LIVING OUR DREAM
Paige Hull
Marburger Farms Fall Antique Show 2013
I'm finally posting about our amazing experience at Marburger Farms. We've had so much going on since then. This is the first chance I've had to sit and write about it.
We were the new kids on the block and were lucky enough to land within a group of vendors that were so kind and supportive. We learned so much from each and every one of them.
Ashley, Tara, and the entire Marburger staff made us feel welcome and were also incredibly helpful and encouraging.
It was intimidating to be jumping into such a huge arena with so many talented veterans in this business. I was nervous the first day of setting up not knowing exactly what to expect or if my vision of our booth would come together.
It was a true blessing working side by side with Smoot. We make a great team! We dream big, work hard, and share a passion for living a creative life. After it was all said and done, I believe we held our own.
We could not have it done it without the help of so many people. We plan on posting details of each of those special people in an upcoming post. We want to highlight their talents and businesses in hopes that you all will have a chance to work with them as well.
We met so many people! Many we had seen or read about from blogs, social media, etc. To put a face and a personality to a name was priceless. The crowds were eclectic and fun! It made each day go by so quickly.
Photo credit: Paige Hull
The entire process of preparing for the show tested our creativity and tenacity. We organized, cleaned and repaired the merchandise from Provence; designed the aprons and curtains from the French linen tablecloths we bought in France; re-branded the website; had The Vintage Round Top hang tags and pocket notebooks for interior designers/bloggers designed and printed; shot photos of the furniture/decor and designed/printed the new business flyer; traveled to Fredericksburg to meet with Tim and Carol on the design of the booth; tea stained, painted, and designed the French Vintage Circus theme tent décor (curtains, scallops, flags, bunting, etc) and had it handmade. It was a huge undertaking, but we loved every minute of it.
Photo credit: Paige Hull
The best part was getting to share this new venture with our children. They were excited to get to roam the tents in search of the perfect “find” for themselves. They each received a specific amount of pay for the work they put into our “family business”.
It was a great education for them. First, they got to witness the hard work and dedication it takes to start a new business. Second, they got to learn a huge amount of history and providence behind many of the antique items they were interested in buying.
The experience stretched their people skills, taught them how to handle bits of boredom, and allowed us to spend time together working on a common cause.
I’d only been a “shopper” before. Now, having been a "vendor", I see the amazing amount of blood, sweat, and tears, time and money that goes into putting together these booths. For months before, we worked our fingers to the bone, round the clock - but learned so much, had a blast, and found out what we Hull's can do when we put our minds and hearts to something.
We’re planning to be back in Spring – this time with a few lessons under our belt. We'll do some things the same and some things differently. The one thing we’ll do for sure - is continue to move towards our dreams and goals. It's scary, exhilarating, complicated, and hard work. But, it makes us happy and feeds our souls!