Providence Classic: A Nice Little Sunday

On Sunday we woke up at 6:30 AM (those 9:30 PM bedtimes are comin' in handy!) to drive 45 minutes to Elkhorn, Wisconsin to go to their last antique flea market of the year. And yes, it really is called Elkhorn.

Parking as we arrived at 7:50 AM:

The flea market features 500 dealers and 5,000 (?) people. It is huge. Stalls are set up in barns and outside on the lawnspaces of the fairgrounds. Burgers are served at 8:00 AM. As are the famous pork sandwiches (grilled pork "breast" with barbecue sauce and pickles - excellent), brats, cream puffs - I will stop now. If this is the only way to keep warm in a -30 degree winter, I am so gonna be pissed when we move down to 'bikini time, tan-people-only' Florida. "Why are you in sweats again, Abbey?" Suck it, sister.

I digress. Parking when we left at 11:00 AM; entire field covered:

Shoppers:

We get to the fairgrounds and I come down with house crack fever (see earlier post). All. the. furniture. I. must. own! Jon proceeds to get high on what I can only surmise is a combination of dust and manure in the FIRST STALL we visit and buys what we soon learn are completely worthless items: an old football magazine and an incomplete 1956 electric football board game. (Jon's father is a flea market and collectible connosseiur.) As Jon later explained it, "I had to get the first purchase out of me." Right. I decide I am on wallet lockdown and must trail husband to ensure no expensive purchases occur without two-person arbitration. Total loss? $11. Flea markets rock.

Here are some of the gems we spied along the way:

Birthday present debate: lamp made out of Electrolux vacuum cleaner or 24-point antlers?

Very cool - old freight car as a coffee table (in a warehouse loft? Hamptons barn? Amazing.), 12" pine cone finials, glass towel bars for the bathroom (totally should have bought). . .

Chandelier sconces, modern lamp (loved, too expensive), oversized ceramic crock pots.

The crock pots were everywhere and ran from $200 - $1400 based on size and condition. Apparently used to pickle sauerkraut? Hmm, I may have fallen for someone's trick.

Sickest wicker bassinet ever. Check out the "bed crown" hanging where a mobile typically would. If we were anywhere close to having babes, this would have come home with us. Done. Swift family, I considered this as a present but thought it too risky.

Originally a store counter? Open shelving on opposite side. Just imagine with a Carrera marble top in a kitchen with a Rohl farmhouse sink. Sigh.

Pretty glass display in one of the barn stalls:

And finally . . . my one purchase! (Well, minus food. We had an iffy, hangry/low-blood-sugar moment that resulted in soda, a cheeseburger and fake-cheese fries at 9:30 AM. And no, there was no sharing.) Love, love this. It's solid wood and at $45, totally worth the price. One day I will have all of the paint sanded off and leave it unfinished. So unique!

Currently acting as a side table in our living room, but not sure what the ultimate use will be. I love finding one of a kind stuff. And that is the main reason flea markets rule, on top of being very affordable (even for high-priced, easily-recognizable items). Jon and I love to go to flea markets together. It's also pretty much the only time he'll shop with me.

And I couldn't leave you without a taste of Wisconsin:

Ye ole foot trick . . .