Round Top Fall 2022
It's taken me awhile to write and share about our last trip to Round Top, Texas for antiques week. As soon as we got home, I was instantly thrown back into my work planning for our own holiday happenings at both of our stores.
Honestly, now just feels like the right time to tell you about the incredibly magical trip we just took to Round Top in October.
You might be saying to yourself, "how on earth could a junkin' trip possibly be magical?"
It might be hard to believe that this kind of trip could actually be magical, but let me explain. The ladies who joined us on this trip were extra special- Cindy, a Bliss vendor who has attended every single Round Top trip we've been on, Mindy, another Bliss vendor who has never been, Pat and Doris, life long best friends who hadn't seen each other in three years and Sandy and Dot, cousin in laws taking a girls trip together.
At the beginning of this trip, not many people knew one another. That would all change over the course of a week.
Our First Night On The Town
When we first arrived in Austin, Texas we were all so thrilled to be there. We were on the best girls trip in the world and excited to be away to shop!
Our first order of business was lunch. We headed over to our all-time-favorite spot, Bird Bird Biscuit. We devoured our bird, bird bacon egg sandwiches along with an order of dough-doughs (donut balls made out of biscuit dough).
Then it was time to hit the local Austin thrift stores. We were all lucky enough to score a few things here and there. We really had to be careful though because our vehicles could not hold much more than our luggage. As it was, we were pretty much packed in like sardines!
Once evening started to fall, we headed over to our sunset bat tour, which was unfortunately cancelled due to cold weather and wind. So, we opted for an early dinner at a hip joint, Anthem, in historic downtown Austin. We all enjoyed quirky Hawaiian style drinks and eats.
We turned in right after dinner because we had a bright and early start the next day to head to Waco.
A Dream Come True
Pat and Doris shared with us that they have been best friends for over 35 years. They've been through the good times and the bad together and stayed friends all along.
Three years ago, Pat moved to Chandler, Arizona after her mother's death. Sadly, these two best friends had not been able to see each other since she moved away. When they were reunited, it was as if no time had passed between them.
They're both huge Chip and Joanna fans and always wanted to come to Waco to see Magnolia at the Silos. They were like kids at Christmas as we approached the shop. It was pure joy to see their dream come true.
We spent three hours eating, drinking and shopping our way through the whole Magnolia complex that is now the size of a city block. We had a blast and left there completely inspired!
We hit the town for some lunch and more shopping at other local venues.
We ate at this darling Italian restaurant, Pignetti's. Guess who also happened to be dining there that night?! None other than Chip and Joanna!! We all had to fight our inner fan girls not to go gawk at them while they enjoyed their dinner.
Round Top, Here We Come
The day after Waco, we headed south to Round Top. We were all so excited to finally get to the good stuff- the junk!!
One of my favorite parts of the trip is seeing our travelers' faces for the first time as we approach the sale. It's pure delight! Until you see it, it's difficult to know what to expect or even to comprehend just how big the event really is.
It's miles and miles of enormous tents filled with vendors. One pamphlet I read said there are over 4000 vendors!
You can find almost anything under the sun- from architectural salvage to doll arms and legs- anything goes!
We ate, shopped and drank our way through Round Top and beyond.
Star Struck
One of our absolute favorite stores to visit is Junk Gypsy. This beautiful store is owned by two sisters, Amie and Jolie. They pack their space top to bottom with what I like to call "visual feasts." You really can't look anywhere in the store without seeing something gorgeous or funky. We can't leave here without purchasing at least a t-shirt!
In the four years that we have been visiting Round Top, we've never had the chance to meet them. This year, we got lucky! Both sisters were walking their store and taking photos with customers. It was such a cool experience to meet these highly successful and inspiring women!
Prom At Zapp Hall
We always plan our trips so we can enjoy the Prom at Zapp Hall. It happens the last Thursday of antiques week and is nothing short of a wild time.
This year, we all dressed up as witches. We had a blast having dinner al fresco, listening to great country music bands, people watching and dancing to 80's hits.
The best part is, our hotel accommodations are right across the street. When we are done dancing until our shoes fall apart (this literally happened to Stacy this year), we can just head back to our glampers for the night.
New Traditions
As we approached the end of our trip, Doris shared that it was Pat's 72nd birthday. This is our very first junkin' tour where we got to celebrate one of our special guests.
We secretly drove into town and got her a birthday cake and candles. We ordered wood fired pizza and just had a night in relaxing and celebrating the birthday girl.
We were all even more surprised and delighted when Dot pulled out little gift bags for all of us to celebrate Pat. Inside, she had selected beautiful, unique bracelets for all of us to remember this special day.
It was such a fun time, that we've decided we need to have a pizza and cake night in on every single junkin' tour we take in the future.
Growing Closer
Throughout the trip we all grew into friends. We traded stories about our families, we showed each other our treasures we found out in the fields and we talked about our shopping wish lists.
With each passing day, we felt ourselves growing closer. It was truly magical.
Until Next Time...
his trip left us all with full cups and of course a few new vintage treasures. We had so much fun making our new friends and shopping until we dropped. Of course, all good things come to an end, which is why we've already planned our next trip and are booking spaces now!
The trip is taking place March 28th - April 2nd, 2023. Click the link below to reserve your space.
There are only 8 spaces remaining for our spring trip. Book your spot today before the trip is completely filled. Don't wait until "next time." Tomorrow is not promised.
