Pickin' in Nashville (Not Strings--Antiques!)

We headed up to attend the Vintage Market weekend at the Nashville Flea Market last weekend. Come along with me as I share the trip in pics!

It rained on us the entire trip up, and continued to drizzle after the market opened, so some vendors were slow setting up and opening their booths.  I had my handy shopping cart with me and it doesn't have fenders, so it was throwing mud up onto the back of my legs--not fun.  The entire fairgrounds looked like the pic below.  Some vendors were putting out hay to make it possible to walk through without sinking into the mud.  Yes, it was pretty yucky.

I must have walked the entire place three or four times trying to make sure I didn't miss any booths that were late opening, so needless to say, my legs were very tired at the end of the day!  

**Tip** If you go to the Nashville Flea Market antiques weekend, don't expect it to actually open at 7:00 on Saturday as hours shown on the marketing materials.  Most booths didn't open until around 9:00.  I got the idea that it wasn't just the rain, but business as usual.  The parking lot was totally empty when I arrived at 6:50.

Anyway, here are some shots of the wares that were available...

These buttons were just piled up on a table, hundreds, maybe thousands, of buttons.  They were fun to look through, but they were all scratched up from the way they were just thrown out there.  He was selling them at $1 - $3 each.  I passed on them...but I did get a fun picture or two.

I saw lots of rust and rustic wood.

The best deals are usually out back in what is known as the "stalls" where they show animals during the state fair.  I always shop that part first, then out around the perimeter of the buildings, and then I go inside.  There's one building that always has antiques and this is one of my favorite booths.  She has been there for years and I always look forward to visiting the space.

When I left the show, I visited some other antiques stores and malls.  The Downtown Antique Mall was my favorite one.  It just has so much fun and funky character in the building itself and it's literally a couple of feet from the railroad track which was active.  That train in the photograph was moving!  It was so cool...

These letters were hanging in a way that made them appear to be just tumbling down the wall!

I spent some time pickin' in Franklin, too.  Franklin has always been one of my favorite places, and although it has become more "touristy" over the last ten years or so, you can still find some good things.  I was disappointed to learn that one of my favorite antiques malls, Harpeth Antique Mall, had closed.  It was there for years and years and now it's just gone.  The shopping center has undergone a major upgrade and new places have moved in.  I'm guessing the rent was probably going to triple or so...and we know how that story goes.

This is my other favorite, Franklin Antique Mall, and they've been there a long time, too.  It's located in the "old ice house" as they call it...a quirky old building with metal plates in the floor and ramps and twists and turns...the kind of place that's fun to wander around.

Before I leave the Nashville area and show you what I brought home, I want to tell you about this awesome BBQ place that I visited, Martin's BBQ Joint.  It was my first meal with them, and it was the best BBQ ever, and that's saying something because this girl loves a good BBQ sandwich! Their regular pork sandwich comes with a sweet sauce that's named "Southern Belle" sauce.  Don't you just love that?  I had mine with coleslaw on the sandwich and it was seriously good.  

I believe they have several locations, but this one was actually in a newer retail shopping area east of Nashville, in Mt. Juliet.  Here's a link to their website.

Now, let me show you some of the treasures I brought home for Juju Queen's Junk.

That's two printer's trays, and these are the half-size ones.  They always seem to be in demand, so I grab them whenever I find them at a good price.  A sewing machine cabinet drawer is always a good find, too.

I scored some great old ironstone.  This lidded butter dish is a rare find, and it's perfectly aged with that great discoloration that is so popular and hard to find.  The transfer is beautiful, and blue is popular for decor, so this is probably my "best" find of the trip--in my opinion, of course!

Enamel pans...

...and western style belts that will become bracelets.  There's also a pretty tablecloth in this shot.

This is a pretty big handmade basket that is signed on the bottom.  It's probably about 15 or 16 inches across...

Some very old carded buttons, and lots of stuff for Juju Queen creations...Oh, and this old wood cubby tray.

Here's a better shot of some of the buttons, and there's also another little ironstone dish with black trim.

This post is already too long, but I still have more stuff to photograph.  Stay tuned and I'll share more over the next few days--after I finish moving into another **larger** space at Antiques at the Loop.  Yes, I'm moving everything today.  I had better get going!

Thanks for coming along with me on my Nashville trip!