I've been going to the Big Show in Texas now for 20 years. I know this because the first time I went my baby girl wasn' t even a year old. She'll be 21 this May. My husband and I took our three little girls along with a red wagon and traveled the junking trail as it was back then. Huge then, or so we thought, nothing compared to the size it is today. Now my daughters are all grown and scattered across Texas, but we meet both weekends to have girl time. We don't always do it up and stay in a hotel... No, we're hard core junkers who sleep in our cars and trucks after partying at Junk Prom so that we can rise early to start shopping again on Friday morning.
I can remember when the Marburger show was just starting out. It was free admission with one tent filled with gravel and talking to the owners about their big plans to expand. It's really amazing what it has become and the diversity of the merchandise available.
I have a story about the queen of lace and grace, Magnolia Pearl. Two years ago, I bought one of her needle point bags at an auction here in San Antonio. It was different from the bags you see her making today. It had a beautiful needlepoint piece sewn on the front. My baby girl was so in love with this bag when I got it home. I took it with me to Warrenton that fall, because I was so proud to finally have a Magnolia Pearl bag. While shopping with my other two daughters at Marburger, Pearl's prince charming, John saw me walking down the aisle, and stopped me. He insisted that Pearl would want to see the bag. I'm thinking that it was kind of silly, because she sees her bags everyday., what made this one any different. I was excited to tell him the story of how I got it at an auction, when he said, oh, they already knew the story. We followed him to their lovely booth and when Pearl saw the bag, she immediately began to cry. We were puzzled. It seems that the estate that I bought the needlepoint bag from was Pearl's aunt's estate and she had made the bag especially for her aunt using a family needlepoint piece. It wasn't supposed to be included in the estate sale at all. They had been searching for the buyer since the auction, hoping the new owner would put it up for sale, but I wasn't selling it, I had wanted a Magnolia Pearl bag for so long, but I knew I really couldn't afford one. Well it was obvious that the bag should be returned to Pearl. I called my daughter who had really loved it and told her the story and we agreed that Pearl should have her bag without question. We made a trade that day for another needlepoint bag that I truly love. I don't always get to the Marburger show, and I hadn't intended to venture into the Magnolia Pearl booth that day, but it was meant to be, that John see the bag and it be returned to it's real home. Sadly, we didn't have the bag long enough to even a get a photo of it before we returned it. We weren't meant to be the owner, merely it's keeper until it was returned to it's true owner. Isn't it funny how things come back to you?
The best part was getting to meet Robin and John and their friends in such a special way.
Thanks Pearl and John for your kindness.
My daughters and I will be in Warrenton and Round Top this Spring and we're counting the days, until then. When you get to Marburger, be sure to stop into the magical Magnolia Pearl space and feel the love that grows there.
