They travel all the way from Australia!

Someone I know likes to refer to the town of Shipshewana as “Shop”-shewana because that’s what people love to do here.

But while it’s true that the Flea Market, auctions and all the unique shops in town offer almost endless shopping, this town is more than that.

I was reminded of that last week when I stopped in my friend’s business downtown. He was telling the adjacent shop owner the story of how he and his wife met and eventually married. As I listened to him tell his story, two tourists stopped to listen, too. One of the ladies contributed her own funny story and afterwards her friend commented, “This is why we love to come here… people don’t take the time to stop and talk where I’m from.”

It’s good to know we work in a town with a reputation for friendliness. Just ask the couple who travel all the way from Australia just to visit the flea market and downtown shops and stay in our RV Park … to experience it.

And it’s good to know we can also offer a neighborly experience to those who lose things at the Trading Place.

Sometimes we receive thank you notes for mailing items back to their owners. We received one such note last week after returning a Hanna Montana wallet to a 10-year-old girl. Her card read, “Thanks for sending me my wallet. I would have died if you didn’t find it.”

We’re so glad we prevented that from happening!

On the other hand, there are some things we can’t do, like “less rain” and “valet parking” as suggested on a few flea market comment slips. Unfortunately, our hands are a bit tied on those topics!

But just know we are happy to serve you and we’re doing our best to contribute to your “Shop”- shewana experience!

A great addition to your “Bucket List!”

I can think of a lot of good reasons to celebrate May!

The opening of the Shipshewana Flea Market is a very good one!

Tuesday’s opening day was beautifully sunny and warm and brought many smiling, good-natured people to check out the many booths at the flea market (we had approximately 80 percent of our 900-vendor capacity)

Once in a while we are asked why our flea market doesn’t carry local, hand-crafted items anymore. To answer that question, we have made a change to our 2013 Shipshewana Flea Market Guide this year. If you are looking in the Flea Market Guide and see a heart next to a listing, that indicates handmade items. We hope this clears up some of the confusion.

When I browsed the market Tuesday, I discovered one of those vendors offering handmade items. She had many hand-painted t-shirts with cute Shipshewana slogans that would make great souvenirs. She was very happy to be here, and I was happy to see her enjoying the perfect weather and the other vendors!

The booth across from hers displayed large, grill spatulas, which, of course. were not hand-made but engraved with names and logos of different sports teams, proving there ARE items for men to be found in the flea market … including tools and a booth dedicated entirely to sports teams!

Some other booths I noticed were the jumbo jelly beans (a yearly favorite), a fabric booth with a beautiful assortment, and a popular booth with engraved and painted outdoor stones.

Yes, if you are looking for socks, sunglasses and shoes, you are sure to find an assortment of those, too, as well as jewelry, clothing, cosmetics, flags, pet items, books and much more.

And let’s not forget the variety of produce and beautiful plants and flowers to be discovered! Check out these beautiful roses:

And if you’re looking for food, I passed a fudge booth very conveniently located next to one of the rest areas. Great idea!

Of course there’s more than just fudge … I also saw elephant ears, homemade ice cream (made on the spot) and hot, soft pretzels.

I observed all that in just a short half hour. Imagine what you would find if you spent an entire day here!

So if you’re making a bucket list, or any kind of list for that matter, be sure “Visit Shipshewana Flea Market” is on it!

 

Come on, Spring!

Judging by the fat snow flurries blowing around outside yesterday, it seems rather ridiculous that I heard a bird singing one early morning last week.

And it seemed rather ridiculous at the time since it was dark and … well …  I was shoveling snow … in March.

But, this is Indiana and stranger things have happened, especially when it comes to the weather.

Thankfully, the sun did come out at least three days last week, and it’s here again today, hopefully to stay!

Birds and sun in the middle of March make for one big smile! We will ignore the fact we’ve had blizzard-like snow for the past three Tuesdays in a row. Instead, we’ll be optimistic like that bird and believe spring is peeking its very welcome face around the corner!

So hooray for birds!

Hooray for the warm sun coming out and melting the snow and that soon we will no longer hear the loud, “jet taking off” sound of melting snow sliding off the office roof!

And hooray that in just about 8 more weeks Shipshewana Flea Market will once again open and bring with it warm May sunshine, a lot more singing birds, and happy smiles!

For a change of pace …

It’s no secret that, in addition to the Shipshewana Flea Market, we are well-known for our antique auctions. And if you thrive in the loud and fast-paced atmosphere of eight to ten auctioneers selling simultaneously at the Miscellaneous & Antique Auction, that’s just the place for you!

