Vintage jeans, weird art, dusty fields and the four foot stone Jesus she definitely did not have on her shopping list. Designer Leah Finn shares why the best way to shop Round Top might be to forget the list altogether.

There are people who arrive in Round Top armed with measurements, inspiration boards and a carefully mapped route. Leah Finn is not one of them.

Her approach is far less calculated. Look at everything. Make friends with vendors. Be willing to dig. Buy the thing that makes you smile.

“I never go to Round Top with a list because it always goes out the window quickly.”

Case in point: “The year I brought a list, I came home with a 4 ft stone Jesus statue and a baby goat.”

That might be the best argument we have heard yet for letting Round Top decide what you are looking for.

The Thrill of The Hunt

Round Top has changed considerably over the last decade, but Finn still shops it for the same reason she always has: the hunt.

“Round Top has changed a LOT in the last ten years. But it hasn’t changed the way I approach the show. I still go to my favorite fields, venues and vendors because I know I can still get that Thrill of the Hunt feeling.”

For Finn, that often means skipping some of the more polished destinations in favor of the places where finding something requires a little more work.

“To be honest, I only shop the fields and the venues where I know I can still find a good deal. I’m not interested in paying some of the wild prices that some of the bigger venues charge. It takes the fun out of the hunt.”

The fields, she says, are also one of the most overlooked parts of Round Top for first time shoppers.

“The fields. I think the idea of the fields really overwhelms first time shoppers. Which is why we created the Field Guide. The guide helps break down each field and shows you where to park, where to pee and where to find the best deals!”

Shopping them requires a different eye.

“When you are shopping the fields (where the best deals are) you’ve got to overlook a lot. Mostly things are not curated and covered in dust. You are literally hunting for treasure and you have to train your brain to visualize that great piece in a new fabulous environment.”

Forget The List

Finn’s most consistent Round Top category is vintage jeans. Art is another thing she will buy on sight when the right piece appears. Still, she does not believe in arriving with a rigid agenda.

“I disagree with bringing a list. I rarely works out. The year I brought a list, I came home with a 4 ft stone Jesus statue and a baby goat.”

Asked what she is hoping to find this fall, the answer is similarly open ended.

“I never go to Round Top with a list or an agenda. So, it’s always a surprise to me what I end coming home with. One year we came home with a baby goat. Didn’t see that coming! Be open, look at everything, and buy what you love.”

That instinct carries into her design philosophy, too.

“There is no rhyme or reason to what I buy. I see it, I love it.. and THEN I will try and find a place for it. I kinda work backwards I guess!”

The Designer Eye

For all the talk of developing a good eye, Finn’s advice is refreshingly uninterested in what anyone else has decided is fashionable.

“It’s hard to teach someone to have a design eye. You are either born with it.. or it takes years to develop. I try to remind people that Round Top and the treasures you find there should be all about JOY. Forget the trends & what designers say is cool, buy what you love.”

Ask her what category she thinks is about to have a moment and she pushes back on the premise entirely.

“I don’t like trends. Does it make you smile.. BUY IT.”

That same philosophy explains one of her favorite ways to make a home feel collected.

“I think weird vintage art is a great way to get that collected feel. I am always looking for cool art that will set my space apart.”

The Find Worth Every Penny

Sometimes buying what you love means ignoring the price tag. Finn found one of those pieces at the back of the Northgate fields from More Than Antiques.

“I found this incredible 1800’s French Pharmacy cabinet from More Than Antiques at the back of The Northgate fields. It was more than I’ve ever paid for a piece of furniture. But I saw it and immediately fell in love with it and knew it would be perfect in our mudroom. It takes peoples breath away when they see it. Worth. EVERY. Penny.”

Her broader philosophy on splurging follows much the same rule.

“If you love it & its brings you joy, who cares about the money…BUY IT. But I think the best way to save in Round Top is to make friends. When you have genuinely friendly relationships with vendors, you get the best deals.”

Finn also swears by one particularly simple shopping rule.

“I have so many tips & rules that I swear by. But one of the most important is to always ask for a better price. Because if you don’t ask, it’s always a NO.”

What She Wishes More Shoppers Knew

Round Top is something Finn believes you get better at with practice.

“You get better at shopping Round Top the more you go. The more you go, you find your favorite vendors, you know your favorite venues, you create relationships, and you know what to expect.”

One lesson is accepting that you simply cannot see everything. “That you can’t do all of Round Top in one day.”

Another is perhaps slightly more controversial: leave the designer wardrobe at home if you are serious about negotiating.

“The biggest mistake people make when they are out shopping in Round Top is to overdress. People are less inclined to give you a deal when you are decked out in designer duds & fancy jewelry. I will never understand why people dress like this in Round Top. You might as well write “Charge Me Full Price” on your forehead.”

LEAH FINN’S ROUND TOP QUICK HITS

The category she always hunts for

“Vintage Jeans. But really, I never go to Round Top with a list because it always goes out the window quickly.”

Something she will buy on sight

“Art and Vintage Jeans!”

Best thing she has ever bought at Round Top

“That’s like asking me to choose which child is my favorite. I love all my finds.”

The one that got away

“I regret so much. But probably a vintage newel post that I was going to use on my stairs. It sold before I could make a decision. I ended up buying one on Etsy instead.”

First stop with only one day

“I usually only do one day trips and I’ve got it down. Excess I & Excess II are always my first stop.”

Something she would never leave without buying if she found the right one

“Vintage Jeans”

Most underrated Round Top stop

“The Junk Gypsies Sale Barn. If its open.. GO! It’s wild, inexpensive and is filled with JOY.”

Finn’s Round Top philosophy ultimately comes down to something much simpler than a perfect itinerary or a list of things to hunt.

“Be open, look at everything, and buy what you love.”

In a place where you can leave home looking for furniture and return with vintage denim, a stone Jesus and a baby goat, that might be the only Round Top shopping list you actually need.

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