Two years ago I took a leap with my friend Kristie Herlong (now owner of Dorcey’s). We naively set up at the Springfield Antiques Show and Flea Market in July, a traditionally slow month. Kristie and I had NO idea what we were doing, but embraced the adventure and figured it out. We were thrilled with our sales and decided to launched Flown The Coop. I had no idea that a little experiment with junking would turn into a passion and sustainable business venture. Making it up along the way and carving out our individual niches, Kristie and I have both “built our wings.”
These little wings have flown some distance since then.
Last month I shared a space at the Dallas Market Center, Vintage Home section with my good friends and mentors Brian and Meloney Russell of the Seed Box Designs. Needless to say, I am in awe of where Flown The Coop has taken me.
It helps to have talented friends in the business! Congrats to The Seed Box Designs for winning Best of Vintage Home!!!
A flight home
This month I will return to the Springfield Antique Show and Flea Market. Two years ago I would have never guessed that I would travel such a distance to shop the flea. I am still excited about the journey and the unpredictable flight pattern. I’m so glad that I took the leap, Flew the Coop and continue to build my wings!
If you have a dream, take the leap! You’ll figure out how to build your wings on the way down! If you are a leaper, what is your experience? I’m sure there are kindred spirits who could benefit from sharing your experiences.
~Tiffany
And the birds fluttered around her writing “YES” in the sky.
May was a fun month that seemed to fly by! The buying trip to Ohio was a huge success! My workshop is officially “hoarded” up and the Flown The Coop booth at Chippendale Eastlake Antiques is fully stocked.
Shopping is one of my favorite parts of the business, and is even better when friends and family tag along! You never know who you’ll meet up with in the field. This time I found Mrs. Beasley!
Jeff joined me on this trip. Shopping hours on end is not his favorite part of the business. We joked that he became my personal porter.
Jeff proved to have a good eye for treasures! He found this egg scale, which was immediately sold to a farm in West Liberty, Ohio after being posted to Facebook. The Springfield Extravaganza kicks off the show season in the midwest. I was so excited to shop it for the first time since I moved to Houston. It was fun to see my friends at Dorcey’s set up under their big circus tent. (click on the image to view the Vine Video)
Shopping trips are serious work, but a trip to Ohio would not be complete without spending time with my family and friends! On the way to Ohio we stopped in Memphis to see our dear friend Erin, and heard award winning Blues at the Hard Rock Cafe. We arrived in Ohio in time to celebrated Mother’s day with my family. Jeff and I enjoyed hanging out in the evenings with some of our favorite people. Here’s Kelly, Michele and I after a dinner in Urbana. These ladies always make me smile!
On the way back to Houston, we stopped at Brian and Meloney’s home in Missouri. They own The Seed Box Designs and have a fabulous home in the Ozark mountains. We enjoyed hanging out on their deck, showing them our picks from Ohio, seeing what they’ve been working on and feeding the cows with Miss Ivy. It was exactly what we needed before our last leg of the trip.
Returning to Houston
First thing on the agenda after returning to Houston was a booth redo at Chippendales. My daughter Emily was in town and helped me whip the booth in shape. Many of the new pieces have already flown off to new homes.
The Dallas Market
It’s now June, which means summer in Texas is really heating up! It’s also quickly approaching the time for Flown The Coop’s debut at the Vintage Home Market, going on during the Dallas Gift Market June 20-24th in the Market Hall North across from the World Trade Center. I have a week to finish last minute projects and pack it all up.
June and beyond
I hope to spend more time blogging about my adventures in the future! Time seems to fly the coop. I get busy working on projects and hunting new treasures. There are so many aspects of the business I’d like to share; from buying, repurposing, merchandising, selling, etc. What would you like to read more about?
There are no shows scheduled for July and August, but I’ll hook up the trailer to Miss Dixie for anther buying adventure this summer. Stayed tuned for stories from June and beyond… and follow our flight pattern on Facebook for a daily dose of Flown The Coop!
~Tiffany
And the birds fluttered around her writing “YES” in the sky.
Not one to sit still… we’ve been in continuous motion for several weeks now. It has been hard to write about every adventure. So here’s a little recap of the highlights.
May 30 – June 3 Our last month in the field at Canton was bitter sweet. We won’t miss battling the elements, but already miss our friends!
