle to behold.

Shall we take a look at what’s inside?

This fun shelving situation. I love all of the storage possibilities here. What a great kitchen counter it would have made in my small New York City kitchen back in the day.

Look at this fellow and his well groomed show dog and lovely set of ornate walking sticks…

Or these watering cans. I really need a watering can right now but these weren’t in my watering can price range. I have a watering can price range, don’t we all?

Loved these fun stools. They weren’t quite high enough for the counter I need to set them under though.

Oh the fun signs and the colorful bottles there were…

One sign from prohibition, can you believe it?!

And should you need a priest wardrobe, they had you covered there as well. In case you want to make a sudden career change, the outfits are available. I wonder if a priest would ever buy one like this? I guess not… doesn’t the church give him his wardrobe?

Look at this chair! I loved it tons.

But I also loved this one.

And then I loved these.

Can you tell I’m in the market for deck chairs? I need deck chairs. Right now, I only stand on the deck, never sit.

Loved this array of china tea cups. The woman that took care of me growing up has an array this wide in her kitchen. Oh the nostalgia…

These were fun glasses too with sailboats on them.

And they also had ones depicting a chart from the stock market over the past century… um, that was a wild design.

Yellow is my color these days. I’ve been buying a lot of yellow. And I really wanted to buy these yellow boots.

But they were a size too small. I am going to dream them up and find them in my size one day. I’m determined. The flowers were so perfect.

A bird sanctuary, for all of your birds that you keep.

You know? The parakeets that you keep? The white doves?

This crazy room reminded me of a circa 1920s French brothel. The dresses in there were $1,000 and they were flying off the racks in a torn lace kind of way. I think people like that French brothel meets Les Miserables look…

Oh, more Nancy Drew. And a new book I discovered about a nurse named Cherry Ames. She was quite the nurse apparently. But she never made it onto my childhood reading list for some reason.

I want a typewriter. I only wish the last typewriter company in the world hadn’t closed… this one is now a lamp. Will all of our typewriters become re-purposed into lamps?

For all of your fencing needs…

And bathtub meets lounge chair needs. I’d love to lounge in a bath myself…

I loved the look of this piece. It would work in so many situations.

And this chair! All of the hundreds of little dots. It was so industrial… yet with a modern flair.

Can I just tell you how much I wanted to buy this bust of Winston Churchill? It is much larger than it looks in this picture, and I would set it right out in the gravel of my front driveway to greet everyone. I love his earnest expression. Unfortunately he was $2,000, and in the same way I have a watering can budget, I also have a Winston Churchill bust budget, and this was not in it.

A fun counter top storage piece. Flour! Sugar! Oats! At your fingertips.

And all of these fun old school targets. For the shooting range back in the last century. All metal baby, no modern day paper here.

Have I been living under a rock? Or does Coca Cola company only provide cool aluminum coke bottles to cool antique markets? This was a much more fun way to drink coke than out of plastic. Let me tell ya.

And these. These amazing old shipping boxes from the 1800’s. Winchester and Remington were my favorites. These were so distinguished looking. And this nice family from Michigan collects them and gives them a wax finish. This was the big ticket item… love at first sight.

So what did I end up getting this time?

1. We went back to see if the counter stools from the other day were still there and they were! So I took it as a sign that it was meant to be, negotiated a very good price and loaded ’em in the car.

2. We went for the chair… this isn’t a great picture of it, but it is more handsome in real life. I’m thinking some slick white or bright orange cushions would be fun, what do you think?

3. Four of these. I’m in love and they are going to be bedside tables methinks.

I also got a stone pillar to place a sculpture on. It was inexpensive and it makes me feel very Roman. But I forgot to take a picture and I’m now in Colorado about to go fly fishing so I’ll have to post a pic of that baby another day.

Hope you enjoyed Marburger! I highly recommend this antique market as a whole, it’s so full of life and excitement.

24 Comments

  • Brooke @ Food Woolf
    Posted September 28, 2011 at 9:02 pm

    Wow. It’s as if I got to go to the fair with you. Fortunately for my purse, I wasn’t there to spend a penny. I can daydream tho, right?

    Great post.

  • Gaby
    Posted September 28, 2011 at 10:02 pm

    omg I want everything! Totally obsessed with the shelving unit!!! amazing

  • Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen
    Posted September 28, 2011 at 11:50 pm

    Now I’m just dying to know what that woman spent the $18,000 on. Lots of great stuff, glad you were able to find some good stuff!

