127sale, episode 6. In which we rest and I begin a special collection.

On the seventh day... well, you know what happened on the seventh day...
I started a new collection!  Actually, what I was going to tell you was that we took a break from the 127sale on Sunday and decided to change it up a little bit (just a little).  We did some Sunday antiquing and exploring of the sweet little, historic town of Franklin, Tennessee.  Franklin is about 20 miles south of Nashville and, on our last day of fleamarketing, it was a lot closer than driving back to the 127sale for one more day of hunting down bargains.  After thoroughly enjoying the Saturday night show at the Grand Ole Opry and taking an inventory of our fleamarket finds (and of our road-weary selves), we decided to treat ourselves to a quiet day of antiquing (another form of fleamarketing) in the postcard-perfect town of Franklin.

Visit downtownfranklintn.com

for the full low-down

on why you should visit.

After an unplanned stop (never be afraid of an unplanned stop) at Landmark Booksellers on Main Street (Franklin is the kind of town where EVERYTHING is on Main Street), we headed a few steps over to Dotson's Restaurant where everyone was in their Sunday morning best to celebrate a beautifully tasty day.  (I was very sad to read of Dotson's recent closing after serving the local community for over 60 years.)  Another meatloaf to check off my list and another basket of mile-high biscuits (these were Mari's favorite of the trip).  Remind me to write a post (okay, maybe two or three) about my meatloaf travels (I'm not quite ready to coin "meatloafing" yet) some day.

I don't want to gloss over the significance of that stop at Landmark, either, because, like the name, my visit was truly a special occasion in my life as a collector, for it was at Landmark Booksellers of Franklin, Tennessee that I purchased my very first signed first edition.

I could write pages about Walker Percy's The Second Coming and why witnessing him speak at my college graduation was almost as exciting as receiving my own degree, but to find this special copy of this very special-to-me novel that had once been held by Percy's own hand as he inked the printed territory for this future fan to find on a sunny Sunday morning of rest from the 127sale leaves me (almost) speechless.  

A writer should never gush

so I'll postpone my book

moment for another time.

There was also a moment

when I met Alice Walker,

but I digress.

and John Irving

In this second photo is one of the many carefully curated booths at the Franklin Antique Mall.  We spent a few hours meandering and fleamarketing the rooms of the old ice house building, replete with characteristically creaking floor boards and naturally aged brick walls.  This booth in particular spoke to me.  If you zoom in on the top green shelf you will see a nicely arranged little display of Franciscan Starburst dinnerware.  (No, smarty pants, I did not start another collection... I was already a collector.)  Despite trying not to be "on the lookout" for missing pieces when I am fleamarketing, I do occasionally allow my collections to look out for me.  I've been collecting Starburst for about 20 years and have re-created (from at least 6 different vendors in 4 states) a nice collection of 4 full place settings, some serving pieces (a gravy boat with spoon at the South Florida Fairgrounds in West Palm Beach is a favorite find), and both a teapot and coffeepot.  We do use it from time to time (meatloaf and mashed potatoes look especially appetizing on vintage Starburst).  I'm not the kind of collector who is afraid to put things to their original use, but I do take extra effort to be careful when using collectibles.  

If you look around this retro booth a little more, you'll find samples of yet another collection currently filling a few drawers in our home.  This one started with my mom who was one of the original collector-hoarders and who gave me my eye for collecting quality goods.  Okay, I'm gonna do it, "My name is Lou and I collect vintage linen tablecloths."  Whew!  Much better.  

I don't need to watch a weekend marathon of hoarding programs (nobody needs to, but isn't it awesome when it happens?) or even talk to my wife the Psychology teacher to know what the collecting is all about.  Of course, I know I'm trying to recreate an idyllic version of the era in which I grew up and...  Wait, I didn't grow up in the 50s.  Never mind.  I just like the stuff, okay?!

Speaking of childish things, to the left is my best impersonation of Lily Tomlin as Edith Ann on Laugh-In.  We were at The Factory, a beautifully renovated former manufacturing facility of kitchen stoves and bedroom furniture that now serves as a unique gathering place with plenty of restaurants, shops, and reminders (like the big rocking chair) of goods formerly produced in Franklin.

Visit factoryatfranklin.com

for visitor information.

And that's the truth!

It's been fun reminiscing these last few weeks as I started this blog, but I will be coming to the end of our adventures on the 127 soon and moving on to another fleamarketing trip in another city (maybe another country).  I would like to share with you next time some (hopefully) useful travel/fleamarketing tips as well as explain how we ended up having beignets on the way home to South Texas from Nashville.