127 Yard Sale

- simplyreddesigns

If you have never been to The Worlds Longest Yard Sale, I would highly recommend it. I will post a link below so you can find which location is nearest you!

The worlds longest yard sale is basically a yard sale that starts in Alabama and goes all the way to Michigan on Highway 127. It ranges from people setup along the roadside at their homes to big open fields with hundreds of vendors. You never know what you might find. I have listed below my tips and tricks of picking a sale of this size.

“…something to look forward to every year!”

My tips on this yard sale:

1- Destination– Start at the point you want to end. Example: If you are wanting to start in Gadsden, AL and go up to Kentucky, its best to start at Kentucky and work your way down against the crowd. In some of the smaller areas expect bumper to bumper traffic, especially around the house to house sales.

2 – Time and Money– Go EARLY and have a full tank of gas! Also bring CASH as most vendors only take cash. Plus your more likely to get a better deal using cash.

3- The Hunt– Decide what you are looking for. My taste is antiques and vintage items. Being that is what I’m hunting for, the best stops are in Tennessee and Ohio. If you’re on the hunt for similar items, be sure to hit those locations on day one or two. Saturday and Sunday are the busiest days! Word has it, better deals in Ohio.

4- Hotel – There are not many good hotel options in Chattanooga, TN that are at a good price, plan accordingly.

5- Cooler – Bring a cooler of drinks and snacks.

6- Restroom – Use the restroom at every opportunity. Most places restroom options are slim. Especially around the house to house sales. The larger pit stops have at least portables. *Bring what you need for those situations.

7- Dress comfortable– Comfortable shoes and shorts are a must. Dress to be sweaty and possibly dirty.

8- Parking – When you follow the map trail, you will find the big stops marked, at those stops they usually have a field for parking. The roadside homes and smaller towns have limited parking, so be patient. You may have to walk a little ways but so worth it.

The top left picture was taken at The Mills Hide Fur Booth, a guy I meet in Signal Mountain, TN. Most people if you ask are very happy to tell you about their shop or store, or just have a good conversation about what they are selling. This guy had worked with his father as a child in the taxidermy business. He now does the same kind of business and has a HUGE collection from his business and bought out estates. Here is his etsy shop- HERE!

What I love most about these kind of things, is talking to people about the history of their items. Most vendors you find with this large of a collection take pride in each item and know everything about it. It’s something I will look forward to picking every year.

Here is a link in case you are not familiar with this–>CLICK HERE

Nashville Flea

- simplyreddesigns

Life has changed a lot of me this year, luckily I have the best mom and friends. One of my favorite places to go is the Nashville flea market. This place always puts me in my element and makes me dream bigger. I recently had the chance to go to the Nashville Flea market, and it never disappoints. Nashville has always been one of my favorite places, the laid back atmosphere, bright lights, rusty junk and good food. Here are a few of my experiences and pictures from TN.

Check out the Nashville Flea Market schedule, click here! They have the market every month. My favorite time to go is in the fall, each month has a theme listed but you couldn’t tell it by the vendors, they always have the neatest selection. Don’t forgot to go by Antique Archeology while you are in town!

Not long ago somebody ask me what is your favorite find?–> I really didnt have an answer, but now I can say I do. I came across these font trays from an old printing shop. I call these the original type kit, If you are a web designer you understand! This vendor had a ton of these, from big to small, wooden or metal, individual trays and some bigger than me! Check out a few pictures below.

Bakery goodies

Five Daughters Bakery

@five_daughters_bakery

Tried a few new restaurants and a bakery this trip and even discovered a new section of town called The Factory, in Franklin, TN. If your just passing by you would miss it, unfortunately all the shops were closed but the a bakery was open, cant wait to go back and get the full experience. The Five Daughter Bakery has a small shop nested in the factory, they have unique doughnuts and biscuits. They also have a place closer to downtown Nashville but I didnt make it by that one. Check out their story–>Five Daughter Bakery @five_daughters_bakery

Lunch or Dinner

Five Points Pizza

@fivepointspizza

Dining–Five Points Pizza, a new place I came across by scrolling through my Instagram. I follow @nashville_tn, and they post some of the best places to dine and check out that are outside of the typical Broadway strip. Its a little way out of town but not too far. Lots of paid parking around, but parking on street is limited. Here is there website–>Five Points Pizza @fivepointspizza

Broadway- NEW! The George Jones is a museum and restaurant that relatively new to Nashville, it over looks like Cumberland River. This place is super neat! George Jones history, live bands and a roof top bar. They have a drink called the fish bowl, and its exactly what it sounds like, a fishbowl but full of alcohol, I did not try one of these but I did see a few parties ordering them. Check the website out for more–> The George Jones

The George Jones

@the_george_jones
  • The George Jones

Hope you enjoyed my view of a short weekend adventures in Nashville.

