Nay Nay’s Cottage Antiques: How I started selling antiques at Round Top Hill Antiques Show

It was a cool, crisp spring morning on March 25, 2010 when Sandra Becker opened her doors to a “first business” of her own, known as “Nay Nay’s Cottage Antiques.” Deciding on the name of her business adventure came easy as her four grandchildren call her “Nay Nay.”

Renell Moore  January 8, 2018


Ralph and Sandra

Selling at the Texas Antiques Week Fair

Her show is located at Round Top Hill, Route 237, Round Top, Texas. Nay Nay’s is open twice a year during the Texas Antiques Week Fair. Twice a year Round Top is host to one of the nation’s largest antiques events. The show started in 1967 with 22 dealers at the Round Top Rifle Hall. The Original Round Top Antiques Fair is still the first full weekend in April and October. Because of its success, many other shows open prior to it and now include the towns in a 10-mile radius of Round Top.

Sandra and her husband of almost 54 years, Ralph Becker, always enjoyed going to Round Top and Warrenton during the Texas Antiques Week Fair.

Buying is a delight but selling is a little bit different

After many years of collecting, Sandra thought it would be fun to sell antiques and still give she and her husband a chance to have a fun time buying. Sandra gives most of the credit to Ralph as he does the hard work, lifting, moving and refurbishing of the items. He uses many different brands of the “chalk” paint, but now has a formula of his own.

Sandra said, “Buying is a delight, but selling is a little bit different.” She feels she has been so fortunate in greeting and meeting people from all over the USA and even from Canada and Europe. A couple from Canada who purchased an item at the fall 2017 show emailed Christmas greetings and Happy New year wishes.

“It is hard to believe that Route 237 in Round Top and Warrenton bring in so many visitors,” Sandra said as she recanted her very first show of March 25, 2010. “People came and walked through my booth, but I did not make one sale until mid-afternoon of the first day. Another vendor from the venue came to my booth and purchased an unusual pickle jar for $15.00. This was my only sale the first day of my new adventure.”

As the show went on, Sandra was very satisfied with additional sales, but admitted that her first day was like “going to your prom, and no one asking you to dance!”

Sandra’s booth consists of a “mixture from antique rocking horses, shabby chic furniture to flower arrangements in select antique containers.”

Sandra shares a highlight from one of her shows

“I had a fall/winter 2014 Country French magazine laying open on one of my tables. The page featured a picture of a beautifully designed kitchen that I had shown my friends. The magazine was still open on that page when two precious, prim and proper ladies walked into my booth. As we were chatting, I showed them the picture in the magazine and jokingly said, “This is how I want my next kitchen to look.” The two looked at one another and smiled, then explained that they were the designers.

“I thought they looked familiar,” Sandra said, “so I asked them if they had their picture in a magazine.” They informed her that they had been featured in the March/April 2015 Southern Lady issue. Sandra had this issue at home. It turned out they were the owners of a design business in Little Rock, Arkansas called “Providence Design. Sandra felt these ladies were “so delightful to visit with!”

Selling is Fun – Packing Up is Hard Work

As a final note to antiquers, she said, “Selling is fun, but hard work when you are packing up your unsold goods when the show is over.”

“Having gone into such a fun, small business opportunity twice yearly has been so enjoyable and I have met so many wonderful shoppers and dealers – many of whom we consider to be our dearest friends today!” Sandra said.

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