The Southern Mercantile Blog

Vintage Market Days of North East Georgia

5/25/2017

I found myself on the road again last week, and at this point in spring I am beginning to feel a bit like a traveling gypsy! This time we loaded the trailer and headed to North Augusta, SC for Vintage Market Days of North East Georgia. (go figure) The show was hosted in a horse arena with no air conditioning and a dirt floor. The ambiance of this venue was nice for this type of vintage sale, but this girl doesn't like to be hot or dirty so it was a bit of a stretch for me!

There were a few extra challenges this time regarding set up so I decided to simplify a bit. We also had to provide a floor covering so I opted for these inexpensive canvas drop cloths.

Gaining inspiration from the quickly approaching summer, I brought lots of fun travel/outdoor themed vintage finds. We loaded in maps, coolers, thermos', and camping equipment.

I'm a sucker for vintage kitchen items! We always have to show up with a few of our favorites, like rolling pins, cannisters, enamelware, and milk bottles.

You can never go wrong with trunks and suitcases! These aluminum suitcases are the first I have found and you can tell by the stickers that they have been well traveled! There are still a couple left so you may see them pop up in June at our next show!

Vintage Market Days of Greater Atlanta will be our last show for a few months. If we haven't gotten to meet you yet, we would love to see you in Atlanta! You can click HERE for more information. Be sure to join our email list, if you haven't already, to keep up with our travel schedule for the fall!

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Meet our Maker: Paulk's Pride

5/18/2017

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In 2002, Chris Paulk came home to start a new venture on his family’s farm and muscadine vineyard: creating products made from muscadines that would highlight their flavor and health benefits.

Today, Paulk’s Pride is a line of dietary supplements, juices, and jellies, and Chris employs 8-10 people year-round at his manufacturing facility located in the middle of Paulk Vineyards.

People are always amazed to see what’s hidden away in our rural county. Driving through 600 acres of muscadine vines makes folks feel as if they’ve been transported to a southern version of Napa Valley!

Processing such unique fruit requires some impressive equipment, beginning with presses which separate the juice from the seeds and skins, to a state-of-the-art bottling line to fill bottles with that juice, to many other machines which turn the seeds and skins into dietary supplements.

Making the jellies has become a joint effort, as The Southern Mercantile actually produces Paulk’s Pride Muscadine Jelly, Sauce, and Preserves, and they’re available in our store!

If you’re interested in Paulk’s Pride Muscadine Juices or supplements, visit paulkspride.com. You can learn more about the Paulk Family and Paulk Vineyards by going to paulkvineyards.com.

And, yes, Chris is Jorjanne’s husband! You can read more about their story in Jorjanne’s blogs "Muscadines, Grandma, & a Husband" or "Faithful in the Little Things".

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Buttermilk Salad

5/12/2017

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Tara

In honor of Mother's Day this weekend, I thought I would share one of my Mom's favorite recipes! There are two dishes that come to mind when I think about her; Sweet Potato Souffle and Buttermilk Salad. Both of these dishes seem to make it to every family gathering or holiday meal--usually per request of one of my cousins! Since summer is upon us, I thought I'd share her sweet and simple Buttermilk Salad Recipe.

Since my mother has made this recipe my whole life, I've never had to! She let me borrow her coveted Big Creek Church Cookbook for me to attempt it myself. This book has been well loved over the years, with paper clips marking her favorite recipes.

All you need are four simple ingredients to make this refreshing treat. In our family, this "salad" is a part of the meal, not dessert. Although it may look deceiving, this definitely pairs well with fresh peas and cornbread.

It wasn't until I started to make the recipe that I realize my Nana was the one who submitted this selection! Come to find out, Nana made this for her family and now my Mom carries on the tradition.

It only takes a few minutes to whip up, but you must let it set up overnight. My mom likes hers to be extra fluffy, so she uses 16 oz. of Cool Whip rather than 8 oz. If you think you'd like it to be tart, use two cups of buttermilk. If not, just use one!

If my mother had made it, it wouldn't be so lumpy. If my mother had made it, it would be a little fluffier! Some things are just best left to Mom.

I am so thankful to come from a long line of women who love to cook and serve. If you'd like to reminisce with us about our Mothers a little more, check out our Mother Memories blog! I hope you'll try this recipe as well as some of the others we've shared. Don't forget, you can always check out our Recipe Archive when you are in need of a new one to try!

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On the Road Again - Braselton Antique and Artisan Festival

5/4/2017

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A couple of weeks ago we headed to Braselton, Georgia to set up shop at the Braselton Antique and Artisan Festival. We had a beautiful start to the weekend with warm, sunny weather. Perfect for an outdoor venue.

An outdoor set up is a little different for us. A tent, dirt floor, and no walls posed a small challenge that we eagerly met. The outcome of this design challenge was a success as we ended up with a charming little space filled with cool vintage finds.

We embraced the atmosphere of being outdoors and brought plenty of garden items, vintage tools and porch & patio decor.

We livened up our space with silk sunflowers and a good assortment of our faux pot plants and succulents.

This was the first show that we were able to show off our line of dresses from Mata Traders. Mata is a fairtrade business that provides women in India and Nepal with employment. They provide a fair wage, as well as support in learing life skills to better care for themselves and their families. We are thrilled to be partnering with this company! Check out their website for more information about their mission and check out the selection of beautiful dresses in our store!

Tara and Roxie enjoyed getting to model their favorites!

Necklaces, by Sweet Auburn Studio, made from vintage pocket knives are the perfect accessory sass up our dresses by Mata Traders. We are thrilled to be adding Leigh Ann Harris, the designer and creator of Sweet Auburn, to our talented list of Southern Mercantile Makers! You can check out a selection of her work in the store and, don't worry, there is more to come!

These sweet gold bells are our new favorites! They are perfect to hang in the garden, in a wreath on your front door, or group on top of your favorite lantern. They are in stock and available in the store!

Shop Now!

While we had great weather on Friday and Saturday, our luck ran out on Sunday. It rained ALL day. We made the best of it and had a good time, until the very end! That's just the chance you take with an outdoor venue!

Our next travels will take us to Augusta, GA and then to Atlanta. After that, we'll be taking a little travel break until the fall. If you haven't made it out to see us yet, we hope to meet you in the coming weeks!

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Vintage Market Days of North East Georgia

There were a few extra challenges this time regarding set up so I decided to simplify a bit. We also had to provide a floor covering so I opted for these inexpensive canvas drop cloths.

Meet our Maker: Paulk's Pride

Buttermilk Salad

On the Road Again - Braselton Antique and Artisan Festival

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There were a few extra challenges this time regarding set up so I decided to simplify a bit. We also had to provide a floor covering so I opted for these inexpensive canvas drop cloths.

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