I have been working the past few days to accomplish the administrative tasks that I need to accomplish to pull a show like this together. Harrigans’ Barn is usually on my mind, and I am always eager to visit with folks about coming to shop, participating as a vendor or planning the work projects that need taken care of before show day. I stopped at Dollar General in Girard, to pick up some necessary items that we need on September 12th. I bought another couple of boxes of paper masks. We are asking that all vendors and shoppers wear masks when you are not 6’ away from another person. I felt the need to have on hand paper masks for those that forgot their mask. That way anyone who wants to come can shop! I bought yet another few bottles of hand sanitizer to have for all of our family and friends so it can be used at the sanitation stations that I will have set around the property. I have rubber gloves in case someone feels they want that. Weird shopping list, I know, but one that is required in this time of Covid and this twisted thing that we call the year 2020.
I was on the property, dropping all of my new purchases, adding them to the pile I have already purchased. I fed Wilson, which takes a while lately because he has been a little under the weather, and I picked fresh bounty from our meager garden. On this beautiful morning, it was easy to slide into my frequent thoughts as I am approaching a sale, which involved my mom and dad. We have this barn to host this sale in because of my dad, and my mom. Daddy had the vision to work with USD 248 when he was approaching retirement from the school district to claim the school building that had been decommissioned. He had the organizational skills to gather the rag tag bunch of hard workers, family, friends and subcontractors, to take the 3 story building down, haul ALL those bricks to where the barn now sits, and put the structure up where it now lives. My parents were not wealthy folks. Just the thought of the enormity of the task makes me cringe, and I don’t shy away from much. Can you imagine how much work that was? He did not have enough money to hire an architect or whatever you would call someone who would build a barn. In the 70’s, looking for ideas on the internet was not yet possible. He knew what he wanted, and he probably drew it out while he having his morning coffee with the guys he hung with at Hiway Inn or East Side Café. Just as he was determined to accomplish this monumental task, those businesses are still around today, in the same spot, still welcoming the rounds of morning coffee guys to this day. Good for them.
It was an all hands on deck proposition. My mom was on board, obviously, because she let him build it. My brothers were on board, because they probably had no choice. I vaguely remember helping to move the bricks from here to there, and probably back again, and chipping mortar from the bricks, and chipping mortar, and chipping… You get the picture. The barn on the Harrigans’ property was a dream of my dad’s. It was with his sweat, and tears, and sore muscles, and persistence that he got that sucker built. And we celebrate all that it took to create this structure by hosting this sale. We started Harrigans’ Barn because I am a junker and a gatherer, and a crafter…a visionary of sorts. I wanted to find a way to focus our attention on this structure and create a sense of excitement and commitment to keeping this dream alive and standing. If not for my family, Harrigans’ Barn would not be possible. So, thanks to you all. You know who you are.
There are many of us out there…the junkers, the crafters, the artisans and the dreamers. Harrigans’ Barn vintage sales give folks a place to sell their stuff. They are limited only by their imagination about what they want to sell. It was started to provide an outlet for local folks, but how things have changed. We have faithful vendors that come every time. We have many new vendors each time. As the word spreads and people know they can trust us to provide them a safe place to do business, the vendor map spreads. This time we have 42 vendors, reduced from our typical vendor load to allow social distancing. Crawford, Labette, Neosho, Bourbon and Allen counties are represented from southeast Kansas. We have vendors from Kansas and Missouri, and even one that is a new transplant from South Dakota. We have folks coming from Wichita, Kansas City and Springfield. And we even have one famous guy, Mr. Johnnie Walker from Fort Scott. This junker of notable fame was featured on American Pickers and he sold some stuff to Mike and Frank. The Harrigan family has opened their property to all of these folks to come to town to market their products. We are now inviting all of you to come to town to buy some things! You really won’t know what you are missing unless you stop by to give us a try.
We are Harrigans’ Barn, selling vintage, antiques, farmhouse, art work, junk, salvage, gear head scrap and repurposed goods. We usually have fabulous food, but not this time because of that damn virus. We are located at 608 S. Sinnet in the beautiful town of Girard, Kansas. Our show will be held on Saturday, September 19th and we will be here from 9am to 4pm. Grab your friends and family, and come on by, won’t you?
Comments