Highway 237 runs right through the middle of Round Top – a tiny Texas outpost that becomes the center of gravity for the antiques world a few times a year. Locals will tell you to avoid the highway at all costs on the opening day of the Marburger Farm Antique Show each spring and fall. Cars filled with thousands of eager, even frantic, shoppers inch forward in slow procession.

It’s not the only antique show to shop in Round Top, and it’s not even the show that put this community about three and a half hours south of Dallas on the map. But Marburger, founded in 1997, developed a reputation as one of the best places in the country to comb for treasures: 43 acres filled with European furniture, unique collectibles, home decor, art, rare textiles, estate jewelry and more, curated by hundreds of dealers from near and far, set up in tents or historic buildings on open farmland. Rain or shine, the show goes on.

Dallas-based Brook Partners bought the Marburger property in 2021. As with any tale of city folk coming to a small town, the acquisition was met with trepidation, from longtime Marburger shoppers, vendors and locals alike. But the company anticipated that and took a measured approach, using the first few years to understand the needs of shoppers and dealers. “For instance, we learned how much the historic buildings meant to everyone and how much shoppers wanted to keep the open-air feel of the show,” says Brook Partners (and now Marburger) owner and CEO John Sughrue. “Some dealers had specific requests inside the tents, and others needed to be in buildings.”

The day after the fall 2025 show wrapped, Brook Partners set to work. The company refurbished existing permanent structures, graded the property and added paved walkways. It added space for more food vendors, and the new covered dining area catches the cool breeze that drifts off a small lake at the back of the property.

Brook Partners extensively restored the original Marburger family farmhouse and other historic structures, then equipped them with heating and air conditioning. Buildings were actually rearranged on the site to evoke the feel of a town square. A 150-year-old saloon, which previously housed dealers, is now back to its original purpose, serving up cocktails and a stylish place to relax. And notably, as Sughrue mentioned, the site maintains a considerable amount of tent space – a beloved part of the Marburger experience.

The redevelopment wrapped before the opening of this year’s spring show, with one exception: Two centrally located tents will be replaced with two climate-controlled permanent buildings, an upgrade scheduled to be complete before the fall 2026 event. “Places to cool off, flat surfaces to walk on, areas to take a rest – these things are important when you’re going to spend an entire day or multiple days at the show,” says Sughrue.

It all sounds good. But the true test came on opening day. Did the new Marburger Farm draw criticism akin to Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi” – that they paved paradise and put up a parking lot, so to speak? By most accounts, any early fears were unfounded.

Longtime Marburger shopper turned dealer Kerry Kirk of Houston-based Assemblage Art & Advisory is in her fifth year as a vendor and says she doesn’t see a downside. Air conditioned spaces, rest areas, pretty views and more food “keeps people on property so they’re not going to find rest and respite elsewhere.”

That proved true for Dallas-based interior designer Lacy Lange. “We are usually so tired, so exhausted, so hot walking at Marburger that we are usually done by 12 or 12:30,” she says. This year, she and her friends stayed until the late afternoon. “It was just a more enjoyable shopping experience, I felt, which, in turn, made us shop more.”

The improvements are also paving the way for more shopping in another way. Marburger Farm is planning to participate in Round Top’s winter show in January 2027 after previously opening in just spring and fall.

Lange, who has been shopping at Marburger for nearly a decade, concedes that she was skeptical about the redevelopment. “I think when you change something that’s such an institution, there [are] always people that think it was best in its authentic form,” she says. “[But] we had one of the best shows that we’ve had, especially in the last five years.”

‘The word is out’

Round Top was once a word-of-mouth, if-you-know-you-know hidden gem; these days, the shows are widely popular (the word “mecca” is often used to describe Round Top as an antiquing destination) and much more commercialized. Sure, you can still shop for goods in bare-bones structures and simple tents, but many of these sit next to flashier developments with climate-controlled interiors and real bathrooms. And many venues now welcome vendors who sell new products, not just the vintage items or antiques Round Top is known for.

“All of Round Top has transformed in many ways, as ‘the word is out,'” says Kirk, the art dealer who sells at Marburger.

Some of the changes that longtime shoppers bemoan across venues – higher prices, a narrower selection of goods – can be traced to the basic forces of supply and demand. Round Top attendance has increased exponentially since the first show opened in 1968 and particularly over the past 30 years.

But there’s a very real concern that shoppers may be duped into paying a premium for something positioned as unique and well crafted that is, in fact, mass produced. Not every shopper has the trained eye of a professional designer when it comes to provenance, makers’ marks and certificates of authenticity.

That’s where Marburger continues to distinguish itself. Six-time dealer and longtime shopper Katie McClure, of Austin-based Show and Tell, points to the show’s high standards. “Marburger has remained steadfast in ensuring the quality of items – true vintage, true art,” she says.

Lange acknowledges that Marburger isn’t the only Round Top venue known for authenticity. But, in her view, the show’s reputation is well deserved. Marburger is “going to have the best of the best.”

Read the full article here.