OUR STORY - THE DALLAS MARKET EXPERIENCE
Paige Hull
Our experience at the Dallas Market Center was extraordinary! We'd like to thank the Dallas Market staff for inviting us to speak. Gloria Burson, Dana Pugh, and Kelley Copeland all had a role in this opportunity and were extremely helpful throughout the process. A special thank you to Debbie Francis, Jim Lugannani, and Karl Marshall from the DMC and to Valerie Guenther, our creative assistant for making the trek to help us. I wish we could name every person that we came in contact with, because everyone was such a delight to work with!
The Vintage Round Top Blog, photo: Debbie Porter
Smoot and I got into Dallas just in time to watch Rachel Ashwell and Libby Langdon give their Keynotes. Both were awesome and inspiring. Being in the same line up with these two veterans was such an honor.
The Vintage Round Top Blog - photo: Lonnie Jordon
Our Keynote for the Total Home & Gift Show was held on the main floor of the Hall of Nations, a fifteen story atrium building housing over 25,000 lines. The talk was moderated by Rhonda Reinhart, the Editor-In-Chief of Modern Luxury Interiors Texas Magazine. We loved working with Rhonda - she is a total sweetheart!
The Vintage Round Top Blog - photo: Lonnie Jordon
Bill Winsor has been the CEO of the Dallas Market Center for 36 years. It was bittersweet that we were his last Keynote speakers to announce as he is retiring on Thursday July 1. Congratulations to Bill and to Cindy Morris, who will be the new President and CEO.
The Vintage Round Top Blog - photo: Valerie Guenther
A few of our friends were in the audience to support us. Holly Mathis, an amazing interior designer that lives in Brenham, was there shopping for an exciting new venture she has planned! She sent some sweet instagrams throughout the talk. We can't thank her enough for her support!
The Vintage Round Top Blog - photo: Holly Mathis
Our long time friend and family photographer, Debbie Porter, was also there. She too was sending us love and support throughout the weekend. She has a showroom in the Market for her Fabulous Phebe line. Our daughter just recently modeled for her, so it was exciting to see the marketing materials first hand (see below).
The Vintage Round Top Blog - photo: Paige Hull
Smoot and I spoke again at 3:00pm across the street in Market Hall, this time adding a Round Top Review segment. A Vintage Cash and Carry Market is held there in conjunction with the Total Home & Gift Show. DMC was the first wholesale market to add Vintage, so attendees are very lucky to have this opportunity.
It was great to see so many Round Top vendors/friends there. A few of our favs were Tattered Style, Industrial Chic, Rodeo Royalty, Texas Trash & Treasures, and The Seed Box. We picked up a few items to bring back with us and ate some famous Royer's pie while shopping. A fashion show was held immediately after our talk that included fashions from Spellbound Collection, Vintage Bliss, Stash Style, and many other vintage clothing vendors.
The Vintage Round Top Blog - photo: Valerie Guenther
I will say that the size of the backdrop and the amount of signs with our picture on it was a bit overwhelming. However, we couldn't have asked for a better splash for our business and appreciate the Market's promotional efforts.
The Vintage Round Top Blog - photos: Valerie Guenther
We're thrilled to have been given the chance to tell Our Story and to talk about the Modern Vintage Style. Public speaking, especially in front of your peers, can seem a bit daunting. However, we know that "Fear Is Temporary and Regret Is Forever" - so we chose to face our fear and do it anyway. It's amazing what we can do if we put our mind to it and get out of our own way!