Picture a hot, crowded antiques field in the Texas countryside. You are scanning the booths for something pretty, not watching where you walk, and you bump into another shopper. You say what any polite person says: “Oh, I’m so sorry. Excuse me.” Then you look up and realize you just apologized to Gwen Stefani.

That is exactly what happened to Michele Beckwith, and she still glows when she tells it. She shared the story while on a buying trip to Round Top, the famous Texas antiques destination, in a video on her YouTube channel. It came back to her as she walked into the same field where it happened.

The Bump

By her recollection, it was around 2021, when people were still wearing masks at shows. She had heard that the singer was in the area, possibly shopping for a new home, and that she had been spotted at Marburger, one of the more upscale show tents at Round Top. Michele was walking through one of the open-front storage-unit style fields when she collided with someone.

She did not realize who it was until the shopper had walked away. The mask helped keep her anonymous, but the outfit was memorable: a khaki fringe jacket, cut-off jean shorts over black leggings, and cowboy boots with heels. Michele says she was tickled and excited, and she wishes she had said something. In the moment, she did not even understand what was happening.

What makes it sweeter is that the singer was a lifelong idol. Michele joked that when she grows up, she wants to be Gwen Stefani. She called her fun and down to earth, said she once saw her from the front row in Las Vegas, and remembered loving the pink ombre dip-dye on her wedding dress. She had even kept clippings in a box of high school memorabilia. To her, the accidental bump was her moment to meet her hero, even if it was not a conversation.

A Round Top Thursday

The trip itself was more modest. It was a Thursday, a scouting day, before the first big show, Blue Hills, which opens Saturday morning just up the road. She said she wanted to get a feel for what was out there. The heat was in the high 90s and humid, so she stayed at one venue instead of hitting four or five. The slower pace gave her more time to talk with dealers, and she says that is one of the best things about Round Top: hearing the stories behind the objects.

Those stories are not always sunny. Dealers told her about the hard work of sourcing: long drives, long days of packing, and costs like an unexpected bill on top of a shipping container that forced them to raise prices. She did what she could, listening and brainstorming and making them feel heard.

Her haul was mostly small. She showed a cement sitting deer, which she paired with a standing deer from the spring for a Christmas display. The deer came from a dealer who said a man who used to work at a cement plant bought the animals after the plant went out of business. She picked up a carriage clock for her kitchen, which she thought cost about $40 to $50, a French hand-blown glass she was told dates from the 19th century, a brass letter opener, three small carved pottery pieces, a heavy whippet figure on stone and a blue and green box she thought felt very Bridgerton. She also found brown transferware plates, tapestry pillows, an alabaster jar and a collection of seashells. Some items are for her home, and others will go to her shop.

How To Do Round Top, Or Any Big Antiques Show

Whether you head to Texas or just to a big flea market near home, her day offers some simple advice.

• Scout first. Spend the first day looking, not buying. You get a sense of prices and quality, and you can circle back to the best things.
• Pace yourself in the heat. Bring water, take breaks, wear a hat and do not try to see everything in one day. A shorter day means better decisions.
• Talk to the dealers. Ask where an item came from. You learn history, and dealers often give better prices to people who show real interest.
• Go for smalls. Small items fit in a suitcase, travel easily and are less likely to be scooped up by dealers hauling trucks of furniture.
• Buy the pair. Matching pieces are easier to style and often worth more than single items.
• Know your own style. Michele buys what she loves, then decides what goes in the house and what goes in the shop. That keeps her from filling a cart with things she will not use.
• Keep your eyes up. You never know who is walking the aisle. A bit of celebrity luck is only possible if you are out there.

It was not even a conversation, only an apology and an accidental brush of shoulders. But it is the kind of story antiquers tell for years, and it shows why people keep going back to these dusty fields. You never know what, or who, you will bump into next.

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