Tag Archives: Houston

TIME FLIES

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It’s true!  Time flies, much like a gen.u.ine FREE spirit.  Since opening The Coop on March 25th, we’ve had so much fun nestling into our Burton home.  We honestly LOVE the community and all our new friends.  Thank you ALL for making our first few months in business a tremendous success!

Hard to believe we are weeks away from another Texas Antiques Week!

Getting Ready for the BIG SHOW

Jeff and I will hit the road again for a buying trip.  I already have a large load waiting to be picked up!  I am super excited to visit my favorite dealers to see what they’ve uncovered in their latest hunting adventures.  This promises to be epic!

Flown The Coop will be closed August 30 – September 22.  The Coop will undergo a complete redo to prepare for Texas Antiques Week.  During this time we will bring back our new treasures and create all new vignettes.  Sorry, no sneak peaking…

The Burton Antiques Market

September 23rd – Kicking off the Burton Antique Market

Flown The Coop will throw open the doors September 23rd at 9:00 am.  Be the first to grab the newest treasures from our buying trip and one of our BRAND NEW gen.u.ine FREE spirit tees.  Don’t forget to snap a pic in front of our gen.u.ine FREE spirit mural.  Tag us #2flownthecoop so we can highlight your pic on our FB and Instagram accounts.

Later that night we have a BIG treat for you…  Flown The Coop will open our backyard stage from 7:30 pm – midnight for Kountry Chic Karoake & DJ.  Bring your lawn chairs and BYOBeverages!  It will be a fun evening under the stars with Denise and our favorite local karaoke stars.

 September 26th – White Linen Night 

Several months ago the idea for White Linen Night came to me while dreaming up events for Texas Antiques Week.  I saw a throwback picture on Facebook from one of Theresa Cano’s Blogger Parties.  All the ladies showed up dressed in white.  The idea popped into my head:  Burton needs a White Linen Night, much like the New Orleans and Houston Heights tradition celebrating the arts and surviving another sultry summer.   So ladies and gentlemen, get out your favorite white outfit and join us on September 26th from 6pm – 9pm for Burton’s FIRST EVER White Linen Night!

Flown The Coop is teaming up with Market Realty/ Rita’s Antiques to sponsor White Linen Night.  Artists, creatives and makers will line Live Oak St. in front of Flown The Coop.  Live music will be on the porch of Market Realty.  Food by the Burton Volunteer Fire Department will be located in front of Market Realty.

There is still room for artists, creatives and makers to join White Linen Night!  Email me at eckhardt.tiffany@gmail.com for registration!  

Check out the White Linen Night Fabebook Event for the updated list of Artists * Music * Food * Fun.  

Burton Antique Market

Putting Burton on the Antiques Show Map!  Burton will roll out the welcome mat for pilgrims of Texas Antiques Week September 23 – October 3rd.  Our charming little secret town has even more new Antique Stores and will host a few events you will want to be aware of during this bi-annual event.

September 26th Burton Trade Days, because it’s nearly impossible to have a garage sale in the country.  Located at The Railroad Details from 9am – 5pm.

September 23 – 25th Volunteer Fire Department will serve BBQ at the Fire Department under the water tower.  11am – 7pm

Flown The Coop will be open daily September 23 – October 3rd  9am- 7pm

The BIG FUN will be here before you know it… I can’t wait to see all my friends I’ve made over the past several years! #TexasAntiquesWeek #BurtonAntiqueMarket #BringmetoBurton

 

Heights Emporium

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I’m thrilled to announce Flown The Coop will be a merchant at the Heights Emporium on March 1, 2014.  The Heights Emporium is an outdoor event in the parking lot of the Corridor Shops and More located at 238 W. 19th St. in the Houston Heights.

For the past several weeks I have had the privilege of joining a team of talented entrepreneurs who are planning the upcoming Heights Emporium.  I love the creative energy that goes into brainstorming possibilities and forgot how much I love to help organize and promote events, especially in the community I call home.

