I just finished the Austin Book Show, and it was a good one. There were lots of people, especially on Saturday, and they were buying. I saw a lot of regular customers who were ready to buy, and to discuss books. Now the challenge is to go out and replace the excellent items that I sold.

Austin’s Burnet Road Flea Market
For six years the Burnet Road Flea Market was held on the second and last Sundays of the month at 4800 Burnet Road, next to the Omelettry. Jenny at Get Back Vintage was the sponsor, and 20-50 vendors would show up for the events. Customers ranged from Tarrytown yuppies, to UT students, to street people. The bargain shoppers and serious collectors would be there shopping at daylight, and then the after-church crowd would be there in the afternoon. Chuck would entertain the crowd playing his clarinet and every once in a while someone would show up with a guitar! It was a great venue with everything from furniture, collectables, clothing, records, coins, books, and bicycles. There were no rules, except that the merchandise had to pass the “family” test. We would all go home about 4, or earlier in the summer.

Sadly, because of parking, etc, the market had to stop a while back. Now it is ready to reopen, again under Jenny’s leadership, on the same site as the Burnet Road Farmer’s Market at 6701 Burnet Rd! The first event will be held on Sunday, May 15! My wife Sandi and I may just be there to shop this month, but it will be great to see Ray, Carl, Susan, Lloyd. Come by and shop the eclectic selection of goods or just experience the fun!!! The Flea Market will probably open from 8-4. Come early and shop hard!!! GREAT DEALS!

My wife, Sandi, and I are preparing for our semi-annual show in Warrenton Texas! Please mark your calendars and plan to come shop with us September 23rd through October 3rd!! You can find us in Cole’s…the big white metal building at Hwy 237 and Fm 954. All of the aisles in our building are named. We are on “Waco Dr”in booths 128 & 129! Sandi will have a very good selection of Texas-primitive furniture and Texas/western/primitive collectibles and I will be proud to bring you a great selection of Texas non-fiction hardback books, documents, photographs and photographic images. Our walls will have wonderful original artwork and some metal signage including railroad signs from Giddings and Brownwood!

More info…Air conditioned shopping in Warrenton! Thursday, September 23rd – Saturday, October 2nd, 2010– NEW HOURS: 10 am – 7 pm daily during the show. Things are cool at one of Warrenton’s best show venues. Cole’s Antiques Market offers 63,000 square feet of air conditioned shopping heaven, stuffed to the bursting point with top-notch antiques, fine art and collectibles for area visitors. ALL ANTIQUES, no reproductions, nothing new! Owned and operated by Diane and EJ Cole, this hard-working couple are known for excellence when it comes to putting on an antiques show. Some 200 venders display their wares in the large building and outdoor tents. Offerings include everything from gold & silver buyers to rare Blenko glass, kitchenalia, fine furniture and more. Located at the corner of Hwy 237 and Willow Spring Road (FM 954), this Warrenton show is quickly becoming one of the most venues in town!

With one swift announcement, our President has created a depression in South Louisiana. The six month suspension of deep water drilling will cause thousands to lose their jobs in the short term. The oil business is highly people dependent, and service companies, truckers, restaurants, and oil companies will start laying off at once. The royal decree will have an immediate effect on many hard working middle-class people who are not used to government handouts. You may initially feel that since these people work for oil related companies, they deserve to be punished for the actions that caused the oil spill, but I do not get that. They did nothing wrong, and are hardworking individuals. I do not understand the decree. The cause of the accident is fairly obvious. One could argue that the government is partially responsible for getting too chummy with the oil companies, but I do not think this contributed to the BP problem.

Has the government ever shut down air travel for six months to study an accident? Has the government ever ordered Detroit not to make cars for six months? I have never heard of such a high-handed action that will hurt so many innocent people.

Well, the Spring show at Warrenton(Cole’s)is over, so we are back at home. I haven’t posted in a while because of the show, and then a three day turkey hunt.

Working at Cole’s for ten days is a different experience. We enjoy seeing the other dealers and a large number of repeat customers who we only see twice a year. I love that part of the show. Some spend hundreds of dollars, some buy one item, and some don’t buy anything, but it is always a treat to see people that you don’t see very often. Some of the other dealers and our customers have become friends, like John and Bev who even invited us to their annual party at their fantastic ranch!

That’s a funny story. I got the invitation to the party in the mail, and since I know most of our customers by first name only, I could not place who the invitation was from. I thought it might be a time share or pyramid scheme. So I called John to RSVP, and we both got a laugh out of the call. Once I heard his voice, I knew who the invitation was from. By the way, the party was very special with great food, great drinks, and a great band. The highlight of the evening was John’s son proposing to his fiancee on the dance floor.

But back to Warrenton. The bad side is the length of the show. I wish we could talk the Cole’s into an 8 or 9 day show. 10 days plus setup and teardown is a long time. I don’t think a 9 day show would hurt revenue a bit.

Business was good, not great, but good. We had a profitable show, but still had trouble getting everything into the trailer to get home. I don’t understand how that works! Foot traffic was normal. However, one of my best customers didn’t show up at all.

Did you get to go anywhere in Warrenton or Roundtop? if so, drop me a line and let me know what you thought of the shows this year.

It is time for the great Warrenton/Round Top antique show. Over 5000 dealers will be at the event, including CRINKSTUFF. I will be set up in Cole’s in Warrenton. It is the big white metal air conditioned building. We will start setting up on March 22, and the show will start on March 25.
It is an event like no other in the state, and you really should try to get there for a day. It cannot all be seen in one day, so spend as much time as you can. There is everything from rusted junk and crafts, to $80,000 sets of furniture. Of course, you can also find great Texas books at my booth. Stop by and say Hi. Sandi and I are in booths 128 and 129 on the Waco Aisle. Good shopping!!