This day is so Epic, I’m going to break it up into several posts…

I started the day with Chrissy and Anna in Franklin, IN – which we learned is about an equal distance for us both to travel – to try out the monthly Johnson County Antique Market (held on the Second Saturday of every month from 9AM-3PM).

Admission was $2 but that didn’t keep big crowds from coming out to enjoy the event. At times it was a little tough to move around, especially within some booths, but we still managed to find some treasures. Chrissy found great some great vintage thread spools and I found some fun valentines cards and valentines-themed jewelry.

I also found an old vintage “Little Red Hen” puzzle. Even though I’d vowed to skip on puzzles for a few months after all the collecting I’d done for the Puzzle Extravaganza at the Monroe County History center, I couldn’t pass on something unique. Besides, that’s one of the cardinal rules of thrifting: If you see something you like, get it…because the odds of it being there if you go back are slim.

Tips we took away from this first stop on our thrifting trip to Franklin:

1. It took us a while to remember that you can haggle at antique markets (unlike other thrift stores) and most vendors definitely seemed willing to make a deal.
2. Check pricing, while most things were rather consistently priced, there were some differences from vendor to vendor so it paid to shop around a little before making purchases.
3. Bundle, put a few things together for more pricing leverage.Vendors don’t want to carry everything back home with them at the end of the day – so oftentimes, the more you buy, the better the deal.
4. Talk to the vendors. By talking to one of the vendors we learned about a lot of other stores in town as well as other antique markets and fairs in the nearby area.