Off to the Market

Well Easter has come and gone, cant believe how fast a Holiday passes us by. We spend so much time preparing for them, shopping, making food, scheduling a get together then in a moment it's over and onto the next event! I did not unfortunately have the time to deck out the kid's canvas egg hunting bags :( although, I did get each of them a bag in 4 different colors. Hobby Lobby had them 50% off and I got 4 bags for a little over $3. Worth it to check ads and advertised specials during holiday time!

The day before Easter Mom and I were finally able to venture out to the Nashville Flea Market. Mom has been in Tennessee over 10 years and never visited, I've been here 5 and we both couldn't believe it took us this long to get over there and check it out! For anyone who has not been, you must check it out, it is every third weekend at the Nashville Farigrounds. The expansive array of vendors is impressive to say the least. We were immediately impressed with the number of people there both vendors and customers. I had never been to the fairgrounds and just didnt realize how large it was. We began with the ouside vendors, an assortment of plants, flowers, clothing, jewelry, iron work and garden decor, mixed furniture and $1 items.

Shelves made using repurposed tin ceiling tiles and hook boards

As we moved into each tent, shed and building we were greeted with a greater variety of items. Mom and I were both impressed with the furniture and local craft items. There are very high end pieces to bargain basement items. There is a lot to work with here if you are into treasure hunting, and as always a plethora of craft ideas to take home and try. I was impressed with shelves I saw made out of salvaged tin ceiling tiles, looks like they just bent the tin over a shelf made out of wood and painted it and hooks nailed to repurposed wood, then they used decorative wood accents to dress it up. You can see these items in the photo above, along with some shutters. Shutters are always a neat find at flea markets too, there are so many things you can use a shutter for. You will notice Mom made her doors that lead to her private back room out of shutters she painted and added fabric for curtains - take a look at the shop next time you are there if you missed it. She's also made screens out of them by hinging them together. The possibilities are endless!

Furniture is my favorite thing to shop for, period. I dont know what it is about an old chair or a table made out of old wood, a coffee table that lived generations in a home then revamped with a good cleaning and new paint, but old made new again is more fun to me than any newly manufactured piece of furniture. Maybe it is the history, but I am a sucker for anything that has a story. Turn of the century is what catches my eye most, but recently I have also seen items dating back further and in different styles that are really unique.

Mom checking out a neat side table

 Remember if you are buying old, make sure it isnt junk - water damage being one of the biggest issues. Pulls can be replaced, some small cracks can be mended and paint is an easy fix, but warping cant be reversed. I usually look on the bottom of a piece to see who made it, or to check for any indication of its manufactured date. Some times you will get lucky and find a nice Lane or Bassett piece typically they are made out of solid wood and will fair better longer. I saw a lot of nice pieces here at the market, and some I wouldnt take my chances on. Open it, feel it, look underneath!

Several vendors had marked items for sale, and they were discounted, I found a retro Circa 1960 lamp for $10!! It works and all I need is a shade, this was my favorite find. Seems like every trip there is always that certain something that you feel especially excited about bringing home, that was it for me. I also found a Frankenstein toy for Cash's room, a Toille table cloth for $5 and some LSU stuff for the man. Pretty exciting mix of things here. We saw a lot of quilts, glassware, ball jars, hardware like you wouldnt believe! Tin signs, pie safes, chairs, bistro sets and very creative furniture and art made out of wood and iron. Mirrors, frames, vintage toys, magazines, post cards, vintage clothing and shoes, scarves, kitchen tools, yard tools....the list goes on and on. I scored an old cast iron pan for $6 and saw about a ton of other iron pieces I would have loved to have had at the booth near that.



One of many booths under the shed area, check out the mirrors!



We felt a bit unprepared for what we ended up getting into with this trip. Mom and I are serious hunters, but we had no idea how many unique and interesting things we would come across. Being our first time, we just weren't prepared! We have vowed to bring along a rolling cart of some sort, shopping bags, and our own stash of cold water. With the weather trending towards summer temps and more heat, a day here could be exhausting! I also decided to wear tennis shoes next time too for all the walking.

A smart and convenient solution to the question of "how to get this stuff to the car?" is they offer a merchandice pick up. Mom found some really neat old windows and of course since we couldn't carry them, the vendor provided us with a pick up ticket. We were able to pull around and enter at the back to pick up our items. They even brought them to our car on a dolly for us. This makes it easier to continue shopping, and know your piece is bought and paid for and you can pick it up when you're done.

Quilts for sale

The Nashville Flea Market has one decent place to eat; The Garden Cafe. At first glance we were disappointed that we were going to spend about $7 per person for what we were sure was going to be crappy "carnival" style food. We were pleasantly surprised to discover, first: how professional and clean the place and staff were, second: that the portions were indeed in line with the prices and third: the quality was worth the trip here and wait in line as opposed to one of the snack vendors in the buildings.

They offer a weekly special, this particular week it was fish, they offer burgers, salads, corn dogs, hot dogs and chicken fingers any served with fries and they are fresh. I had the Hot dog with tomato, onion, and the fixings with fries. The nice man at the counter also spotted Mom and I two drinks for free. We will definitely check this place out next time too. Trust me, only place worth eating here and they scored a 90 on their last inspection!

This was a great trip, we took the trolley back down to our car which was parked at the far end of the parking area, next time we agreed we will try and park closer. Parking is $4 or you can try and park nearby at one of the many businesses and houses that sell parking for anywhere from $3-$5. On our way to pick up our items at the back entrance, we discovered an entire side of the market we didnt see before!! We can't wait to get back here and hunt some more. I love treasure hunting, I love finding that unique something the best part however is sharing this time with my Mom. I cannot wait until we do this again!