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.

All text and images copyright Gracie's Cottage and may not be used without permission.

Josie, Hippie Tom and Grayslake

Yesterday, Kathy and I met early in Eagle, a small town in the beautiful Kettle Moraine Forest. It was the start of Eagle's Community Rummage sales.  Our first stop was out in the woods at Josie's place. (Josie declined to be photographed.)  I was too busy shopping to get many photos.  The driveway, garages and surrounding areas were overflowing with great junk.  

This sale is so well run; everyone starts a pile and one of Josie's helpers tags it with your name and watches over it, so that new arrivals don't mistakenly pick up something that's spoken for. That gives you the freedom to keep shopping with two hands...love that!  You should see the fun things I found - and you will, if you come to the Grayslake Antique Market this weekend!


Later in the day I headed into "town".  Three miles down the road from me is Serendipity Farm. It was "open" and I couldn't resist a quick stop.  If you're a fan of American Pickers you may remember the "Hippie Tom" episode, arguably one of the best ever.  (* I forgot my camera and had to take pics with my iPad...in the bright sunlight I couldn't see the controls and discovered later that I'd taken video rather than still shots, so the following pictures are photos of video frames...drat!)

 Serendipity Farm is the home of "Hippie Tom" & his wife.  Yes, there really are bicycles  hanging in the trees. 

 It's impossible to convey the volume of great junk that Tom has gathered; it's all over the yard and in the quirky buildings that he's constructed from reclaimed materials.

Tom is an 'old soul', WYSIWYG, a friendly, gentle spirit who truly loves pieces of the past.  You can visit Serendipity Farm for their occasional sales, or see Tom at various markets, including the upcoming Elkhorn Antique Flea Market. 

I'm linking up with Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday.  Grab your cuppa joe and follow me over to check out all the great participants! 

See you at Grayslake!