Round Top Guide — Dreams + Jeans

I’m back from a fun week in Texas and wanted to share all about my experience going to Round Top! For those of you who don’t know, Round Top is a huge antiques show that happens twice a year—vendors come from all over the world and set up shop for a few weeks. It’s always been high on my list of places to visit and was so excited to finally make the trip this year!

I went with a friend who is also a designer and we had the best time being surrounded by design and antiques all week. We got to meet other designer friends, discover new vendors and showrooms and came home with endless inspiration. I highly recommend the trip if you are an antiques lover!

We ended up staying in Austin, which is about an hour and fifteen minute drive from Round Top. We only went to Round Top for two days, so the drive wasn’t too bad, but I would definitely try to stay closer to Round Top next time. There are lots of AirBNBs and cute hotels and bed and breakfasts in the surrounding towns.

FAVORITE SPOTS

— The Compound: We started our trip here, visiting Eneby Home and some other amazing vendors. Eneby is a must visit—their selection of European antiques is unmatched and is so gorgeous, even if you are just looking for inspiration.

— M.Naeve: We loved discovering M.Naeve at The Halles and couldn’t get over her gorgeous inventory and curation.

— The Arbors: Lots of tents filled with vendors with smaller goods. We stopped by our friend, KD Weave, and picked up some handwoven textiles. We also loved discovering the clothing line Honest Cotton and both got pieces from her easy to wear collection.

— Excess I + II: Located in the flea market area of Warrenton, this is where we found our Italian Murano glass sconces with an amazing Dutch dealer.

— Big Red Barn: We made a visit here, which costs $10 entry, and were a bit underwhelmed with it. They seemed to mostly have early American antique vendors. BUT, I did come across an amazing print shop on our way out and picked up some beautiful old botanical pieces!

— Marburger Farm: Our one regret is not going to Marburger. It’s only open the last week of the show and is a HUGE draw—like 2 miles of traffic to get in. We heard mixed reviews about inventory and pricing so we didn’t go, but will definitely go next time!

TIPS

— Wear comfortable shoes that can get dirty and bring layers—Texas weather is intense and can change quickly! It was 90 degrees and humid our first day at the show and on our second day it was crisp fall weather with 40mph winds!

— Come prepared with a list of items you’re looking for, along with measurements of spaces. Also bring a tape measure! Lots of vendors have them available, but good to have your own handy if they don’t have one.

— Bring cash and checks. While a lot of vendors accept credit cards and Venmo, there are also a lot that only do cash and check. Save yourself the headache of running around to all the ATMs (speaking from experience, ha!) and bring cash with you.

— Pack an extra bag or suitcase to bring home small pieces.

— The one big thing to mention is that a lot of what is for sale is furniture and larger items. If you’re local to Texas and can drive stuff home or rent a truck—that’s the way to do it. But if you are out of state, you’re going to have to pay to ship things home. There are lots of on-site shippers who you can work with—they go around and collect your items from each vendor and ship to you. It is definitely pricey, so it’s really only worth it if you are buying multiple pieces or furniture, or can go in on it and split with other people. We didn’t end up purchasing any large items for this reason, but now know for the future!

I can’t wait to go back—I came home with so much inspiration and ideas and it was so fun being surrounded by design and antiques for a week. Let me know if you are planning a visit and if I can help answer any questions!