Round Top Antique Show Packing List: What Interior Designers Should Bring

Round Top is a serious sourcing trip. The fall show alone covers miles of vendors across dozens of venues — Marburger Farm, Warrenton, Carmine, Burton, and the fields along Highway 237. Interior designers who show up prepared walk away with the pieces they came for. Those who don’t spend half their time solving problems that a little prep would have prevented.

Here’s the packing list we’ve put together after years of watching designers work the show — and shipping their finds home.

The Essentials: What Goes in Your Bag

• A laser measuring tape. You will find something you love. You need to know if it fits through a doorway, up a staircase, or into the room it’s destined for. The $30 laser tape is worth every cent.
• Your room measurements written down. Ceiling heights, doorway widths, the wall where the piece will go. Put them in your phone notes so they’re always with you.
• Business cards for every dealer you buy from. You need the vendor’s name, booth number, and contact info for your shipper. Collect a card every time you tag something.
• A notebook or the Sortly app. Log what you buy, where it is, and what it costs as you go. Memory is unreliable after day two.
• SOLD tags or sticker dots. If you’re working with a personal shipper, they’ll provide their own. If not, bring something to mark your items clearly.
• Cash and cards. Many dealers at Round Top still prefer cash, and some don’t have reliable card readers. Bring both.
• A portable phone charger. You’ll be on your phone all day photographing items, checking notes, and communicating with your team. Your battery will not survive.

What to Wear

• Comfortable walking shoes. Not sandals. The ground is uneven, there’s gravel, and you’re going to cover miles. Wear what you’d wear on a long hike.
• Layers. October mornings at Round Top can be cool; afternoons get warm. A light jacket you can tie around your waist is the move.
• Sun protection. A hat and sunscreen. You’ll spend hours outdoors between the tents.
• A crossbody bag or backpack, not a large tote. You need your hands free to move things, hold doors, and gesture at furniture.

Before You Leave Home

• Book your shipper in advance. If you’re using a personal antique shipper — which we strongly recommend — book before the show, not during it. Good shippers fill up 3–4 weeks out, especially for the fall show. Don’t wait until you’ve already bought six pieces to figure out how you’re getting them home.
• Confirm your hotel or rental. Round Top is a small town. Accommodation books up fast for show weeks. La Grange (15 minutes away) and Brenham (30 minutes) are your best bets if Round Top itself is full.
• Build your priority list by venue. Marburger Farm for high-end European and curated American antiques. Warrenton for volume and variety. The smaller fields along Hwy 237 for unexpected finds. Know your priorities so you hit the right venues on day one.
• Tell your clients what you’re shopping for. If you’re sourcing for active projects, confirm with clients before the show what they’ve approved so you can move quickly when you find it.

At the Show: How to Work Efficiently

• Start at Marburger on day one. The best pieces at the most curated venue go first. Save the sprawling fields for later in the week.
• Tag first, negotiate later. If you see something you want and you’re not sure on price, ask the dealer to hold it or tag it while you think. Don’t walk away without marking it — it may be gone when you come back.
• Photograph everything with context. Take a photo of the piece plus a photo of the vendor’s signage or booth number. You’ll thank yourself later when you can’t remember where the armoire was.
• Buy multiples when you find them. If a dealer has a set of chairs, a set of sconces, or matching pieces and you need one — consider buying the pair. Sets are harder to find than singles, and the resale value is significantly higher.

For the Shipment Home

Once you’ve finished shopping, your shipper takes over. If you’re using Livraison Express LA, you’ve already given us your vendor list and tagged your pieces. We’ll coordinate pickups across every venue — Marburger, Warrenton, and everywhere else on the corridor — and consolidate everything into one shipment to your destination in Austin, Houston, San Antonio, or Dallas.

Every piece gets photographed at pickup, furniture-blanketed, and secured properly. You get updates at key stages and a delivery confirmation when it arrives.

Planning your next Round Top trip? Reserve your shipment now → — fall 2026 spots are filling.