Lately things in Dallas have been pretty grey, we’ve been in a constant rotation of full coverage clouds with a side of torrential rain. So when the forecast showed a Saturday full of sunshine and blue skies it called for adventure! 

Many years ago as I was planning my wedding and was on the hunt for mason jars. A family member told us about First Monday Trade Days a HUGE flea market located in Canton, Texas. This flea market runs the first weekend of every month – rain or shine.  The campus is overflowing with local artisans, antique vendors and collectors of all kinds. During our first trip we were lucky enough to find a good collection of vintage blue mason jars, perfect for my centerpieces. In addition we had some great food and shared many laughs as a family.

Fast forward 5 years and I had been craving the #FirstMonday experience. When the forecast showed sunny high of 74° I knew it was time. We set our alarms (something unheard of on a Saturday) and planned our day. Canton is about an hour east of Dallas and we knew we wanted to get there sooner than later so we planned to leave the house about 9:00 am. We left on time and headed toward Canton. If you’re a Texan or have ever been through Texas you are probably familiar with Buc-ee’s Convenience Stores. Within the past couple of years they built a new Buc-ee’s on I-20 just east of the metroplex. Any good Texan knows you can’t drive past a Buc-ee’s without stopping! 😋 So we made our required stop, got fuel, used the (wonderful) restrooms, picked up some fresh Kolaches (think sausage pig-n-a-blanket) and we’re back on the road. 

Tips For a Successful First Monday Trip

• Don’t shop up on Monday (while the market was originally open on Monday’s – it is now only open Thursday – Sunday)
• Take Cash
  • $ 5 for parking on the grounds
  • For shopping – although many vendors do accept other forms of payment, cash always works best for negotiating the best deals 😉
• Wear comfortable walking shoes (my fitness tracker showed over 6 miles for the day! 😅)
• Apply and reapply your sunscreen, there is very little time spent in the shade
• Come prepared to carry your items.
  • Many people bring their own carts (similar to this one).  There are also vendors that have carts available for purchase onsite.
  • We chose to each carry a backpack as opposed to a purse, giving us two free hands and a bag for our treasures.  
  • We also chose to take our pick up truck; just encase we needed a piece of furniture…or 8ft piece of cedar 😜
• Pack water and snacks – feel free to pack your lunch. Aaron even noticed a few people enjoying a bruski 🍺, something he was quick to take note of for the next trip. 

With all the recent rain east Texas was greening up nicely, the drive was beautiful! As we pulled in to the West Entrance parking there were rows of cars as far as the eye could see. As we walked to the entrance we noted cars from Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma and of course Texas. There were people everywhere! It was a great showing of vendors and shoppers!

Immediately Adreena and I noticed the amazing number of puppies! Everyone had brought their dog 💗! (As animal people, this proved to be the highlight of the day – wandering from one set of ears to the next. It was heaven!) 🙌🏻

We eased our way in to the flow of people, much like merging on to a busy highway – crafting our plan of attack. With so many booths you really do need a plan. We choose to look at both sides of the row as we made our way down the path, thus eliminating the second pass. Right off the bat I found a booth chalk full of cedar 😍 (my new wood obsession). We rummaged thru the options and decided to keep looking. Aaron had a great time looking through the many booths featuring old and new tools, while Adreena found a puppy owned by one of the vendors and more clothes she doesn’t need 😉. We stumbled our way though the maze of vendors laughing at interesting finds, dreaming of places to put gorgeous antique furniture and planning our next DIY craft. There is so much to see and I am certain it changes from month to month. 

Of course with Chip and Joanna Gaines being based just two hours southwest – in Waco, Texas. The “Fixer Upper” influence was in full swing. From beautiful antique doors, to re purposed chicken coops Joanna’s touch was everywhere. Not to mention the countless t-shirts I saw walking around. Having the Magnolia Market in our backyard has been a really fun trend to ride! S

After about three hours of walking we decided we were ready for a snack. We quickly split; I in the ribbon french fry line and them in the fresh lemonade line. We joined back up at some shaded seating Adreena had scoped out. There we sat; people watching, window shopping and snacking. It was a glorious day! 

After a few small purchases and hundreds of photos we decided we were ready to head home. We talked about returning again soon — and next time, bringing the pup 🐶!

I hope to venture back in the next few months to see whats new and hopefully take my mom, she would LOVE it!

Hope you are having a wonderful week!

Anyone else enjoy First Monday Trade Days? Let me know in the comments below 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼

xo

Carolyn