What is it about traveling that we love? Is it the new locale? The different climate? Or is it the culture? I’d say it’s all of those, plus! Now traveling generally implies a flight or a cruise. At least a train, right? Well in my case over the weekend, all it took was a car. I drove the eighteen hundred mile round trip journey (again). But this time I had a minivan full of stuff. Stuff that I had accumulated with the intention of selling at any of the shows I do throughout the year (see below). But for whatever reason, the items that filled my minivan to its seams had yet to find homes other than mine. You see, this Philly girl / ex-New Yorker is now living in the ATL. And I’m doing shows in Texas, Tennessee and North Carolina. Even though I’ve been in the south for a few years, it’s safe to say that this market is still a bit of an enigma. Of course, I’ve never been one to buy what sells. Nor have I been one who buys for a particular place. Rather, I buy what I love. And then I hope that I find a client who will love it just as much as me. So when something takes a little longer to sell, I don’t lose hope or faith in the piece. I don’t give up on its value. And I certainly don’t get mad at myself for making what may be perceived as a mistake. I simply roll with. And then, I look for a change of scenery.

And Manhattan is where I traveled to. It was just the change of scenery I needed. And those items jammed into my minivan needed, too. The day began as most flea market days do, promptly at 2. AM. Yes, you read that right. I’ve always wondered why the antiques business has to start so early, but that’s a question for another day. Right now let’s get back to Saturday. I unloaded the minivan, box by box, and schlepped everything over to the three folding tables set up in my space in the surface parking lot on West 25th Street. First thing, was to set the table cloths. Fidgeting with them a bit bought me a little time. You see, it was now about 5am and the early morning dealer crowd at the flea market was starting to congregate around my booth. There were a lot of conversations happening all at once and definitely a lot of catching up to do for us all, but I knew this was also a very small window. Before this group of dealers lost patience and headed to the next vendor setting up, I had to start opening those boxes. I lost no time unpacking and the speed with which I unpacked was directly correlated to the volume of items selling. Surely Einstein had a formula for this? But wasn’t I nervous about bringing items that had been around the block? Not at all. Because each of these pieces was truly Fresh to the Market. The Chelsea Flea Market. With the sun now coming up over the horizon, a few hearty retail folks began to filter in as well. They were just as excited to see (and purchase) my old new stock. It’s amazing what a little change of scenery can do for us all. By the time I finished up at the flea market, had a fun dinner with a few friends and then arrived back in Philly it was 10. PM! While math has never been my strong suit, I can tell you that Saturday was a twenty hour work day. But when you’re doing what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. Twenty hours straight sometimes, but never twenty-four. ❤️ hkv

Substack with me?

Just a sampling of works slated for upcoming shows. The life of an art and antique dealer is never boring…

UPCOMING: Marburger Atlanta, July 15th – 19th 2025

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And you already know my penchant for sharing… so let’s be social together! Click the pic above to connect and follow on Instagram. Lots of fresh finds and of course pics of my daughters and me as well. Keep in touch and up-to-date with all that’s happening with HKFA.

HKFA at Antiques and Beyond

Shop HKFA in person in Atlanta. My booth at Antiques and Beyond is layered and layered with oh so many weird and wonderful finds.