Once a year, roughly 250 vendors pack the shady streets of one tiny town, and admission costs nothing. Estimates put the crowd somewhere between 30,000 and 40,000 people. That’s a lot of shoppers for a place you could stroll across before your coffee cools.
The whole east side of town closes to cars for the day. Bluegrass, country, and gospel music drift between booths of handmade jewelry, fine art, and antiques. Church groups serve biscuits with gravy and fried pies.
I like how the setting does half the work. Dozens of historic buildings line the route, and giant oaks shade the walk…