But if you want a slower, relaxed atmosphere while shopping for antiques, you might want to visit our Antique Gallery across the street, nestled just north of the Farmstead Inn and behind our new Trading Place Pavilion.

It’s not loud and it’s not fast, just quietly elegant … and big – 2-story big with 31,000 square feet and over 100 vendors!

You will find a huge selection of quality antiques while you leisurely stroll the clean aisles. You’ll also find Elsie, who’s been there since it opened in 1998, and the rest of the friendly staff available when you need them.

So if you’re looking for a slower and relaxed atmosphere and perhaps something new to do while waiting for the Flea Market to open (May 7th), check out the Antique Gallery, Monday through Saturday, 10am to 5pm, now through April, and 9am to 6pm, May through October.

Rare Victorian Style Stained Glass Window

1900s Japanese Whistle Cups

Fire Bell from the 1930-40s

For more information on these antiques and a sampling of more, visit http://www.rubylane.com/shop/tradingplaceantiqu

It all started with 6 pigs and 7 cows …

Yesterday a caller said he stumbled upon our Web page while doing an Internet search for flea markets. Apparently the small town he is from has an unimpressive flea market.  He said he is impressed by the quality of Shipshewana Flea Market and amazed by the enormity of it. I explained the other facets of our business and he wondered how we grew to be so large and successful.

So here’s the story:

In 1922 a man named George Curtis sold six pigs, seven cows and several head of young cattle at his home. His auction business grew so quickly that four years later he built a barn at the same location. He saw a need for a restaurant, so in 1930 he opened one in his garage.

George sold the business in 1946 to Fred Lambright, who, a year later, built a new sale barn (where we are presently located). At that time people sold flea market items out of their car trunks, so a roof was built for the flea market. In 1950, Fred built an Auction Restaurant on the premises, which seated 50-60 people.

Fred’s nephew, Walter Schrock, bought the auction in 1961 and expanded the flea market grounds in 1968.

1960s Flea Market (photo by Leonard Haarer)

The market grew from 100 to 400 vendors, and the antique auction increased from 4 to 10 auctioneers. In 1978, a 200’ x 80’ building was built for the antique auction and then was enclosed in the fall of 1980 and included a snack bar.

Fred Lambright’s son and grandsons, Robert, Keith and Kevin, purchased the auction in 1981. In 1984, they expanded the flea market to 1000 spaces and the restaurant to seat 110 people. Four years later they built a new restaurant (our current one, which seats 250). The old restaurant was renovated into the corporate offices.

In 1992, Robert Lambright lost a battle with cancer, leaving Keith and Kevin to run the business.

In 1997, the Lambrights expanded the business to include an 85-room hotel,  the Farmstead Inn, which was built across the street from the auction. A year later, the 31,000 sq. ft. Antique Gallery was built next door to the Farmstead Inn. Then in 2004, 69 rooms and a 15,000 sq. ft. Conference Center were added to the Farmstead Inn.

In 2008, an RV Park with 70 full hook-up sites opened on the south side of the flea market.

In 2010, the corporate office building was torn down (old restaurant building) and a section of the Livestock Auction building was rebuilt into the corporate offices. Looking around, it’s hard to believe that our offices were once pig pens!

Finally, in the early spring of 2012, the 9300 sq. ft. Trading Place Pavilion was built on the lawn in front of the Antique Gallery. The Pavilion quickly became home to a summer Farmer’s Market and our Antique Markets and was also rented for a Gospel Music Jam concert. This year we are excited it will be used for upcoming concerts and weddings.

A lot has changed in 90 years!

Some things are easy to predict …

A few weeks ago temperatures here reached the upper 50s.

Last week the temps dipped below 10 degrees. But then a few days later we had some heavy rain which was useful in washing my car. Unfortunately, this week it snowed again and you can’t tell my car was ever clean from all the salt.

The weather has been so confusing lately that one of our vendors mentioned his crocuses started to push their way up through the ground during the warm week. Too bad they are buried by snow again.

Welcome to the unpredictability of Northern Indiana weather!

Thank goodness some things are easy to predict. I know that in any given week I can walk over to the Shipshewana Auction Restaurant, order a slice of pie, and it will be good – better than good, to say the least.

I can say this because just last week I bought an entire peanut butter chocolate pie to share at a social gathering. My teenage son wasn’t too thrilled about sharing it but my friends were happy he did!

I can also say out of the about 2 dozen varieties of pie offered at the Auction Restaurant, I have tried almost a dozen of them (by the slice that is)! And I haven’t tasted a bad one yet.

Just tried a slice of Butterscotch recently. Wow!

