Gypsy Caravan, a benefit for the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, comes at the perfect time of year for Robert E. Lee. He sells 40 to 60 gourds, most of them perfectly sized for birdhouses.
Last week he was readying 135 gourds, from 2-inch egg shapes to bushel gourds 15 to 18 inches in diameter, to sell at the antique, craft and flea market Monday, May 25, at the University of Missouri-St. Louis campus. After he woodburns scenery on the dried gourds' surface and coats them with polyurethane, local wrens in Festus see the mid-size ones as prime property.
"Wrens literally fly into my garage, where I have them lined up to check them out," Lee said.
More than 350 booths greet shoppers that day for the fun of finding bargains, one-of-a-kind specialties and tasty treats.
"Crowds start lining up at 6 (to) 6:30 in the morning," Lee remembered of his previous five Memorial Days. "Then they line up at 9 o'clock for the general public opening. After that, it's elbow-to-elbow. We like it because it's a quality show."
With help from son Brian Lee, he and his wife, Anita, fill two booths, one with gourds, the other with 400 pieces of jewelry she handcrafts with their daughter, Lelia Mullins, and granddaughters Rachel, Amanda and Mollie Mullins.
Outside sales
In spite of seasonal weather challenges, Diana Wilson has seen more sunny than cloudy days in her 15 years at the rain-or-shine event. She and her husband, Allen, and her parents, Tam and Frank Motta, all of South County, load a pick-up and small rental truck with antique military items and tools, small furniture and antique kitchenware. Sleeping overnight in a trailer keeps them ready for the first shoppers.
As Kinfolke Antiques, their goal is to sell enough items so the rental truck is no longer needed at day's end. They once rented antique mall space but now concentrate on four favorite shows a year.
They began selling when Gypsy Caravan still took place at the St. Louis Arena across from Forest Park. Wilson remembers one evening before the event, when it was located at Union Station.
"Severe, severe, severe winds came though and just tore it all up," she said. "We were eating dinner and came out. The tarp was still standing. We were incredibly lucky."
Wilson finds one notable change: fewer antiques, more craft vendors.
"It adds more variety, so you can still find something, no matter what you like," she said. "It's a once-a-year show, so if you don't get it that day, you don't get it."
Their war memorabilia may be American, Japanese or German from a world war, or more recent items from the Vietnam era.
"We expect nowadays more people who want reasonably priced goods, so we'll come with plenty of smaller things, too, like kitchen collectibles, pottery and linens and quilts," Wilson said.
Buyer to seller
After paying their dues as shoppers at Gypsy Caravan, Mary and Sunny Unnerstall, mother and daughter from St. Charles, will sell their Sunny Day Vintage collection of jewelry and purses for the first time. Mary gives her daughter high marks as collector and salesperson.
"She is fearless and has her own collection, which she wears," Mary said of Sunny, a student at Truman State University who started collecting jewelry when she was about 12. "We both pretty much like the bold, colorful, eye-catching things. Small, daintier stuff doesn't appeal to us."
Unnerstall expects to draw a crowd of both women and men to the corner booth she has reserved to display more than 1,000 pieces of jewelry and 100 purses spanning 130 years.
After selling vintage pieces on e-Bay, then her website http://www.sunnydayvintage.com, Unnerstall said selling live for the first time at Gypsy Caravan, which attracted about 30,000 customers last year, suits her style.
"The thought of going to a small flea market just doesn't appeal to me," she said. "My philosophy is go big or go home."
Holiday shopping
What: 37th annual Gypsy Caravan antique, craft and flea market.
When: Monday, May 25.
Where: University of Missouri-St. Louis, Normandy, south of exit 240 on I-70.
Admission: Early-bird shopping from 7 to 9 a.m. for $20 per person, general admission from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for $5, children under 12 free.
Benefit: St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and its music education and community programs.
Information: http://www.gypsycaravan-stl.org or phone (314) 286-4452.
