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Preface: I was not compensated in any way by VMD or any of its vendors for this blog post. I am just a supremely happy customer and supporter.

I’ll never forget the first time I attended the Round Top Antique Show in Texas’s beautiful Hill Country.

A teenager, I was just beginning to fall in love with vintage and, even though In Style was my daily life source, I was also becoming a faithful reader of Country Living; through its pages, my taste for antiques and things of yesteryear began to sharpen and develop.

And at Round Top, standing in the midst of miles and miles of fabulous junk, I found a community of folks who felt the same way I did. It was FABULOUS. I thought I might be in heaven.

The downside: it was almost as far away as Beaulah Land, nearly 500 miles from home.

And even though we had the luxury of staying with my beloved Aunt B who lived nearby, it was a rare occasion that we could actually make it to her neck of the woods on the same weekend of the show.

Everytime we made the long trek back home, lodged precariously between our newfound treasures, I found myself wishing there was a show like Round Top in Oklahoma. A place not only to find beautiful vintage items for my home, but to network with like-minded people who could help me find the things I was looking for.

Enter Vintage Market Days.

Now in its 3rd year, it is everything I loved about Round Top, but better: 1. It is more intimate than Round Top – I can see everything at the show without dying of exhaustion or drowning in vintage-overload, 2. It gets better every year (this past weekend’s event was the BEST!), 3. IT IS SO CLOSE TO MY HOUSE!!!

So…what IS this “Vintage Market Days”, you ask?

According to their website, they are “an upscale vintage-inspired indoor/outdoor market featuring original art, antiques, clothing, jewelry, handmade treasures, home décor, outdoor furnishings, consumable yummies, seasonal plantings and a little more. The Market is a three day event held several times a year in various communities. Each Vintage Market Days event is a unique opportunity for vendors to display their talents and passions in different venues.”

In other words, imagine if you could gather a large group of your favorite Etsy vendors in one location and line them all up in a row. Sprinkle a few incredible food trucks in between and add live music to the background. And then imagine that your mom (or BFF) is strolling along beside you and you’re moseying the day away buying little trinkets that will cozy up your home and help you to remember your day together…

that’s Vintage Market Days.

The only thing we were missing was Aunt B! (But I’m determined to have her here for the Fall show!)

I am a bit of an amateur when it comes to photography and “on-location” reporting, but here’s a humble offering of my day at VMD; this collection is anything but comprehensive, as I found “working” and shopping are kind of hard to do at the same time, but mayhap it will provide a tiny glimpse into an event that is too beautiful and exciting for photographs or words…

Want to see what I DIDN’T buy? But almost did?…

These letters are cut out of old Reader’s Digest Condensed books. I found an “R”, “E”, “A” and “D” and seriously considered buying them for our schoolroom. Maybe next time…

(p.s. I’ve seen these at Anthropologie, too!)

Wanna see what I DID buy?

Those two nightstands.

Cha-ching!

Every booth at VMD was cleverly set up, but I especially loved Calamity Jane’s Funk and Junk…

this onesie at Calamity Jane’s booth made me chuckle…

And how cute is this booth? Magpie featured a huge selection of vintage rose wraps…

and the sweetest smile in the land. I want to be her friend, don’t you?

Also droolworthy? This lemonade stand. My daughter has been longing to sell lemonade, and I think this would be a most suitable vehicle. I don’t have a website for this vendor, but I have an e-mail address if you’re interested.

Lunchtime! The biggest improvement in this year’s market was most definitely the food. My mom and I were beyond excited to try The Local Table’s food truck…

and they did NOT disappoint. Mom ordered chicken tacos. I one-upped her by ordering chicken and waffles with pineapple salsa and spicy maple syrup…

but both were tuh-die-fer.

Later that afternoon, we ordered dessert from Harmony House Lunch and Bakery. My photos in NO way do justice to the preciousness that was this booth. I loved everything about it!

especially the menu…

And although I was way too full for any other snacks, I was so happy to see Sweet Daddy Corn again – they kind of saved my life at last year’s show by keeping my starving preschooler happy! This stuff is seriously delicious…

Okay, back to shopping!

Aside from booths of antiques and repurposed and refurbished goodies, there was jewelry. I especially liked Tarnished Charm’s huge selection of upcycled accessories…

but most of the booths showcased antiques, none of which were snobbish, fussy or unaffordable. My mom came really close to bringing this little cabinet (backed in chicken wire!) home.

and it is only fair that I share a photo of Kevin and Jayne Wilson from Do Me Up! Antiques in Winfield, Kansas, because I kind of harassed them about that precious chicken trophy she is holding…