  • TidyMom
    Posted September 29, 2011 at 4:17 am

    Thanks for taking us along with you Georgia!! What fun, so many goodies!

  • shelly (cookies and cups)
    Posted September 29, 2011 at 4:29 am

    I am insanely jealous…that place looks awesome! Do you know what she bought for $18,000? That’s insanity! Is it wrong that the tall tree of cups gives me anxiety through a computer screen? All I can envision is my son slamming into it headfirst 😉

    • Post Author
      Georgia
      Posted September 29, 2011 at 4:05 pm

      Haha, yes, the cups were precarious. The $18,000 was spent by an interior designer from Beverly Hills. She just bought up a bunch of furniture!

  • Wenderly
    Posted September 29, 2011 at 4:40 am

    Oh my. I am in antique bliss at the moment. You hit the mother-load of antiquing I’d say…and I WANNA COME TOO!

    Seriously, I’m drooling everywhere & my mind is swirling…

    Fabulous. Just fabulous.

  • Amy | She Wears Many Hats
    Posted September 29, 2011 at 5:08 am

    Okay. For real, I wanna go next time.

  • Robyn | Add a Pinch
    Posted September 29, 2011 at 5:25 am

    I would be in so much trouble there! But $18,000?!?! Wow!!!

  • Amanda
    Posted September 29, 2011 at 6:04 am

    $25 just to get in? Now that is fancy to me!! That would be my MIL’s limit to spend or the whole day. Good thing if I went to that fabulous market I wouldn’t bring her! 😉

  • Tara @ Unsophisticook
    Posted September 29, 2011 at 6:11 am

    Oh, how I love antiquing! We used to go all the time — of course that was before we had five kids to finger everything. Same with garage sales. I’ve found some fantastic deals over the years. I once pick up two Vitamix blenders with all of the accessories and recipe books for $10!!!

  • Deliciously Organic
    Posted September 29, 2011 at 8:19 am

    How did I grow up in TX and never hear of the Hamburger, um, I mean Margurger market? I must go some day. And if that bathtub lounge chair is still there, I’m buying it.

  • Lucy lean
    Posted September 29, 2011 at 8:40 am

    Loved going shopping with you – love the metal chair and think you were wise to save your $2000 and skip the bust – I don’t even think it looks like Churchill! Busts shouldbesavedfor Greek gods or Roman philosophizers – budgeted of course.

  • Nancy@acommunaltable
    Posted September 29, 2011 at 11:53 am

    I loved going shopping with you too… fortunately I am doing it safely behind my computer screen – otherwise I might have given the lady who spent the $18,000 a run for her money!

  • Tickled Red
    Posted September 29, 2011 at 2:26 pm

    Okay, my heart just went pitter-patter, skipped a few beats and started racing. I’m in for next year if you need a flunky to carry anything purty please… goodness!

  • Glynn @ A Reel Lady
    Posted September 29, 2011 at 8:09 pm

    LOVE the boxes!

  • susan
    Posted September 29, 2011 at 8:11 pm

    wow – that is a flea market on steroids. such a fun day of shopping and your photos tell such an incredible story!

  • Mary
    Posted September 30, 2011 at 9:33 am

    That is a VERY impressive market – LOVED those china teacups!
    Mary

  • Sheila
    Posted September 30, 2011 at 9:59 am

    Thanks for sharing your photos. I enjoyed looking at them. I wish I could go to one of these antique markets. I’d love to buy one of those old shipping boxes and a typewriter-turned-lamp.

  • Heavenly Cookies
    Posted September 30, 2011 at 10:29 am

    That is an amazing market place. I would love to go to something like that. Where in the world does Coke have aluminum bottles? Pretty cool and a very rich post. Enjoyed browsing the pictures.

  • Marla
    Posted September 30, 2011 at 9:12 pm

    This is great! Go with the orange cushions they would be brilliant with your HOT new chair. These items are hilarious. I would rather blow wads of cash at Warrenton though….Is that what it was called??
    BTW. Marburger = Marla/Burger

    • Post Author
      Georgia
      Posted October 1, 2011 at 5:29 pm

      Hehe, yeah, it’s called Warrenton or Round Top, they are towns side by side and the antique tents go on for 10 miles! Let’s go together in March. I agree that I’d rather blow my money on the less fancy areas : ) And I want a Marla Burger!

  • Esi
    Posted October 2, 2011 at 11:51 am

    So cool!! There are some amazing finds

  • aida mollenkamp
    Posted October 4, 2011 at 3:24 pm

    What finds, Georgia! How do I convince you take me with you next time?

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