Saxton’s Vintage Linens is located in the Civic Center on First Monday Grounds and carries a wide variety of vintage quilts, linens, handkerchiefs and tablecloths.

Owners, Rick and Lynda Saxton of Forney, have been coming to First Monday for over 10 years and occupy booths 114-117 in the Civic Center which is in the back left corner of the building opposite of the food court.

"Yes, I am a linen addict. Yes, I can admit it," said Lynda Saxton.

"My friend, Yvonne Barineau, did the tablecloth book, "Threads from the Past-1930’s to 1960’s and she mailed me one of them as a gift. In the front, she autographed it to me and it was so cute, it said, ‘To my fellow friend and linen addict’," said Saxton.

Saxton said she enjoys coming to Canton each month and supplying the buyers with lots of great quilts and linens.

"I sell to a lot of dealers on the Canton Grounds who clean and iron these beauties and bring them back for their customers," said Saxton.

Saxton said she also has a wonderful recipe for cleaning vintage quilts, which she distributes at Canton each month to the public for free.

"I also sell all sorts of rugs and vintage clothing and what I call ‘other fun stuff’," said Saxton.

Saxton said her mother passed away in the early 1980’s and that she and her sister were to divide her mother’s belongings.

"My sister suggested that since I liked old things, that I could take everything old and she would take everything new. That is when I inherited all of my great-grandmother’s, grandmother’s and mother’s old linens and when I first became aware of my love for linens," said Saxton.

Saxton said that she and her husband were collecting cookie jars at the time as well and decided to collect old linens, along with the jars, to sell someday.

"I bought linens for over 22 years while pulling 10-hour shifts at St. Paul Medical Center, Dallas, TX, Cancer Center/Oncology Unit," said Saxton.

Saxton said she hired three women who went all over Texas and Louisiana buying linens.

"I worked with one of the ladies’ daughter at the hospital and that is how I met the three of them and got started. I bought everything that they brought me for those 22 years and stored them," said Saxton.

Saxton said that she had four huge storage buildings full of old linens.

"My husband refused to let me rent another storage building, telling me that no one needed five storage buildings, and he was not going to pay for another one," said Saxton.

Saxton said that she had been in a severe car wreck and that her husband had been trying to get her to retire and quit making the 50-mile trip to the hospital everyday.

"When UT Southwestern purchased St. Paul, I lost everything, 22 years seniority, sick leave and vacation. It was going to be like starting over," said Saxton.

"As I was sitting there feeling sorry for myself, I thought ‘Lynda, retire and sell your linens’, " said Saxton.

Saxton said that she retired from the hospital three years ago.

"My knowledge of my linens is still very limited, even though I have approximately 1,000,000 of the little beauties. I am having a ball learning," said Saxton.