Country Living Fair 2017
As much as I love antiques, I’m not one to usually shop at antique malls or vintage markets. I’m the sort of person who sells in those places, not one who buys. But the Country Living Fair is an exception. I’m always so inspired by the vendors there - the uniqueness of their wares, the stylish ways they incorporate new and handmade items into vintage displays, and so on. They are on a whole other level that I can only hope to achieve someday. I’ve done a couple of bridal shows and craft fairs in the past and I know it’s exhausting. I’m in awe of how easy these vendors make it look.
This is my fourth year attending the Country Living Fair in Atlanta and the fifth year in a row attending them in general (we hit up the first annual fair outside of Nashville a couple of years ago!) and at this point, it is a tradition not to be missed. Each year when I buy my tickets online I look at the vendor list to see if my favorites are going to be there:
Rhine River Antiques
This year, like last year, I went with my friend Samantha. We stayed with another friend in Atlanta and made a girls weekend of it, complete with a nice dinner out, HGTV, and mini desserts purchased at the fair. We managed to attend all three days of the fair as well, despite some nasty weather. Friday was lovely but Saturday was rainy and Sunday was frigid. As unfortunate as the weather was, especially for the vendors, there was the added bonus that I had more time to chat with the vendors about what they do and about all of their cool finds. I also felt a lot less pressure as I took my time deciding what to spend my money on (the Country Living Fair is a true test of self control).
My most exciting find of the weekend was a opossum table, named for the rounded underbelly of the drawers. I’d never seen an opossum table before and the vendor (My Guilty Treasures - one of my new favorites) explained that it was the 19th century precursor to the popular Hoosier cabinet, a piece of all-in-one furniture for baking, with bins for dry goods and surfaces for mixing, rolling out, etc. It was a lovely faded white and I couldn’t pass it up! I’m fixing a slight warp in the top but I can’t wait to get it into its new home in my kitchen!
I try my best to always force my self to only buy things that are unique, original, one-of-a-kind, or at a minimum, difficult to find. This year, in addition to the table, I picked up a tiny, 5ml Pyrex beaker, a triangular drawer from a hardware cabinet, a glass communion cup, and a couple of gorgeous succulents in repurposed vessels. The fair does have handmade vendors as well and though I don’t generally spend much time in that area, I must concede that I found some fantastic Christmas presents as well!
I found out on this trip that the original Country Living Fair was on a farm in Ohio less than 15? years ago. Since then it has expanded to 3 additional states including the Stone Mountain location. It’s always a fun adventure and I hope to continue the tradition, whether in Atlanta or Tennessee, Ohio, or New York, always in the company of good friends and on the hunt for treasures.