The Houston Heights is home to an amazing community of creative business owners, both in conventional and unconventional business models.  The Heights Emporium was developed to showcase a curated mix of local merchants.  Gilbert Perez, owner of the Corridor Shops and More, recognizes the growing number of merchants without walls and has graciously created an event on his premises to showcase local talent who are utilizing a variety of business models.  Sarah Rufca of the Houston Chronicle penned the current business trend in her recent article, These buzzy Houston retailers don’t need brick and mortar shops.  Kristy Keel of West 23rd. St. Vintage was highlighted in the article and is a valuable part of the team organizing and promoting the Heights Emporium.  I am honored to be included in the mix and excited for the opportunity to bring Flown The Coop to 19th Street again.

The mix of merchants is shaping up!  Stayed tuned on Facebook, Instagram (@heightsemporium) and Twitter for updates on the lineup.  Tag your posts with #HeightsEmporium so we can see the event through your eyes too!

~Tiffany

And the birds fluttered around her writing “YES” in the sky!

 

Urban Market Houston

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This coming weekend is Urban Market Houston weekend!  The fun starts on Saturday, Feb. 8th at 3pm and continues through Sunday at 4pm.  We are excited about another Urban adventure in our own backyard.

We’ve been working on projects at the Flown The Coop headquarters in preparation for this weekend.

Here’s a sneak peak…

These corbels from Ohio have been updated with a metallic finish.  The table below has the same finish.

Guess I’ve had a little too much fun with my new paints and techniques I learned in Vegas!

After several different techniques, I think I can call this workbench finished.

In addition to the projects, we have several pieces from the last Ohio buying trip and new pieces from recent auctions.

Hope to see you this weekend…  Spread the word & bring a friend!

~Tiffany

And the birds fluttered around her writing “YES” in the sky!

Admitting a problem

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Chair Addiction

I’ve always had this problem.  When I go shopping, it’s guaranteed I’ll bring home a chair.  I used to sneak them in, like an adorable orphaned puppy that I can’t possibly take care of.  After years of this behavior, I’m ready to admit to an addiction.  I prefer to call it a love affair with chairs.

Walking around my home, the problem is obvious.  To my credit, I don’t discriminate.  There is no rhyme or reason to my love affair.  At any given time, there is a wide variety of seats to take in my home.  Take a peak at our current options…

These classic wood desk chairs are waiting the perfect kitchen table.  Don’t they look like wallflowers waiting to be asked to dance?

My desk chair is one of my favorites!  This is where I spend a LOT of time.

Here is a recent rescue.  This will be a fantastic chair when I get around to recovering it.

Here is one of my favorite projects.  I think the school bus seat covered with faux cow hide turned out great!  It found a home at the Crazy Oaks Lodge & Retreat.  I love that!

Here is a wonderful vintage arm chair that I had professionally upholstered.  I can visit this lovely chair at my friend Katrina’s home.  Stayed tuned… I’m picking one up similar to it soon.

This Toledo drafting chair is a recent pick.  Isn’t she sweet?  Look closely, you’ll see my beloved butterfly chair, another recent pick.

The best part of my “job’ is that I can preserve my love affair (aka addiction or problem), enjoy the treasures for a time and then send them off.  As proof, take a look at a collection of chairs that have been placed in good homes.

[wooslider slide_page=”the-chair-addiction” slider_type=”slides”]

What are you drawn to when you shop? Have you been accused of having a problem?  Are you warned not to bring another one home?  Admitting the problem is the first step.  🙂

Here’s to our love affair with vintage and simple pleasures!

~Tiffany

And the birds fluttered around her writing “YES” in the sky!

I took a leap

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And now I’m flying!

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 Flew The Coop

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[wooslider slideshow_speed=”5.0″ slide_page=”time-has-flown” slider_type=”slides”]

Time flies when you are having fun!

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.

 

Just keeps getting better!

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Flown The Coop’s third trip to Urban Market Houston was a huge success!

It was rewarding to see my recent pickings come together in the display at Urban Market Houston.  It just keeps getting better as I gain more confidence merchandising with each show.    The ultimate gratification is watching my treasured junque leave with excited new owners.  I love my job!

 

Breaking for FUN!  

Brian Russell from the Seed Box Designs borrowed his neighbor’s bike and took Miss Ivy for
a ride.  I don’t know who giggled more, Brian or Miss Ivy.  Hanging out with my crazy friends is another reason I love my job!  Click on the image to see a Vine Video….