June 8 – June 17 Trip to Ohio. Oh… where to begin? Life is not all work… we all need to be refueled by fun times with family and friends! This trip was the perfect mix of junking (aka work) and creating memories of fun times!
Ever wonder where I get my spunk?
Grandma Maggie is 92 and loving life. She inspires me! 🙂 She took me to many garage sales over the years and is an excellent negotiator. I got to spend one day taking her to lunch and shopping at the Goodwill. 🙂
Hanging out with my parents… they truly have a better social life than Jeff & I. 🙂 Had lots of fun at dinner with them! They sent me home with a treasure that I’ll never be able to sell. Dad gave me grandpa’s tool chest filled with antique tools. It now has a new home in my living room. 🙂
I was very thankful to see my kids and my sister’s family too! I miss them so much!!!!
Enjoying life with friends
Had more than one adventure with this group of ladies… Kristie Herlong, Kelly Gingery and Michele Savoldi! 🙂
While in Ohio, Michele Savoldi hosted a Girlfriends and Grapes night at her house. The evening was over the top wonderful!!!! Michele thought of every detail creating a wine tasting with three whites and three reds, pairing each with delicious bites! Above is a picture of us on the “step and repeat” she created for the event.
Kelly organized a fun night on the town, hopping from Milestone 229 to The Jury Room… what a fun group of peeps! A few of us even went to Skully’s to dance to the 80’s!
We had the chance to hang out with many of our friends throughout the week. It was also fun running into friends at the Depot Coffee House! Gosh… I miss ya’all so much!
I really DO have the best friends in the world!
Junking… of course!
Isaac Cohn, a young entrepreneur from Urbana, Ohio struck the jack pot while I was visiting. He won the bid on an attic full of vintage clothing. We helped him sort through his booty and had fun trying on his vintage treasures. I am so proud of this young man! Stay tuned for more on his thriving vintage clothing business, Montage!
No trip to Ohio would be complete without a visit to my favorite junk store. I was all prepared with my clip board and everything. I wasn’t prepared for the emotional break down I had though…. who cries over missing a junk store? GEESH! It was worth it. I uncovered some really cool junk and one of my favorite pieces… check out this cabinet I scored! It is proudly displayed at Chippendale. I think it could be a great piece as a vanity in a bathroom or as a buffet in a kitchen or dining room!
A huge highlight for me was spending time with my friend and original Flown The Coop partner, Kristie Herlong. One day, with a bottle of wine and the Dixie Chicks blaring, we had a blast re-staging her shop at The Boston. It was just like ole times. 🙂
Wow… we fit A LOT into those five days!
Sadly, we had to pack up our treasures and hit the road again….
June 18 Redo my booth with all my new treasures!
With only a couple days to redo the booth at Chippendale, I worked hard to fit all my new treasures in. I definitely need to learn the balance of getting a lot of junk in the space and setting up meaningful vignettes. No time to fret with it… I had another adventure to get to.
Driving into the sun once again… 🙂
June 19 – June 22 Dallas Market
Brian and Meloney Russell of The Seed Box Antiques invited me to help them for a couple days at their booth at the Dallas Market, Vintage Home FINDS. I was excited about this adventure for several reasons. I had never been to market before. Seeing the world trade center for the first time was a bit overwhelming. I really enjoy hanging out with Brian and Meloney and am always challenged to work harder on my business. Also, I love seeing all the regulars that set up around Brian and Meloney. I don’t mind being their plus one. 🙂
As always… their display was over the top! Check out my album on my Facebook page for more pics!!!!
June 23 First day working at Chippendale
Starting off with a sidewalk sale! I love jumping right in with Shop Heights 19th Street Summer Tent Sale. It felt like I was back in the field as we set up our tents and filled it with fun “junk” from the shop. It gave us a chance to display a sample of all the great merchandise inside Chippendale.
It was a great day! I love the vibe on 19th and how the locals show their support!!!
What’s next?
Not sure what July will bring. As of this moment we don’t have any July travel plans. I do, however, have a list a mile long of projects that I’ve collected. I am always up for an adventure though! Stayed tuned.
Dedicated to those who can’t be caged!
~Tiffany
And the birds fluttered around her writing “yes” in the sky!
