09/02/2026
Hello! It’s been a while since our last post on Facebook. It’s not that we’ve been busy, because really, some days we have to go searching for projects to do--fence to build, animals to adopt, tomatoes to plant. We haven’t spent a heck of a lot of time out antique pickin’ because plants and animals tend to keep us at home, taking care of them so they can take care of us. 🐾
So yeah, we don’t even have any cool pictures of finds we’ve discovered this past summer. That doesn’t mean we haven’t been talking about (and planning) another seasonal show.
But first I want to back up a bit.
I’m going to turn back the memories to 1996. (It truly doesn't seem like that long ago, but 30 years...is that EVEN right?!) The place was KB Toys, Rimrock Mall. The time was early, very early…on the Friday morning following Thanksgiving Day. That day, affectionately called Black Friday because that’s the day many retailers started showing a profit for the year (red to black).
I remember being excited to be able to shop for my then two- and half-year old son, having previously circled the deals I found in the paper on Thanksgiving Day. To say I looked forward to Black Friday would be a gross understatement. My sister and I LIVED for the big, thick newspaper, bulging with ads, each Thanksgiving Day. We'd game plan which stores to stop at first for doorbusters, which stores to chance being sold out as the morning wore on. At the time if you would have asked either of us to choose only one on Thanksgiving Day-- “Turkey Skin or Billings Gazette”, we both would have chosen the latter without hesitation. And, browned, buttered turkey skin is right up at the top of our fighting list. Unbelievably tasty and gosh, so very limited.
It was still dark outside that morning when we arrived at the mall-- the line to the storefront eeking back to not quite the center of the mall. When the gate to the store opened, we walked in single file with our friends beside us, making our way in a snake formation down each aisle. We shopped as we slowly slithered to the checkout stand, arms piled high with deals, giggling and chatting along the way. Nobody fought. Nobody cut in line. Nobody decked a stranger over a Tonka truck. We enjoyed it not only for the savings (which we struggled to afford otherwise), but for the friendship, the spirit of the season, and the official kick off for Christmas decorating, wrapping, and baking.
With the start of internet shopping, Black Friday changed. It no longer was defined as a day, but then a week, then two. Soon, it started showing itself in ads the day following Halloween. I understood it, being a retailer most of my life. Businesses want to capture your money before you spend it elsewhere, plain and simple. Consumers don’t have endless supplies of cash so whoever gets yours first doesn’t have to fret for the leftovers.
But still, I miss Black Friday as it was back then. The thick newspaper scattered all over the living room floor as the smell of turkey and homemade buns in the oven wafted in the room. I miss it! Truth be told, I miss Small Business Saturday even more, my absolute favorite shopping day of the year. That day will always have my heart.
To remedy my heartache, my husband proposed for us to have a Liberty & Vine sale on the OG 😅 Black Friday and Small Business Saturday. As if I were going to object! Never!
This is going to be a good time!
We will be in Helena (our closest market to our home) for a show on Black Friday, November 27th and Small Business Saturday, November 28th. We will have hundreds of NEW retail items at Black Friday pricing as well as fresh finds from picking (headed back east in a few weeks to find, find, find!). We will be having a progressive sale during these two dates, announced as we get rolling!
Please watch our page for more details!
(Billings, we'd love to come back home this season, but our home zoo full of misfit animals keeps growing)