Little Miss Ivy is serious about furniture modeling, click on the image for another Vine Video.

Urban Market Crowd

Urban Market Houston is one of my favorite shows, held three times a year at the Bayou City Event Center on Knight Rd.  Excited customers line up early for the Saturday evening preview, a great way to kick off the weekend!  A crowd lined up early on Sunday morning as well.  The weather was perfect for shopping!  Let’s hope we have a repeat of the beautiful weather October 26 – 27th for the next Urban Market Houston.

Thanks to all my Houston friends who stopped by to say “hi!”  I was honored to meet a few more friends that had been following the Flown The Coop flight pattern.  I love chatting with like minded people who love junque as much as I do!  Yet another reason I love my job!

Remember to send me pictures of treasures you buy from Flown The Coop.  It’s fun to see the pieces in their new homes.

What’s next?

Next stop:  Jeff and I leave for another trip to Ohio at the end of the week.  Stayed tuned.  Jeff has warned me that he plans on using his new Vine app to document our shopping.  This should be fun!

Next show:  Dallas Market June 19 – 23rd

As always, follow our flight pattern on our Facebook Page!  You can always let me know if you are looking for a particular piece.  I’d be happy to assist you on your search!

Here’s to happy junqueing…  It just keeps getting better!  

~Tiffany

And the birds fluttered around her writing “YES” in the sky!

Anticipating Spring Markets

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Ground Hog day is just around the corner.  We all hope he ushers in Spring sooner rather than later.  This week Folk’s Journal agenda challenge:  In the near future, what are you looking forward to the most?

Upcoming Spring Markets!

I’m looking forward to spring markets, with Urban Market Houston kicking off the season February 9th & 10th.

Planning displays for the upcoming spring markets is much like the itch I used to get for spring gardening. Throughout the winter, I used to spend hours pouring over magazines looking for ideas for gardening projects in anticipation of spring.  February always made me anxious to get outside, get my hands dirty and do the projects that I’ve been designing.

The upcoming spring markets allow Flown The Coop to create anew. In January I begin dreaming about booth displays and spend hours on Pinterest looking for fresh ideas for the upcoming markets. I’ve learned a lot since Kristie Herlong and I set up at our first market in 2011 and am getting better at pulling ideas together with each new display. Thankfully, Jeff is always up for whatever crazy idea I want to try.

Flown The Coop loads of fun the past few years

I love the community!  The hours spent hunting unique Junque, transporting and refinishing the Junque, and then planning ways to display the Junque is rewarded by seeing all my friends in the field once we arrive to a market.  It is fun to be the first to see the treasures they’ve uncovered in the past months. Their creativity and talent sets trends and is inspiring. I look forward to catching up with them, as well as catching up with the many loyal Flown The Coop friends!

If you are itching to create new spaces in your home or garden, I invite you to come out to one of the upcoming markets!  You will either be inspired by the creative displays or find the items you’ve searching for to finish the project you’ve spent this winter designing.

Urban Market Houston February 9-10

A two day outdoor Antique Market held three times a year in Houston. A fabulous collection of dealers, designers, and shop owners with spectacular antiques, furniture, and home decor.

Cole’s Antique Show (Round Top & Warrenton Antique Weeks)  March 25 – April 6

This rambling flea market that originally started in Round Top now encompasses about 26 miles between Round Top and Warrenton.   Cole’s is located at the edge Warrenton where several halls and dozens of fields are filled twice a year.

Will the ground hog see his shadow?  Regardless, I am looking forward to spring and the upcoming markets.  What are you most looking forward to?

 Linked in 🙂  

~Tiffany

And the birds fluttered around her writing “YES” in the sky!

 

Lessons learned in 2012

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Flown The Coop will take part in Folk Magazines year long Journaling Agenda, a community journaling/blogging project. Here’s to the first blog of the year!

Dear Tiffany,

It is safe to say, 2012 is over and you can move on.

Looking at your 2012 ~ Goals, Mantras and Dreams Board on Pinterest, the message is clearly the importance of pressing on. You are a dreamer. You always will believe that you can create the life you want.