    Gold..why I love what I do

    - simplyreddesigns

    A few weeks ago, one of my friends was having a picking sale at her house. I have been obsessed with gold mirrors lately and when I saw she had several, I loaded them all up! One was circle shaped with gorgeous detail but the mirror had came loose, so I knew it needed to be fixed but was in perfect condition otherwise.

    I fixed the mirror back into the frame and placed it in an old trunk in my booth. Soon after, it sold. When I went back to the antique mall they told me the women who bought it was so happy to find because she has been collecting this mirror set and this was the last mirror she needed to complete it. This is one reason I love doing what I do, whatever you call it junking, picking or yard selling. I love it when my finds go into another persons collection.

    This is not a book… but a photo album

    - simplyreddesigns

    One of my favorite things to do when I go on a trip or passing through a small town is to check out antique markets and shops near by. I have found some of the coolest most unique junk(treasures) that way. Here are a few of my finds.

    The Worlds Longest Yardsale

    Every August, The Worlds Longest 127-Yardsale takes place with miles and miles of unique finds, starting from Gadsden, AL going on up to Ohio and Michigan. For more information check it out HERE!

    This year my most priceless find was in Trenton, GA at a quaint little barn and shed on the side of the road. I have always loved old books, frames, photo albums and especially hand written material. In the shed, I came upon a shelf with tons of old books, I was immediately drawn over and sitting on the top of the shelf was an old book on a stand, or I thought.

    This book was one that I had never seen before. At first, I was not sure what this was, a book, up on a stand, covered in velvet material with a gold latch on the side. Of course, I had to get this book down to open it. To my surprise the book folded toward me and then opened, this is not a book but a photo album, filled with old family portraits.

    I walked away with this album proudly tucked under my arm. I was not able to get much history on this piece other than it was purchased at an estate sale and was the Victorian era.

    Open for business

    - simplyreddesigns

    The Antique market has now been open for business for a few months.  Here are a few things that I have learned along the way.

    1. Rearrange: Rearrange your booth often. Whether you change the way something is hanging or add seasonal decor, it has always improved my sales when I go and spruce up and add a few new items.
    2. Too Crowded: Try not to over stack tables. I have found this out the hard way. If you have a lot of items on a table and it sales, well now you have a bunch of items in the floor and nowhere to put them. Also customers are more likely to purchase a big item like that if it’s not covered with stuff they have to move.
    3.  Experiment: If it’s not selling, its ok to take it out and replace it with something else. Add the item back in later.  Try to get a feel for what items are selling.
    4.  History: Attach any history that you have on an item. When out looking and purchasing, always ask do you know anything about this piece, always fun to learn more about your finds.

    Treasure hunt….

    - simplyreddesigns

    After countless yard sales, marketplace finds(online) and multiple trips to flea markets, I’m ready! Now to begin setup and staging.  With so many items to bring and keep inventory, it can be hard to stay organized. I created an excel sheet to name each item and used that same name on each tag, so I would know exactly what sold.  Now the fun part, decorating and setting up.

    Where to begin, all this stuff, what should I put where? Do I need shelves, tables, rugs, hangers, the list goes on and on. To help me get a basic idea of what I wanted my booth to look like, I did a rough sketch. Thinking what would be easy for customers to walk in and have space to look around.

    My biggest pet peeve is going to a market and the booth is so packed that you are afraid to walk in because you are in fear that your purse may knock something over or you might break something cause everything is packed so tight.  I wanted to be sure I avoided that and my space looked inviting.

     

     

    Opening a Booth at the Alabama Antique Market

    - simplyreddesigns

    I’ve always had a passion for old rusty signs, wire baskets, chippy paint and those one of a kind items.

    I recently started my first booth as a vintage collector at the Alabama Antique Market in Tuscaloosa, AL. When the news broke about the Antique Market opening a second location, I was in!!! Lucky for me the new location is just right down the street from my work.

    My booth setup is a combination of galvanized metal and peg board. Right away, I wanted to make the overall feel of my space bright, warm and inviting, so I decided to paint the peg board to give it more of a finished look.

    When choosing a color, I decided on a neutral that would allow for anything I hung up to stand out. I love to decorate with greenery and wreaths, so I chose a middle shade of grey. Creating a palette of similar shades helps make the space more cohesive to where my items would still be the focal point.

    Now to start searching for treasures…..