A Day at the Scott Antique Market

Redoing our kitchen and decorating the "blank canvas of a house," as my sweetheart likes to call it, has really brought out the DIY-maven in me. I now read Good Housekeeping magazine, I watch endless amounts of Property Brothers and my bookmarks are old paint swatches. That means I'm a domestic goddess now, right? RIGHT!?

Who the hell am I kidding? 

I like pretty things, but I don't necessarily create said beautiful things. My one attempt at a DIY project pretty much consisted of me buying stain for our antique vanity and then never doing anything with it. My mom and grandmother, however, now those are two crafty ladies. They came to visit and magically my porch now has Halloween decorations, pumpkins AND beautiful flowers. That sure as hell wouldn't have happened if you'd left me to do it. Lucky for me, their visit also coincided with the one weekend in October the Scott Antique Market was open in Atlanta. 

The world's largest indoor antique show is only open the second weekend of every month, but it's well worth scheduling a visit for. Open on a Thursday at 12:45 p.m., the market is full of pretty much anything you could ever want (and quite a few things you didn't even know existed). 

We drove over Saturday morning and spent $5 per person to park all day. Getting around is super easy thanks to buses that loop through the North and South building parking lots. Definitely take the time to make a game plan for the day. Not only are the buildings filled to the brim, but there are also outside sidewalk and courtyard vendors the second you get on property. Arriving pretty early on Saturday, these photos are just a fraction of the cool stuff we saw.

Overflowing jewelry bins are a common occurrence. From gaudy costume gems to real diamonds the size of small rocks, each vendor prides itself on uniqueness. And they don't want to have to carry all of this stuff back with them, so pretend you're in Chinatown and negotiate! One of my mom's first purchases was given to her at 30% off, and that only started our day of good savings.

Even the handmade furniture was pretty well priced. And the wide array of vanities, cabinets, side tables and chairs sparked new ideas for future decorating. Who knew I liked worn-wood bathroom vanities with double sinks? 

Now obviously some of the market does contain junk. Like that pile of gold stuff on the left. I have no idea what it is, but there were THREE TABLES worth of it. And I'm not exactly comfortable purchasing moth-ridden rugs (of which there were many), but who am I to judge what some other person deems valuable? And I saw so many letters of varying shapes and sizes, I might actually be convinced they are a good addition to our living room.

After hours of walking around, you're most likely going to get hungry. Not a problem. Popcorn, ice cream, BBQ, salads and sandwiches abound. The chicken gyro I ate upon arrival was filling enough to last me until our afternoon popcorn break. And the bowl of butter pecan and chocolate brownie ice cream with three spoons was the perfect way to wait while my grandmother's new vintage ring was sized. What? Shopping works up an appetite. 

In the end, we each only left with a few baubles (or a few hundred dollars poorer if you're my grandfather), but it was cool to spend a day perusing through the "old shit." I wasn't quite ready for any big purchases this trip, but I've got my eye on a new headboard for next time.