Tag Archives: Springfield Extravaganza

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.

 

Tiny Steps… TEXAS SIZE DREAMS!

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We started our Flown The Coop journey about year ago.  July will mark our first Flea Market gig at the Springfield Antique & Flea Market.  Many of you will remember images from our maiden voyage….

 

Kristie Herlong and I felt like a million bucks after our first weekend!  We were told July was a horrible month for the Flea.  Yet we left exhilarated by the cash in our pocket & new friends we met… ready and determined to take flight on more adventures!

Our first tiny step seems like a million years and a million miles ago!  In less than a year Flown The Coop has taken a succession of tiny steps with extreme highs and lows, flying between Ohio and Texas many times.  Yes… living La Vita Loco e La Dolce Vita at the same time.  

….and we have settled nicely into our Texas “coop”.  

Rest assured we maintain our dedication to our original mission…

Flown The Coop is dedicated to those who can’t be caged! On our journey, we find treasures to repurpose, reuse, rethink & upcycle! We aspire to inspire creativity and a zest for life along the way!

Flown The Coop will always be about being creative… living our dreams… being authentic… flying free… thinking outside the box… living a real gypsy story.  

With our mission in tack, we have developed some “Texas Sized” dreams for the future.  Each tiny step seems to be leading us towards amazing opportunities.  We have some VERY EXCITING NEWS coming soon.  

Before we can spill the beans about upcoming adventures… we want to pause to revel in our journey.  Wow!  So grateful!    Let’s just say… if we can do it… you can do it too!  What tiny steps will you take today towards your “Texas Size” DREAM?  

~ And the birds fluttered around them writing “yes” in the sky!