You know it’s fall when you feel the need to put on those jeans and cowboy boots and head off to stroll the fairgrounds of Pettingill Farm’s Vintage Bazaar in Salisbury.
You never know what you’ll encounter on the way. Last year, it was vintage cars heading to the fairgrounds to show off their restored style at the antique car show. This year, it was a pickup truck with a ginormous pumpkin in the back bed leading the way off the exit on I-495.
A beautiful sunny Saturday offered a picture-perfect setting for vendors and artisans to show their hand-made offerings. With over 185 vendors from all over the country, a visitor is guaranteed to find that special treasure to take home — anything from architectural salvage to Scottish tartan-designed golf bags. I was drawn to a tiered mercury serving-plate showcasing white pumpkins and to the DIY Scrabble tile coasters.
One vendor who caught my eye was Nancy the Linens Lady. Her pop-up shop had a perfect corner location at a turn from one lane to the next. Her abundance of vintage linens is a textile lover’ss dream. Something for every size table could be found at Nancy’s booth.
She gathers her linen finds mostly from estate sales and online. A lot of them have never been used, still in packages with original prices on them when she purchases them. This just goes to show that Nancy has some very nicely preserved and authentic table linens and vintage handkerchiefs. She also carries some vintage stemware.
One possibility that ran through my head while browing Nancy’s warm and inviting boutique was a vintage wedding shower with all vintage table linens. Now there’s an idea. Nancy can be reached at her Facebook page, www.facebook.com/TheLinensLady.
Next on the agenda was grabbing a slice from the portable Wolfe City brick oven pizza company out of Wolfboro, New Hampshire, and a hard cider from the pop-up saloon on the fairgrounds. At the bandstand, music was presented by Evolvement Radio’s Meraki Roots Music Festival. Meraki is a Greek word describing putting love, soul and creativity into something you do, a passion. We enjoyed music from Wise Old Moon, a rock-roots band from Hartford, Connecticut. The bandstand was a relaxing place to lay out your blanket or set up lawn chairs and relax between viewings of vendors.
The Vintage Bazaar has been named one of the Top 10 Vintage festivals in the country and it’s so close to home. Making it an all-day event for the vintage picker or fun family outing is highly recommended. The Vintage Bazaar is a definite must to put on your calendar for next year’s summer/fall fun things to do. For information, go to www.pettingillfarm.com.
Debbe Daley, owner of Debbe Daley Designs and RAW Furnishings, is an interior designer with more than 25 years of experience as a professional interior redesigner, stylist, stager, trainer and project manager. Follow her blog at blogs.lowellsun.com/daleydecor. She also blogs at debbedaleydesignsllc.blogspot.com.
