Ed Gage’s Antiques Show Drew 100,000 People to a 90 Resident Town. His Story Holds a Lesson for Every Founder

Trust, taste, trial, and error. Five unconventional rules for building an unforgettable brand experience from scratch.

EXPERT OPINION BY CARLY LONG

Ed Gage. Illustration: Inc; Photo: Jack Thompson, Ethan Good Photography, Deb Turner

When Marburger Farm Antiques founder, Ed Gage was five years old, someone found him digging in an alley in St. Louis. When asked what he was doing, he had a perfectly reasonable explanation: “I’m looking for treasure.”

Decades later, that same curiosity has become the foundation of Marburger Farm Antique Show in Round Top, Texas, where more than 200 dealers gather to........

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