ROUND TOP, Texas – You can tell who they are. The ones with tape measures, the notepads, the paint chips and the stylish comfortable shoes. At the Marburger Farm Antique Show in Round Top, Texas interior design professionals jump into the glory of 10 tents and 12 buildings filled with 350 antiques dealers and artisans. On March 31-April 4 they will lead the way.
Dallas interior designer Kim Turner of KT Designs has shopped for clients at Marburger Farm since its very first show in 1997. “The thing about designers is time,” says Turner. “A good designer does not have time to shop the world or every market nearby. Marburger dealers are professionals at what they do too – they spend the time scouring the planet for the best antiques and they have the contacts all over the world. That’s what designers find at Marburger: not bulk bargains, but the absolutely best and most wonderful things in the world. I am always delighted at Marburger Farm to pay a fair price for something fabulous. Besides, I love the pimento cheese sandwiches.”
Many Marburger Farm exhibitors buy with interior design customers in mind, as well as their retail customers. Dealer Frederica Anderson of Amarillo, Texas, buys largely out of old Santa Fe, New Mexico estates, full of top French, English and American antiques and art. “The designers know how to spot the best piece in the booth,” says Anderson. “At Marburger I sell to a designer from Los Angeles – last time they bought a set of Italian chairs and an 18th century desk. I don’t get these all the time, but designers can spot them from across the show.” For the spring 2015 show, Anderson will offer early frames, a single-door French cabinet in dark wood, as well as a French side table and bench and an Italian Cassone chair. “Designers are looking for more contemporary lines, streamlined and simple. So I focus on antiques that are very old, but not too busy or detailed. Right now, designers want simple but old.”
Alan Hoops of Findlay, Ohio, says that designers are drawn to Marburger Farm because “Marburger is the biggest selection of the best dealers in one location anywhere – and most are professional dealers, not part-time. They are accustomed to dealing with designers and know what designers are looking for.” Hoops will offer well-priced white ironstone and transfer ware. “We just bought 140 pieces of white ironstone in Ohio, our largest selection ever.” Designers and collectors use the simple lines of ironstone dishes inside glass front cupboards or on open shelves or walls.
Dealer Stanley Hildreth of Sebasky & Hildreth from Staples, Minnesota, will offer 18th-19th century furniture and decorative arts, including Staffordshire, sterling and early textiles. A stunner from a Minneapolis estate will be an 18th century Queen Anne chinoiserie secretary in red and white lacquer. Sounds like the definition of the “one-of-a-kind” objects that designers expect to find at this one-of-a-kind show. Hildreth says that cost is a factor for designers, in comparison to the cost of buying new objects. “When it comes to the quality that a good designer wants, they can buy much more quality, dollar for dollar, with an antique than with high-quality new items. The really good new items are extremely expensive. An antique repurposed, re-covered, reimagined will always beat the new on quality and price.”
For amenities to make shopping easier and more fun, Marburger Farm offers a long list for every visitor: free parking and parking shuttle, mile-high pies and full-service breakfast and lunch cafe, show-wide WIFI and golf carts available for rent, the Blacksmith Shop bar, the official show magazine, “The Howdy,” and air-conditioned restrooms. A new benefit for interior designers will be the VIP program with Marburger’s on-site shipper, Distinguished Transport, offering VIP breakfast, swag bags and shipping and storage assistance.
The Marburger Farm Antique Show opens on Tuesday, March 31, with early buying from 10 a.m. through 2 p.m. for $25 for adults, free for children 15 and under. Regular $10 admission begins March 31 at 2 p.m. One admission is good all week, with the show running on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturday, April 4, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Advance tickets, group tickets and shopper WIFI are available. Parking is free. See information on travel, maps, vendors, special events, lodging, on-site shipping and the Marburger Cafe at www.roundtop-marburger.com or call Ashley Ferguson at 800-947-5799. Get a sneak peek on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/marburgerfarmantiqueshow or on the show blog at www.roundtop-marburger.com/blog
