Inside the City Farmhouse Vintage Fling in Downtown Franklin
City Farmhouse brought its signature mix of antiques, vintage finds, florals, jewelry, clothing, and styled displays to Franklin on Friday, June 12, and Saturday, June 13, 2026, for the City Farmhouse Vintage Fling.
Held under the large pavilion at Franklin’s Bicentennial Park, the summer event gathered antique dealers, vintage sellers, florists, makers, and shoppers for a shopping experience centered around pieces with age, character, and a sense of history.
Founded by Kim and David Leggett, City Farmhouse has built a national following around authentic French and American farmhouse furnishings, curated antiques, and interiors that feel collected over time. Kim Leggett, a style curator, designer, and author of City Farmhouse Style and Home Stories, has long been known for her ability to bring together antiques, architectural pieces, and personal objects in a way that feels both refined and approachable. Along with producing a long-running series of pop-up fairs, City Farmhouse has become part of Franklin’s creative community through its design work and former storefront on Third Avenue.
Vintage Fling: A Summer Gathering for Vintage and Antique Shoppers
While City Farmhouse is known for its larger seasonal shows, Vintage Fling had a more spontaneous origin. Leggett said the June 12 event came together after conversations with vendors who were interested in adding another date to the antique show calendar.
“This is called a fling for a reason,” Leggett said. “This was an unplanned event.”
The idea, she said, was less about creating a new tradition and more about giving vendors and shoppers a reason to gather during a quieter part of the season.
“Vendors called me and said, ‘Hey, let’s have a summer show. We need something to do in the summer,’” Leggett said.
The result was a relaxed but carefully styled event. Instead of rows of standard booths, the show featured spaces arranged as small rooms or vignettes. Across the event, shoppers found antique furniture, industrial pieces, primitive finds, sterling and costume jewelry, vintage clothing, floral arrangements, and one-of-a-kind decorative accents.
Inside the City Farmhouse Vintage Fling
The vendor mix at Vintage Fling appealed to both seasoned antique collectors and more casual shoppers looking for pieces that could add character to their homes. Rather than being tied to one specific style, the displays showed how different kinds of vintage and antique pieces can work together.
For Esther Wallace of Franklin Pickers, the event was a chance to share the kind of collected, functional pieces that fit naturally within the City Farmhouse aesthetic.
“We love industrial and primitive,” Wallace said.
Franklin Pickers is based in Franklin and carries items locally at GasLamp Too in Nashville and at The Franklin Antique Mall in downtown Franklin. Wallace said the June 12 event was their second show with City Farmhouse, and they plan to continue participating.
Carly Jones brought vintage clothing, jewelry, gemstones, and other collected finds to the event. Her offerings reflected a shop that has grown beyond clothing after a large jewelry collection came her way earlier this year.
“My main thing is vintage clothing,” Jones said, explaining that she became “an accidental jeweler.”
Vintage Fling was Jones’s second show with City Farmhouse. She also sells through her Etsy shop, CeCeVintage, and has showcases and a small booth at GasLamp Antiques in Nashville.
For Tommy Barrett of Messenger Antiques, Vintage Fling marked his first show. Barrett, who is from the Grassland area of Franklin, described himself as part of a family with deep Middle Tennessee roots.
“I’m working on my sixth generation here in Middle Tennessee,” Barrett said.
Barrett said he has spent years around antiques through his mother and grandmother and is now turning that longtime interest into a new chapter. His space included furniture, lamps, industrial pieces, metal objects, wood features, and pieces with a strong sense of character.
“Very country ranch, with a splash of traditional American,” Barrett said, describing his style.
For a first show, Barrett said he was grateful to be included among more experienced dealers.
“I’m honored to be with Kim and all the other big-time dealers here,” he said, referring to Leggett and the other vendors at the event.
Displays Built Around Story and Style
One of the defining features of Vintage Fling was the way vendors created vignettes that felt personal and layered.
Maria Kanellis-Bennett of Wild Stems brought a floral-focused collection to the event, along with antique pieces. Bennett creates floral arrangements for events, installations, and store openings, and said she is drawn to arrangements that feel unexpected.
“I like things a little on the opposite, different side,” Bennett said.
Bennett first attended a City Farmhouse event as a shopper last year. After seeing the event and its style, she asked about participating in Vintage Fling.
“When I saw they were doing this event this year, I asked if, you know, ‘Hey, can I come in and just have a small place?’” Bennett said. “And then she gave me this beautiful space.”
One of the most eye-catching elements in her space was a wall of vintage sewing machines. Bennett said the display was a family project: her father built the wall, her mother found the sewing machines, and her grandfather built individual boxes to support them.
“Labor of love in the family,” she said.
Before focusing more on florals, Bennett spent years working in professional wrestling. After having her third child in January, she said floral work has given her a creative outlet closer to home.
“This is a nice, creative space where I can pick and choose when I leave my babies,” Bennett said.
A Loyal Following for City Farmhouse
The event also reflected the community that has formed around City Farmhouse and its vendors. Many shoppers who attend City Farmhouse events follow specific dealers, watch social media for previews, and return for every show.
Wallace said Franklin Pickers sees many repeat customers at City Farmhouse events. “Our customers are the best,” she said. “They really come in excited. They love to support.”
She said some shoppers recognize vendors from previous shows and come in ready to reconnect.
“They come back again and again and again,” she said. “We see a lot of repeat customers.”
That loyalty has helped City Farmhouse continue to draw shoppers even as the broader farmhouse trend has shifted over time. While the word “farmhouse” has been used widely in design, City Farmhouse has remained rooted in authentic antiques, quality workmanship, and pieces that carry a sense of history.
What’s Next for City Farmhouse
Vintage Fling came as City Farmhouse prepares for two upcoming milestones in Franklin: the opening of a new warehouse showroom in July and the return of its Fall Popup Fair to The Factory at Franklin in November.
The new City Farmhouse warehouse showroom is expected to open in July 2026 at 105 Southeast Parkway, Suite 115, about two miles from downtown Franklin. The space marks a shift for the brand, giving City Farmhouse a warehouse-style setting for pieces that have been in storage, including items sourced from France. Rather than functioning like the former Third Avenue storefront, the showroom is intended for shoppers who seek out the City Farmhouse style and want a more intentional antiques experience.
“It’s not like your typical retail walk-in store. Like when we were on Third,” Leggett said. “It’s really more for our curated customers who know about City Farmhouse, know what we sell, and love to shop with us.”
The warehouse showroom is expected to be open to shoppers on Fridays and Saturdays, with appointments available on other days.
City Farmhouse will also return to Liberty Hall at The Factory at Franklin for its Fall Popup Fair on November 6 and 7. Leggett said the November event will be larger in scale than the summer Vintage Fling and will include a preview party with food and drinks.
The fall show gives City Farmhouse a larger indoor setting for one of its signature shopping events. Unlike Vintage Fling, the November fair is part of the brand’s regular event calendar and is expected to bring together a broader group of antique, vintage, and artisan vendors.
For shoppers who came to Vintage Fling for antiques, florals, vintage clothing, jewelry, and styled spaces, the June event offered a summer look at the City Farmhouse world. With the warehouse showroom opening in July and the Fall Popup Fair returning in November, City Farmhouse continues to build on its Franklin roots.
