ANTIQUE PICKERS’ PARADISE
Hippie Tom’s Last Stand and Elkhorn antique flea market
If you’re in the mood for some serious pickin’ this fall, consider the final five-day blowout at Hippie Tom’s farm in Waterford or the last Elkhorn Antique Flea Market of the year.
While fall is undoubtedly the best time to pick apples, it’s also prime time for pickers searching for antiques, old collectibles and vintage goods to get your home looking its charming best both inside and out. And just who is Hippie Tom and what exactly is a picker?
A picker can be defined as a finder and rescuer of objects that are worn, imperfect and sometimes cast aside. Hippie Tom was introduced to the world in 2010 when a television show came calling at a place called Serendipity Farm in Waterford.
“I got my nickname from the show ‘American Pickers,’ said Thomas Cerny Smith, a.k.a. Hippie Tom. “(Co-host) Mike Wolfe said they were going to meet a guy who might be a hippie and then he called me Hippie Tom. Ever since, people remembered me as Hippie Tom.”
Since his initial appearance on “American Pickers,” the distinguishable Cerny and his Serendipity Farm have been a pickers’ paradise in southeastern Wisconsin.
Hippie Tom’s last stand
He’s hosted semiannual five-day sales for years, but the very last will be held Oct. 4, through Oct. 8, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
It is appropriately titled Hippie Tom’s Last Stand, featuring antiques, old concrete urns, galvanized metal, cast iron, pottery, architectural salvage, and home and garden collectibles all creatively displayed at his farm, 6404 Marsh Road.
Nearly 24,000 people have liked Hippie Tom’s Facebook page, and he routinely turns away shoppers who just turn up unannounced at his gate, as the farm is not normally open to the public.
Cerny is anticipating over 5,000 people will come to the Last Stand.
How does he account for his sizable following?
“I think the popularity comes from people finding out that what they saw on the show is what I’m really like. Nothing was staged or scripted,” he said. “(Co-hosts) Mike and Frank (Fritz) brought a renewed popularity to old things, and I have plenty of that.”
Cerny is also one affable guy with a great eye for picking. “Hippie Tom has the best stuff and is a super nice guy,” said Milwaukeean Adam Levin, administrator of the large Old Milwaukee group on Facebook. Levin attended Cerny’s spring sale earlier this year.
“He’s quite the character. You’ll never know what you’ll find and what will fall into your hands — keep searching, and looking up.”
In person, Cerny looks like a combination of former Brewers center-
“I think the popularity comes from people finding out that what they saw on the show is what I’m really like. Nothing was staged or scripted. (Co-hosts) Mike and Frank (Fritz) brought a renewed popularity to old things, and I have plenty of that.” Thomas Cerny Smith, a.k.a. Hippie Tom
fielder Gorman Thomas and Richard Farnsworth (the actor in the movie “The Straight Story” who drove his tractor to Wisconsin), only taller.
He is very much a team act with his wife, Sharon Smith Cerny; both of them added each other’s last name when they married.
He also has help from cohort Chris Corona, someone he calls Soy. Note: if you speak with Cerny for any length of time, you may acquire a new name. Just go with it.
As Cerny explains, it was just time for him and his wife to wrap up the big multi-day sales.
“The Last Stand does represent the end to a great and wonderful chapter of Sharon’s and my life,” he explained. “We have really enjoyed sharing our piece of heaven with so many people over the years.
“However, preparation for the sales is extensive and so not only do the buildings need maintenance and repair, but so do both of us. It was time to create a more peaceful time in our lives.”
Contagious creativity
It’s worth exploring Serendipity Farm just to experience the magnificent gardens and 45 salvaged outbuildings, many of which were built or repaired by Cerny. One notable is the Lost Sheep of our Lords Flock church with beautiful arched doors and windows.
For decorators, collectors and gardeners, the farm’s inspiring creativity is contagious. “The gardens were planted mostly by Sharon over the past 24 years,” Cerny explained.
Curiously, Cerny is drawn to dust pans, metal rakes, ice picks and paper. “They all have a history of being handled over and over by someone. That intrigues me,” he explained.
“I acquire things from people who know I’m a collector and they call or stop at the farm,” Cerny said. “Sometimes people just stop here with a truckload of things. I’ve been involved in antiques since 1969, when I came across 5,000 hats.” He also browses estate sales.
Does he ever get sad to let certain items go? Yes, but according to Cerny, he’s also happy to make a living selling antiques with “unique beauty.”
Cerny will continue with occasional one-day, pop-up sales, advertised on his Facebook page. “They can also call or message me if they are looking for something particular like architectural pieces, doors, windows or whatever,” he said.
And, Hippie Tom will continue to appear at the large Elkhorn Antique Flea Market, which is held four times a year at the Walworth County Fairgrounds.
Pickers’ black Friday
The Elkhorn Antique Flea Market is worth its own full day of picking.
The last market of the year is coming up next Sunday. Because it’s the final one until May 2019, market manager Amy Nottestand recommends making it worthwhile.
“It’s our season closer,” she said. “People are getting their last-minute, last-chance fix.”
She advises pickers to arrive early,
“I acquire things from people who know I’m a collector and they call or stop at the farm. Sometimes people just stop here with a truckload of things. I’ve been involved in antiques since 1969, when I came across 5,000 hats.” Thomas Cerny Smith
plan for a crowd, wear comfortable shoes, and make a day of it. With more than 600 booths at the September “big one,” she warned the show can be highly stimulating, even overwhelming. “Just take your time,” she said.
An estimated 10,000 to 15,000 people are expected for the market featuring original, as-intended antiques. While some upcycled items can be found, the market primarily sells antiques and old collectibles. No crafts are allowed.
Nottestand called the September sale “an eclectic pickers Black Friday” with people rushing in once the gates open at 7 a.m. “It’s the one to go to in the Midwest,” she said.
Pickers and dealers build relationships at market time; it’s not just about the deal. Buyers are encouraged to ask questions and bounce creative ideas off dealers, she explained. “It’s a lot of good, interesting communication that’s going on with the sellers. Their minds are amazing to pick,” Nottestand said.
In its 37th season, the Elkhorn Antique Flea Market offers a wide range of furniture both in the rough and refinished, glassware, pottery, advertising items, linens, trunks, tools, garden items, architectural salvage, decoys, dolls and light fixtures, among other things.
It’s open rain or shine. Admission is $5 with free parking.
Food vendors will be selling cream puffs, deep-fried cheese curds, cornon-the-cob, pork and rib-eye sandwiches, chicken wraps, buffalo burgers and root beer floats.
You can always pick apples on the way home. Just be sure to have picked a vintage pie plate for baking an apple pie later this fall.
Jennifer Rude Klett is a Wisconsin freelance writer of history, food, and Midwestern life. Contact her at jrude klett.com.