Show Daily Blog

Auctioneer Al Friedman packed ‘em in and moved ‘em out during the Antique Advertising & Country Store auction in Carmine last fall. Folks will not want to miss the exciting sequel auction during Antiques Week this spring, scheduled for Saturday, March 31 at the old A.H. Ullrich Chevrolet dealership at 456 Centennial (Spur 458) in Carmine.

“We had a great crowd and some really unique pieces,” said Friedman of the fall event. “There was a lot of excitement on the floor. We’re expecting the spring sale to be even bigger and better.”

Among items slated to come up on the block for the Saturday afternoon event will be several porcelainized neon signs from the 1950s; drug store Coca-Cola and other advertising signs; large 2-sided gas and oil station signs; service station pumps; vintage gumball and vending machines; barber shop collectibles; pre-war American Flyer, Lionel and other choice vintage toys; soda fountain counter stools and 1950s diner-style furniture; vintage spool and other display cabinets; an old wooden phone booth; country store scales and a whole lot more. Many items are in near-mint condition – a rare treat for vintage advertising connoisseurs.

The preview opens Friday, March 30. The hammer drops on Saturday the 31st at 4 p.m. sharp. “This is a move-it-out auction,” says Friedman. “We have some 300 lots to go through in just a matter of hours. The excitement will be high and the action fast-paced.” Lots may also be viewed online at: auctionzip.com. Auctioneer ID# 24105.

The much anticipated semi-annual evening shopping soiree at Cole’s Antique Show in Warrenton springs into life at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 3 at the corner of Highway 237 and Willow Spring Road.

“We’ve been pouring wine for Cole’s twice a year for many years,” says Jeanne Cottle, of the Brenham-based Pleasant Hill Winery, who provides free libations from their vineyard during the three-hour event.

Shoppers and dealers enjoy the casual mood offered through the extended hours, and sharp buyers rave about the quality and selection of genuine antiques at this 63.000 square foot air-conditioned venue.

“Warrenton is a mix of flea market, bling and real hidden treasures,” says patron JoAnn Humprey, of Beaumont, Texas. “It’s fun. But at Cole’s, I know I’m looking at serious pieces, and the dealers are up-to-date with what they have and what it’s worth. It makes me feel a little more secure when I’m considering a big purchase.”

Evening shopping and wine tasting runs until 8:00 p.m., admission and parking are free.

Ranch Antiques, in downtown Brenham, invites everyone to join them this Saturday, March 31st to celebrate the arrival of their new shipment of treasures from Brazil. The open house party features food, drinks, entertainment, shopping and a lot of fun, including live music by Chris Martinez, a book signing by Barbara Schulte, works by local artist Sandra Stevens, catering by Kay’s Cuisine for the Soul and Brazilian fare by Nilza Libardi. Among some of the exotic new arrivals are solid slab dining tables, antique trunks, outdoor furniture, original art and more.

With their array of Brazilian antiques, reclaimed woods with warm and worn natural patinas and scattering of architectural elements, Ranch Antiques stands apart from the average furniture store.

Owners Tami Redshaw and Vicky Briones call their individually picked pieces ‘sustainable furniture’ — items that are designed to leave minimal impact on the environment in terms of sourcing, production and distribution, because of its refined materials, small-scale production and labor practices.

Their contemporary furnishings are created from heirloom woods, salvaged from 18th and 19th century old Brazilian haciendas, ranches, and churches. Each hand crafted piece carries with it the patina and imperfections of history unique to its’ original heritage, and many of the pieces are colorfully painted in traditional style.

The selection of antiques offer an insight into Brazil’s colonial past… a sense of Brazil’s history, of its people and their lives.

The attractive showroom in historic downtown Brenham also displays home elements, gifts, Santangelo ranch style lighting, cowhides, Escalante rugs, Western art and local artisans’ productions.

“Our furniture fits so well with the Texas tradition of ‘ranch style’ and has a touch of rustic elegance. Purchasing one of our pieces is a wonderful investment and can become an heirloom to pass down from generation to generation.” said Redshaw.

Tami and Vicky make two to three trips a year to small towns in Brazil to find the merchandise for the store. They are most known for their selection of solid one-slab dining tables that are made from dead standing trees. A range of Brazilian hardwoods are used to make the tables, which are very durable. “They will last many lifetimes and are future heirlooms,” she adds.

