January 2015 Renningers Extravaganza

Connie, Michelle, and I spent some quality time at the Extravaganza in Mount Dora on Friday.  We usually don’t go more than once a season but we all had an open day and why not?  But this wasn’t a buying trip for me.  I’m trying to get rid of stuff rather than collect more.  So I was just going to see what I could see.

And I saw a lot….

Here’s some bizarro items….

Vendors aren’t just in tents, there are also several permanent shops that you can visit every weekend.  And we usually spend a few hours browsing through them before heading out to the “field” as I heard one shop owner call it.

And I would show you some pics from my favorite place and it’s lovely gardens but after I took about 15 snaps I noticed the “NO PHOTOS” signs all over the place.  So sorry, no free advertising for them!  

But this shop had no problem with me taking pictures.  

Connie wants to remodel her kitchen and thinks this bar should be the centerpiece.  Or maybe the whole kitchen.  I gotta agree.  This bar is gorgeous.

Terry and I talk about putting something large in our front area.  A statement piece.  (One that would stop our kids from running over the sprinkler system when they visit. And creating a large pool of water.  And not fessing up who did it until a year later.  You know who you are!) So I like to send him photos of possibilities as we wander the grounds.

None of us bought much.  

Me, because I think I’m turning into a hoarder.  I’ve been going through cupboards, boxes, and all of the nooks and crannies that I use for storage. I discovered six water pitchers. And two were identical.  But what’s really bad is the cake pedestals. I counted them before we headed out on our adventure.  Nine ! Two with domes. And I don’t even bake! But I can’t give them up.  And everywhere I went I found more and they were all calling my name. Next it will be salt shakers.  Oh, wait, I already have too many of those.  No, next it will be cats. The old lady with all the cats.  And her husband hates cats so he left her. So sad.

We had a lot of fun, though.  We’ve been doing this enough now that we have a routine. Connie makes lunch, I bring the beer (of course I bring the beer!), and we rotate who drives.  Michelle had that awesome responsibility this time so I wasn’t too upset that she didn’t bake anything. 

There’s one more extravaganza this year–February 20 – 22.  If you like going to antique or thrift shops or just like to browse through junk, this is the place for you.  Admission is $10 on Friday and gets progressively cheaper for the next two days.   I like to go on Friday because it’s not crowded but Sunday is the better day since the vendors are more apt to deal.  (Hey, they have a lot of stuff to pack up) But, I gotta warn you–the extravaganza covers acres.  Almost 800 vendors.  And those vendors are down in a valley and up the hills.  Wear your most comfortable shoes. And plan to discover sore muscles the next day that you didn’t know you had!