Revisiting Serendipity Farm - Hippie Tom Has a Sale

Down the road and around the bend is Serendipity Farm, the home of 'Hippie Tom' and his wife, Sharon.  Tom was featured in the best American Pickers episode ever, IMHO, and no, he wasn't playing to the camera...he was just being himself.

Several times a year Serendipity Farm is open to the public and visitors roam the grounds and pick their way through the many outbuildings.  It's more fun than a day at the fair!  Most of the buildings were built by Tom, using reclaimed materials. My favorite is the 'church'.

Quirky little details abound everywhere.

Why do you suppose there is an "off-on" sign above this window?

The greenhouse seems like it would be an especially happy place to be in winter, although the only things growing inside are piles of 'stuff'.

The buildings are filled.  Let me rephrase that. The buildings are stuffed. Random things...pushed in upon arrival. Precarious piles from the floors to the rafters.

This bit of 'organization' in one building is rare. Love the cubby!

You'll find anything you can imagine, from primitive to pretty.

Outside, similar items are grouped together.  How many ladders do you need?

Bowling anyone?

Shopping is a bit of a challenge because items haven't been priced. Tom has helpers, but he's the only one that can give you a price. Gather anything you have an interest in, put it in a pile and wait for Tom.  It might be a long wait.  (He loves to carry things out to the car for his buyers, so he's frequently away from 'ground zero'.  And since appearing on American Pickers, he's got legions of fans that love to chat with him.)

I loved this cheese-box drawer unit, but it was too spendy for me. 

I did come away with some fun finds including this chippy blue industrial bin...

...an old 10-yard line marker from a football field

...a shabbyfunalicious pink sign and a stack of other goodies.

Coming up with a mutually agreeable price is always interesting.  Tom truly loves old stuff and I think he secretly hates to part with anything.  He named the price that he wanted for my pile of treasures. (Tom's eyes twinkle like Santa's and you almost want to pay the asking price without negotiating.  Almost.)  I named the price that I was willing to pay.  We were a little ways apart.  Tom pondered for a long moment and asked, "Could you go any higher than ---?"  I said "sure" and named a figure $1 higher than my first offer. He laughed, said "okay", we shook hands and the deal was done.

**Tom will be making another appearance on American Pickers on November 28th. In the meantime, you can find him on Facebook here.

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