Tami and Vicky enjoy the challenge of working with customers and their Brazilian connections to design custom and special order pieces for those with discriminating tastes. Redshaw said they also accept orders for architectural elements such as antique sugar cane grinders, doors and copper pots.

For more information about Ranch Antiques, visit: www.ranchantiquestexas.com or follow them on Facebook.

Ever wish you could search the Show Daily for a specific merchant or show location as you would in Google(tm) or Yahoo(tm). NOW You Can!

With the Spring issue of the Show Daily online magazine you can use the following tools on a tool bar that shows to the left of the magazine pages:

Print, Search, Download, Settings, Help, Full Screen, Bookmarks, Notes, and Thumbnails. The download feature is not yet enabled due to the significant amount of storage required to host as well as to download (80MB). Give us your feedback if you would benefit from this download capability.

View the online magazine at http://www.showdaily.us/index.html

Come early for a fantastic selection of super cool antiques, architectural elements, designer pieces, fine art and more at Texas Rose Show. Opening dates are early this spring, with the venue ready for business March 24 – April 7, 2012. The relatively new Texas Rose Cafe will be serving their famous mouth-watering cuisine, comprised of all natural ingredients, including Rosemary chicken salad, gourmet pimento cheese sandwiches on fresh whole grain bread, garden crisp salads with homemade dressings and daily specials. Don’t miss a stop at their wine and beer bar too.

For a fabulous selection of vintage home decor, a stop at the Round Top, Texas Old Henry Farm Show is a must. The show hosts an array of quality dealers who specialize in items that range from primitive to elegant. See them for antique furniture, vintage lighting, fine art and sculpture, antique appointments and more. Wide selection of European antiques. The Old Henry Farm boasts an immense air-conditioned building stocked with quality pieces, plus numerous big top circus style tents stuffed to the bursting point. Great food on site, real restrooms, free admission and lots of free parking. The Farm is located north of Round Top Square at 2000 N. State Highway 237. For additional details, visit their website at: www.roundtop-oldhenryfarm.com Show open from March 26 – April 7, 2012.

Round Top’s Old Depot show is one of those fun venues when one never knows what will turn up under the tents or inside the historical buildings. That, along with their early-bird opening dates and late night Fridays, are reasons the show has long been a favorite place for dealers to shop.

“One minute you’ll be looking at old books and Life magazines from the 50s and 60s,” says shopper Dee Dee Saunders, of Roswell, Georgia, “and a few booths down there are fun vintage dresses and hats that are perfect for the [Junk Gypsy] prom.” Saunders picked up a few pieces of elegant art glass for her collection and a wooden cross made by Barbour Wood Crafts.

Besides the outdoor tent spaces to shop, the Old Depot also has numerous dealers set up inside a vintage train depot, an old Texas-German dance hall, and under their big covered pavilion.

Free admission, on-site parking, and there’s a sit-down dining area in the pavilion for those wanting to relax with a good hot meal. The show opens March 27 for early buying.

The syndicated, weekly television program Texas Country Reporter, hosted by Bob Phillips, aired an episode about two of our favorite area establishments during the weekend of February 18: The Carmine-based Unique Antiques (owned by Deanna Mesecke) and the Industrial Country Market, located near Ellinger.

Unique Antiques’ segment revolves around Sam Pope’s grand collection of vintage Daisy BB guns, which can be seen at the shop in downtown Carmine during Antiques Week.

Industrial Country Market’s portion of the broadcast looks at this very unusual ‘hardware’ store’s use of renewable energy and how anyone can harness natural resources for use in their own business or home. They even show you how.

ICM is quite an extraordinary commercial and educational facility. Besides being a retail store that carries a mix of items like jewelry, electronics, specialty groceries and fine cheeses, containers, gardening supplies, books, surplus items and gifts, they also host a number of events and classes that include everything from lectures on solar energy, beekeeping, art and hydroponic gardening to concerts by local musicians and shows by artists. Visit www.icm71.com for coming events.

Bob Phillips travels Texas’ backroads telling the stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. His show airs weekends in all twenty-two Texas media markets

Many great deals are being made, and the show officially starts this  Friday 3/30. Grab an issue of this seasons Show Daily to find all the important show news. Read it online! Reference it all year long; it’s a great source of merchant information.