The dates for the 2015 MacKenzie Childs Barn Sale have been announced! Thursday, July 16, 2015 through Sunday, July 19, 2015 from 8am till 6pm. mackenzie-childs.com/barnsale

Living in upstate NY it was hard not to fall in love with MacKenzie Childs, you either saw it in exclusive shops or you saw knockoffs of people trying to replicate it. Either way, I fell in love with the courtly check pattern. It reminded me of Alice in Wonderland with the black, white and red.

For years I had heard about the infamous Barn Sale held in Aurora every year, which was only an hour drive from where I lived. I missed several years of being able to attend because of the horror stories I heard of hours and hours of long lines just to get in. People come Wednesday and camp out overnight just to be the first to enter at 8am Thursday. And then you would be faced with hours and hours of lines to pay.

Finally in 2013 I decided I was going to go and was ready for the long lines. I picked a Friday around noon to go and it also happened to be the hottest day of the year, which I guess worked in my favor because there was NO LINE. I walked right in. And was shocked to see how organized everything was. They have everything under tents organized by outdoors, enamelware, ceramics, holiday, glassware, furniture, etc. I was amazed how everything flowed so easily. I expected Black Friday “like” craziness and it was nothing like that. They have probably 25 registers and it works like a well oiled machine.

I went again in 2014, again on a Friday, but it was not the hottest day of the year and everyone was there. I waited in line to enter about 2 hours. But I understand the line. You can only have so many people shopping otherwise you can’t shop, you can’t move, you can’t see anything, and it’s a hazard. I brought water with me. But they also have someone going down the line with a cart to sell water and other drinks. They also brought out chairs for some of the older people that couldn’t stand for so long. There are port-a-potties set up outside in case you need them. It’s nice to go with friends but you’ll certainly meet people in line. People come from all over the country for this sale and it’s definitely worth it for the deep, deep discounts.

Last year, I scored a lot of the same things as in 2013, half price courtly check bowls and plates. And more frames at 50-60% off. And….my most coveted item, the Piccadilly Beverage Hostess. It retails for $375 and the barn sale had it for $140!

In general you can expect to save 50% or more. Every day they also offer a particular category (ie outdoor, holiday) at an even deeper discount.

Please keep in mind that all Barn Sale purchases are final sale. I would also recommend a tour of the Farm House while you’re there, which stays open during the Barn Sale weekend. Formal tours are not given but you are welcome to walk around and tour the house on your own, which is done entirely in MacKenzie Childs. The master bedroom is truly incredible where several artists spent weeks painting the walls in courtly check.

The kitchen reminds me of something you would have in Barbie’s Dream House.

Is the MacKenzie Childs Barn Sale worth the hours of waiting in line? Yes! People come from all over the country to attend and save a lot of money. Now that I’ve moved to Texas in the last few months, I see myself as being one of those “out of staters” shopping the sale. So if you’re only a few hours drive from there and you haven’t gone because of the long lines don’t waste another year and go! I know a lot of people who lived in upstate NY all their life and LOVE Mackenzie Childs and haven’t gone because of horror stories they heard. It’s not that bad. You’ll survive and you’ll save a ton of money on your favorite pattern! So relax, slap on a pair of courtly check glasses and have fun!