2012 challenged that belief.

The year started with a move to Houston, Texas. This was not your choice. Leaving your two grown children in Ohio was difficult.  Fulfilling Jeff’s dream of living near his family, you made the move with the love of your life and was hoping for the best. You didn’t do so well.  You missed your family back in Ohio and the best friends in the world! You learned that you are a small town girl, who enjoys knowing your neighbors and walking around a historic downtown with lovely old homes. You missed The Depot, your favorite coffee shop, where the community gathers for their daily dose of Java and everyone knows your name.

With a wounded heart, but not a wounded spirit, you pressed on.  Not many people in your new home understood that you were having a crisis of belief.  You questioned, “Could you really be happy and fly free when you didn’t have the ability to choose your circumstances?”

Despite the Houston traffic, you managed to find your way around the “fourth largest city in the US.” Exploring a new city is always fun! You even managed to find a new coffee house to frequent, Boomtown. You enjoyed decorating your little flat in Rice Village, but parking tickets and loud college students made it clear that it wasn’t the ideal situation.  You longed for community and a feeling of place.  You and Jeff decided to end 2012 by placing a deposit on a rental house in the Heights.  The Heights is a neighborhood inside the loop that in many ways feels like your small town and is the only thing like it in Houston.  The cost of living is drastically higher than we are used to, but the decision felt like a leap towards creating the life that you wanted.  After your move in January, you will be able to make new friends, get involved in community and even walk to Boomtown!  You learned that given time, you can find what your heart longs for if you are willing to pay the price.

You hustled in 2012 and will need to hustle some more in 2013!

Flown The Coop made the move to Texas too. It was a scary move for you. How would you find ways to buy and sell, restore and repurpose wonderful Junque?  You rose to the challenge and Hustled.

You set up at several shows in Texas. You did Canton, Warrenton, Junk Salvation, Discovery Green Flea Market and the prestigious Urban Market Houston. In July you opened a booth at Chippendale Eastlake Antiques on 19th street in the Heights. Your were even invited to help out The Seed Box at the Dallas Market. All of these opportunities inspired you work harder at Flown The Coop. You learned a lot about merchandising from the pros in the business. You were encouraged to discover a niche, which is still a work in progress. The best part in stepping out in the various opportunities was making fabulous new friends! You have the best colleagues and customers who continually support your dream of flying free!

Creating a life on purpose is very important to you. In 2012 you learned that even when life isn’t zesty, you don’t have to be caged. You can fly free! The happiness you long for isn’t in a destination, but is in the way you travel. You’ve proved to yourself that you are strong, willing to persist and that you have the ability to start over!

Life is a journey, come travel with me!

 ~Tiffany

“And the birds fluttered around her writing “YES” in the sky!”

 

 

Urban Market Houston

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The New Kid On The Block

I had the privilege to participate in my first Urban Market Houston October 27 & 28th.  I have to give kudos and much thanks to Jackie Sharbrough and her crew.  The market ran smoothly and was truly one of the best experiences I’ve had at a market!

In case you missed the October Urban Market Houston, here is a glimpse of what we had in store for the market goers.

 

Weather was on our side

We had great weather for the market, inviting a large group to line up for Saturday afternoon sneak peak.  Love the excitement a crowd creates!

So much talent in one place!

The Urban Market Houston highlights an amazing array of talent that never fail to inspire me!

of course I love The Seed Box!

 

Susan Skinner & Hector Vasquez with Fun Dustrial always bring truck loads of industrial and fun finds!

I always admire J Hill Designs

A new purchase came from Camille and Scott McCain at Desirable Junk…  I fell in love with these beauty shop chairs!  Check out the turquoise ones that landed in my apartment!!!!

 

And I thoroughly enjoyed my delightful neighbor Rebecca Looten of Monsoon Imports!

 

Flown The Coop Friends!

We always like to highlight the fact that we have made some great friends in our Junque community!  This “cutie pitutie” has seriously stole our hearts!!!!  We love that Ivy hangs out at our booth during the market.

Save The Date

Urban Market Houston happens three times a year; October, February and May.  I am already making plans for the February Urban Market.  Hope you save the date and join us for another wonderful market!

~Tiffany