Columbust

That's right. Scott's Columbus was a bust. Delaware is the place to be.  Delaware, Ohio that is. 

I'll start from the beginning. Good time or bad, my mom and I would have fun no matter what the outcome of our antiquing adventure.  We got on the road right after work and drove off into the sunset with America's rust belt providing the backdrop.  We checked into our hotel, had some vino and cheered on the Spartans.

With anticipation we had an early morning wake up call, breakfast and headed to the Columbus Expo Center.  We were so surprised to find out that admission is free!  What a steal! When got into the center we saw rows of vendors spread before our eyes!  Oh, the promise! We held onto promise as we perused the tricket vendors... and we held on... and we held on. About the time we had walked through half of the market, we were starting to feel a little hopeless.  This was not really what we imagined. So much so, that it was almost comical. We were just cracking up.  She has always said you begin to feel old when you go to these markets and see items that you had during your childhood.  This should also not be the case for someone at the ripe younge age of twenty five. There were vendors selling beenie babies and barbie dolls.  Not quite what I had pictured. My mom said we couldn't leave without buying at least one thing, so I got some snazzy, costume clip on earrings. That proceeded to break in the car.  Icing on the cake.  I don't want to sound too cynical.  The people at the market could not have been nicer.  I real dose of Midwestern hospitality.  There may have been more treasures in the show then seen by my naked eye, but I had only one mission and that is to stop buying the accessories and to start buying furniture.  Furniture only!

We took the unexpected free morning and gave ourselves a self guided driving tour around Ohio State.  It was a pretty campus that kind of reminded me of Michigan State.  I am obviously bias, but I do think Michigan State is much more beautiful!  Having used our morning to see the Columbus "tourist" attraction we proceeded to get on our way home.  We made one more detour at trusty Home Goods. Continuing to laugh that we had driven all the way to Columbus only to leave with some broken clip on earrings, pot holders and a new travel coffee mug (the two latter our Home Goods pick ups).

It is about 30 more minutes along our drive that we spot a huge red barn with a nice sign outside stating "Garth's, Auctioneers and Apraisers". We give each other glances, asked if we were crazy enough to stop and with a promising, swift search on the blackberry, we decided it was a good idea and had nothing to loose. 

We happened to walk into an auction house cloud nine.  Trailers were parked outside from New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Kentucky. Had we stumbled upon a hidden gem? We walked inside to see a packed barn and an amazing "Early American" auction taking place.  There was a remarkable array of period furniture and folk art, all being taken home by some serious bidders.  Talk about good luck!  We were not serious bidders, but bidders none the less. My mom spotted three beautiful chests, all above my price range.  With many of the items going for over their estimates, I was a little skeptical of being able to leave with anything.  I have bought a few things from auctions, but they have all been absentee bids.  The  process has always been a little intimidating! Armed with my paddle, the first of the three chests came up on the block.  I may have been a little antsy- and I kinda feel like I was bidding against myself- but after about a minute of confusion the auctioneer slammed down his gravel and proclaimed "sold to the lady in the back!".  I looked around... turns out that lady in the back was me!  My mom and I gave each other a little high five, I was not even sure what the final number was, but it turned out to be less than what I had allotted myself to spend.   Knowing we had to get on the road, we loaded up our new purchase and continued on our way, dying laughing about our crazy good fortune. It is days like these I should probably go out and buy a lottery ticket. 

Check it out.  My new Federal chest nestled into the corner of my living room.  This corner had been screaming for a piece of furniture.  It had been dark and awkward... but now, volià!   This is my first antique furniture purchase at an auction, but not for my lack of trying.  I just never get lucky enough!  The nude that is hanging above the chest was another auction purchse, back in 2008 from a "Marketplace" auction at Leslie Hindman in Chicago.

Not to mention, this piece also has great hardware!  I have never seen this beehive deatil, but then again, there are many things I have not seen. Each drawer has an inlaid wood border.  I didn't photograph it very well, but you can see a bit of the border in this photo, under the hardware.

I could have spent the remainder of the afternoon observing and educating myself at the auction (and eating gyro's from the deli cart parked outside). I will definitly be stalking Garth's online and if the opportunity presents itself I would drive down for another fun filled afternoon in a second. It looks like they are having an "Early American & Ohio Valley" auction this May.  I am sure there will be more treasures to find!