Renninger's Mt. Dora Extravaganza

As we pull into the parking field just outside Renninger's Antique Extravaganza in Mt. Dora Florida my heart begins to race. It happens every time! I guess it is the anticipation of all the good junk waiting for me inside the gates. This was my first trip to Mt. Dora. I wasn't sure what to expect. I was not disappointed!

It was a chilly day by Florida standards. Karla, my sister, and I were greeted by a shivering but friendly staff at the gate. Admission $10. A chance to see the wares of 1,400 vendors. Well worth the fee.

I felt at home immediately. The first booth we hit, just inside the gate, had this tackle box full of lures and fishing junk. Remember I am from Minnesota, land of 10,000 lakes. We continued to see a wide variety of fishing paraphernalia through out the day.


Karla and I discussed our meet up spot, just in case one of us got lost. (We brought only one cell phone, silly us.) The rows are a little askew so our orderly plan to attack the market by rows was quickly discarded.

My first purchase, cooling racks. Okay, I know they are boring...just wait till you see what I do with them before you mock me.

Brrrrr. are we in Florida?

Karla's big purchase happened in the first 15 minutes of our morning. She hesitated since we hadn't visited more than a couple booths with 1,396 booths left to check out. I encouraged her to buy the fireplace screen for $40. We both knew it was perfect for the wall project she had in mind.


Sold!

Paddle rackets...they wanted to come home with me, but I had to pace myself. My plan was to adhere to a budget of $50. and I had already purchased the cooling racks.


I am a sucker for game wheels. I currently own two.

50 cents to 5,000 dollars...Renningers Mt. Dora had it all!


I couldn't resist the Torpedo Bottles...

The egg shaped bottles were patented in 1809 by William Hamilton of Dublin. The bottles curved bottom shape had several advantages. Forcing the bottle to lie on its side kept the liquid in constant contact with the cork and prevented the leakage of air, the shape allowed it to be much stronger than conventional flat bottom bottles so it was less likely to crack/break under pressure of the carbonation, easier to pack in crates, and hard to set down an opened bottle till you finished the contents, so customers drank faster.


I bought 4 (different designs) at $6. each.

I was surprised to see the large assortment of modern accessories and furniture Renninger vendors had to offer.

Brunch was yummy...notice the prices! F.F. means french fries, Mac, of course, is macaroni & cheese. I felt like a pro as I explained the menu to a puzzled customer behind me in line!

I got a chance to meet and visit with Elaine and Stephanie. What fun!

This 3-wheeled pedal car was irresistible!


I like rusty and crusty as much as the next junker, but also loved how Curt Howard Antiques in booth #1220 refurbished their products!

Their trick, soft wire brush on a sanding wheel to clean and Min Wax (clear) paste wax to protect on metal and Car wax on wood products.

I still get excited by a beautiful vintage jar.

My mom played the accordion when I was growing up. I guess that is why I find myself gravitating towards them at flea markets. A few years ago you could pick up an accordion pretty cheap...they seem to be going up in price. I wish I hadn't sold that flashy hot pink full size accordion at one of our JunkMarket sales years back. It was a killer!

Is that how you spell heighest quality? Let's see what spell check says. Spell check says highest.

In the box with the original receipt...$5.48.

I strongly dislike the color purple, amethyst, lavender, what ever you choose to call it, but when we ran across this booth, I couldn't help myself from warming up to the color.

30,000 in all, I recall the vendor saying. He left 27,000 at home.

As you probably have gathered by reading my blog over the past few months, I tend to favor industrial pieces. This stone lab sink is my idea of the perfect kitchen sink! Don't think I could convince any of my friends or family to help me haul it home...it is a back breaker!

Google scientist John Cook. This collection of lenses was from his inventory. Unbelievably cool!

Yep, Karla's mercury glass bottle.

Farley sat patiently while we shopped this amazing booth!

Shuffleboard anyone? This score board lights up to reveal the winning team.

Radio cabinents begging to be repurposed.

I was dying to tke this bingo machine home! How much fun would that be to have friends over and play bingo. Works like a charm we were told...balls are airlifted to the pocket to be called out. $150. If only it would fit in my truck to haul back to Minnesota...

Do you see what I see?


We couldn't resist!

A ten dollar aluminum suitcase puchase to haul our loot.

My souvenir...American Legion dishes to add to my collection.

Whew, what a wonderful day! Karla and I shopped and visited with friendly vendors for 8 hours and only got through 1/2 of the event. Fortunately the Extravaganza happens again in February so we plan to start on the opposite end. Figure to spend atleast 2 days if you want to cover the grounds.

I stuck pretty close to my budget, but it was difficult to resist so many unique treasures. I look forward to revealing projects throught out the winter months.

Check out the Junk revolution online store and don't forget to visit the Community message boards!
Peace,
Ki