Round Top Antiques Fair: AD PRO’s Essential Guide to the 17-Mile Market

Round Top, Texas, has a population under 100. But twice per year, during the Round Top Antiques Fair, over 100,000 people—including design icons like Kelly Wearstler, Martyn Lawrence Bullard, and Joanna Gaines—descend upon the tiny town to dig through treasures large and small. (A smaller show in January also draws a crowd, even if not at the scale of the spring and fall events.) The fair started in 1968 with just a few vendors in a single barn focused on classic American antiques, and though it has grown to stretch across 17 miles of highway in the almost 60 years since, its original essence is still very much alive and well, carried on by antique and vintage lovers who believe in the power of finding unique pieces and bringing them into your space. The event can be overwhelming for newbies, so it’s best to come prepared—here’s everything you need to know before you hit the show, which kicks off its spring edition later this month.

What, when, and where

Round Top is located around an hour from both Austin and Houston, and the fair is held three times per year, in January, March, and October. Though the smaller winter show has already passed, the grander spring edition runs March 27 to April 1. To get the real cream of the crop, you might be better off bookmarking “Designer Day”—an early shopping event—on March 26 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. In the fall, the fair will be held from October 16 to 21, with Designer Day on October 15.

The fair is home to about 80 venues (or “shows”) that stretch across 17 miles of Texas State Highway 237. It could take a full week to thoroughly examine just one venue, much less the whole lot of them—so it pays to plan ahead.

What to know about the show

Besides its sheer size, what’s special about Round Top is that it doesn’t focus on any specific style or era of decor—in fact, that’s probably its main selling point. You don’t have to be looking for anything in particular to find something you love, and if you’re on the hunt for something specific, you can bet you’ll find it buried amongst the seemingly endless acres of tents, barns, and stalls. Heading to Round Top this spring? Here are a few things you’ll want to do to guarantee a productive visit.

As mentioned, the fair stretches across 17 miles of a state highway, so it’s imperative that you have a car. (It is Texas after all.) Unlike other large antique fairs and flea markets, Round Top is spread across multiple venues and is therefore not walkable or bike-friendly.

Though you’ll be driving between venues, expect to get your steps in as you wander around each show. The terrain consists of grass, gravel, mulch, and rock, and many of the pathways aren’t paved, so wear shoes you don’t mind getting dirty. In true Texas fashion (pun intended), cowboy boots are always acceptable attire, of course.

Round Top is so big it’s hard to tackle it all in one trip—even for experienced attendees. Mark Dooley, co-owner of venues Excess I and Excess II (as well as his own antiques business, North Star Antiques), recommends following each of the venues’ Instagram accounts so you can start to scope out some of the dealers you might want to visit. The accounts often post updates on who will be joining for the upcoming season and even post sneak peeks of what their dealers might be bringing. If you’re on the hunt for something specific, he also recommends reaching out to dealers directly to get an idea of price points and inventory. “The more legwork you can do before, the better experience you’ll have,” he explains. “You’re under a major learning curve the first time you come here because there’s just so much to see.”

It’s also important to remember that each of the venues is owned and operated separately, so you should have an understanding of how each one works before heading there. Some of them require tickets for admission; others are open for you to wander; you can pay for early admission at certain venues so you have access to inventory before general admission ticket holders; some have parking on-site, and others require you to walk a bit to the entrance. Unfortunately there isn’t a central directory to track down this information so it requires quite a bit of research beforehand.

Many dealers only accept cash, so it’s good to have some on hand. Plus, if you’re comfortable negotiating, a dealer might be a little more flexible on price if you’re able to pay in dollar bills.

“Round Top’s ever-changing weather calls for versatile packing, ensuring you’re prepared for any climate,” notes Teressa Foglia, designer and founder of Teressa Foglia Millinery. She has been showcasing her custom and ready-to-wear collections of hats at Round Top, and currently has a showroom at the venue The Horseshoe. The temperature and precipitation can vary wildly from day to day, so wear and bring layers that can be shed or added as the day goes on.

Where to stay

There aren’t many places to stay that are actually in Round Top, which is part of what makes Rancho Pillow so special. The property comprises five different accommodations, which can sleep anywhere from 2 to 10 people each. Rooms cannot be rented individually, but rather each building can be rented in its entirety or a larger party can buy out the whole property for a fully immersive experience. Set on 20 acres of land, it’s a peaceful escape from the chaos of the fair and boasts unique amenities like a saltwater wading pool and a luxurious open-air bathhouse.

Rancho Pillow is also home to Feasts in the Field, a ticketed celebration that brings 200 people to dine together and commemorate yet another inspiring Round Top season. Attendees, designers, dealers, and tastemakers alike all gather to experience the magic of the property’s serene setting, commiserate over what’s happening at that season of Round Top, and, of course, eat good food.