Chocolate peanut butter is like gold in my family …

Pecan is a favorite for many!

Dutch Apple … this week’s Pie-of-the-week!

Strawberry is another customer favorite… you can see why!

Coconut creme is next on my list to try …

But don’t take my word for it. Come taste for yourself.

The Shipshewana Auction Restaurant is open Wednesdays, 7am to 7pm; and Fridays, 7am to 2pm; November through April. May through October it’s open Tuesdays & Wednesdays, 6am to 7pm; and Fridays, 7am to 2pm.

Ditching Propriety …

One day last week while at an appointment I saw a lady wearing pajama pants.

It’s not much of a shocker these days, I know, but sometimes it still catches me by surprise.

I mean, it’s not like I’ve never left my home in my pajama pants before. I have done it when picking up my son from somewhere.

But I never left my car.

Guess for me it’s just a propriety issue. I might have to ditch the propriety, though, just for this Saturday.

Because this Saturday will be the annual Pajama Sale in Shipshewana … a day when public pajama-wearing is completely acceptable.

Enthusiasts will drag themselves, in their jammies, out of the comfort and warmth of their own homes for a day of shopping sales in Shipshewana. The sales are fun but it might be even more fun seeing the crazy collection of sleep wear roaming about!

It’s become such a celebrated event in our town that many people make it a yearly family tradition and reserve accommodations several months to a year in advance. Our Farmstead Inn is completely full for Friday night!

Now that’s dedication!

Our Antique Gallery also participates by opening regular hours 9am to 5pm and offering a wide variety of discounts from participating vendors and free cookies and coffee, too.

For more information visit www.Shipshewana.com.

Lost Items … Found Friends!

Those who have attended our weekly Miscellaneous & Antique Auction know that it moves along rather quickly. And although this time of year we are down to about 8 auctioneers, the pace is still pretty lively!

Sometimes in all the excitement people lose personal items or accidentally leave their purchases behind. We try our best to get those items back to their rightful owners!

Recently, someone left behind a camera at the auction and called the same day to notify us. As it turned out, someone else had found it and turned it into the office. Not much effort was required on our part … all we did was mail it.

So we were unexpectedly and pleasantly surprised to receive a thank you note … with a gift card attached.  The gentleman was so pleased to have his camera again. He even said we confirmed his opinion that “Shipshewana Auction is the best.”

What a wonderful way to start the day!  The fact that this nice man took the time to thank us just confirms OUR opinion that “our customers are the best!”

And it just goes to show that every little part of our business is important and that you are the ones who make it successful! So thank YOU!

If you’ve never been to our Miscellaneous & Antique Auction, check it out for yourself any Wednesday year-round at 9am (or earlier if you want to preview the items). We will be having a Folk Art Auction in conjunction with our regular Wednesday auction on Feb. 6 at 11 am.  For a list of other upcoming auctions, visit: http://www.tradingplaceamerica.com/auctions.php

Why not plan now?

So it may be too early to think about spring considering we’ve just begun the new year  …  and that the temperature here has dipped to the low teens lately.

But then again, maybe not.

Maybe, like me, you’re dreaming about spring because you’re stuck inside, not being a winter sports and snow person, after all.

And if you’re going to dream about spring, why not dream sitting in one of these …

admiring a garden of these …

while thinking about how to recycle something like this  …

Make your list now of all that you want to accomplish in your garden and outdoor space this year. So when spring finally does roll around, you’ll be ready for  the Land & Lakes Outdoor Garden Show, May 4^th, 8am to 4pm.

This show is held in conjunction with Shipshewana May Fest, and it features vendors of Garden (plants, flowers, landscape items, etc.), Art (glass, pottery, photography, etc.), Green (recycled and earth friendly products, etc.), and Antiques (primitives, furniture, textiles, etc.).

And if you’re interested in becoming a vendor for the show, click here: vendor info

Happy dreaming!

Oh, the things you can do with ice …

So what do you get when you cross one of these

with a 350-lb one of these?

Well, if you’re a member of the Michiana Ice Carvers, you just might get something like this:

We were privileged to have a couple of talented ice carvers creating an ice sculpture grouping for us located in the Trading Place Pavilion.

Robert Elkins, left, a chef from Manistee, Mich., and Howard Busfield, right, a butcher from South Bend, Ind., worked hard all day in temperatures ideal for this kind of work.

Pretty amazing artwork, right?

You can see their handiwork and well as that of the many other ice carvers located throughout town.

Just pick up a map of the ice carving locations from the Visitor’s Center or most stores in town and discover for yourself the marvelous creations of the Michiana Ice Carvers!