3-07-2022 9:03pm

“Best Road Trip Ever” brings shoppers to area

Whitney Frost stands in front of a chicken coop/flower holder/storage unit in her eclectic shop, Frosted Farmhouse on Haywick St. in Rockton. Frosted Farmhouse was among several Rockton shops participating in the event on Friday and Saturday, March 4 and 5.

It was a busy weekend for shop owners in Roscoe, Rockton and South Beloit. Having decent weather on Friday and Saturday, March 4 and 5, helped bring car-loads of shoppers to the area for the spring edition of Vintage Shop Hop, “The Best Road Trip Ever,” presented by Nellie’s Barn Sale.

The twice yearly, self-guided road trip through Wisconsin and Illinois brought vintage, antique and boutique lovers to the area. Shoppers were able to plan their route following a Google map, listing 400 shop locations in each participating town, from southern Wisconsin to northern Illinois.

If you missed the spring edition of Vintage Shop Hop, don’t worry, the popular event will be back in October.

A treasure trove of maps, some hundreds of years old, were among the antique and vintage items available at "A Little Bird Told Me" located on Bridge St. in Roscoe. Jeremy and Tamara Bonaquisti, owners of the antique shop, found the mint-condition maps in an old farmhouse in the Roscoe area. They were on display during Shop Hop, March 4 and 5. Kay and Richard Foster purchased several, including a 140-year-old map of the United States.

These three ladies went road-tripping on Saturday afternoon, March 5. The ladies participated in the annual Shop Hop. (L to R) Ann Jones, from Rockford, Jeana Jones, Roscoe, and Linda Shine, Byron, were on the hunt for vintage bargains. They found lots of options at Pick a Dilly, a shop on Main St. in Rockton.

Aaron Harris loves vinyl records. He found plenty to choose from at The Best of Beloit Antique Mall on Gardner St. in South Beloit, during the Shop Hop, March 4 and 5. Four hundred antique, vintage and boutique stores in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin participated in the event. Google maps and a list of stores aided shoppers on their road trips. The Shop Hop is held every March and October.