Round Top is just an hour east of Austin, so if you’re not planning on attending every day of the fair, it might be worth it to stay in a more urban hub so you can play tourist on your off days. There is no better hotel for design lovers than the Proper Hotel in Austin, a Kelly Wearstler creation. It sits in the thick of Austin’s 2nd Street District, steps away from some of the city’s main attractions, including Lady Bird Lake and some of the best shopping in town.

Round Top is about an hour west of Houston, so, similar to Austin, you can make day trips to the festival while exploring the cultural melting pot of the Gulf Coast city. Set up your home base at the C. Baldwin Hotel, a contemporary stay that blends midcentury design with a distinct Texas flair. Nestled in downtown Houston, you can walk to many of the city’s best restaurants and shops.

Venues and vendors to visit

Many seasoned attendees come to Round Top specifically to shop at Marburger Farm, so it’s at the top of the list of things to see when you go. The show’s dealer coordinator, Mallory Culbert, attributes this high demand to its brief five-day stint every season.

“It’s the shortest show [at Round Top], so you have the least amount of time to visit our dealers,” she explains. “And a lot of our dealers, the only time you can buy from them is at Marburger, at least from a touch-and-feel in-person standpoint.” She notes that a lot of buyers build their time at Round Top around coming to Marburger for this very reason, citing Patternmill’s Jay Bearden, a Mallorca-based dealer who sources his stunning array of furniture from Europe and only shows them to the public at Marburger, as a chief example. (His collection occupies the entirety of tent G.)

If you’ve ever seen a photo of people dashing through the fields like it’s rope drop at Disney World, it’s likely the photo was taken on opening day at Marburger. Content creator and designer (and Round Top veteran) Arvin Olano recommends, “Get to Marburger at 8 a.m. because there is traffic to get in. This will give you time to park, settle in, and get to your favorite tent by the time they do the ribbon cutting at 9 a.m.—then you make a run for it!”

In addition to Patternmill—a frequent favorite of Arvin’s—here are a couple other dealers you might want to visit.

• Hands of Industry (Silver Dollar Saloon) This Salt Lake City–based dealer, which has been showing at Round Top for the last six years, specializes in 20th-century furniture with an emphasis on restoration. “[Arounds] 90% of what’s in here is walked through a restoration process, where we either reupholster it or give it a thorough clean or refinishing, so it’s ready to go into a contemporary home,” explains cofounder Brett Millet.

• Antik Oriental (tent D) Focusing on East and Southeast Asian ceramics, furniture, wood, and ethnographic art dating back to the 10th century, last spring was Antik Oriental’s first appearance at Round Top. Founders Jay and Virginia Corpuz primarily brought smalls to the fair, mixing Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, and Filipino bowls, vases, urns, and more. Their most in-demand pieces during the show were blue-and-white and celadon ceramics of the 16th-century Ming dynasty that were salvaged from a shipwreck off the coast of the Busuanga island in the Philippines in 1997.
  [Editor’s note: Writer Kristin Corpuz is the daughter of Antik Oriental founders Jay and Virginia Corpuz.]

If you need a reprieve from the elements of rural Texas, there’s no better place to get lost than at Market Hill. The mostly enclosed (and, thankfully, air-conditioned) venue features some of Round Top’s most in-demand dealers who have supplied pieces for hotels and celebrities’ homes around the world. Here are a couple of our favorite stops.

• Amelia Tarbet Studios: Buyers have come to expect the unexpected at Amelia Tarbet’s studio, as she is a master of securing one-of-one pieces—from sofas and chairs to lamps and sculptures—from all around the world to curate her progressive showroom. “In the first few years I was showing, my style was definitely not the majority of what people were doing here,” she tells us. “[When I started,] a lot of what was at Round Top was super traditional. At one of my first shows, a dealer came up to me and said, ‘If you keep bringing this kind of stuff, you’re going to be out of business here.’” The last 12 years of showing at Round Top have definitely proven that dealer wrong.
• Heja Home: You don’t have to travel all the way to Morocco to secure a quality rug for your space. Jason and Heather Rosfeld, the husband and wife duo at the helm of Heja Home, have you covered. Seven of the last 10 years of their business have been spent showing at Round Top, where they’re able to connect with buyers and designers who gravitate toward their specialty of Mediterranean textured neutral textiles and rugs.

One of Round Top’s oldest venues, Blue Hills has evolved over the years to include both vintage and newer sellers. If you’re on the hunt for true antiques and want to spend a long time at one venue, it might not be for you (many of the dealers this season focused on new and mass-produced items). That said, East End Salvage is worth a visit alone.

• East End Salvage: Specializing in European antiques and architectural salvage, East End Salvage is a diamond in the rough at Blue Hills. Over the years, founder Kaci Lyford and her husband Robert have carved out a niche curating vintage smalls, like French apothecary bottles, as well as large architectural pieces, including giant door frames, hat racks, and fireplaces. Their well-styled showroom is a breath of fresh air among the chaos of the fair, and it offers a distinct point of view that you’ll want to revisit every season.