Atlantique City Offers Miles of Aisles

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.

:Sitting across from the Hall B entrance to the Atlantique City fall show on September 15, Darryl Kirbo from Brownwood, Texas, wore the look of a travel-weary passenger at a Greyhound Bus terminal. Kirbo and his wife, Donna - and joined for the day by their adult son Derek - were winding up a vacation trip that had wound through Niagara Falls, N.Y., and culminated here at the Atlantic City Convention Center. "The highlight of our trip is this show," said Kirbo, who said he collects all kinds of advertising - from Coca-Cola items to sporting, hunting and fishing and petroliana. Kirbo, who is listed in Allan Petretti's Coca-Cola Collectibles Price Guide as a contributor, has been an avid collector since the 1970s when he bought his first antique bottle at a Skinner auction.

He is just the kind of customer the Atlantique City show - well, officially the "Atlantique City Holiday Megafair: The Largest Indoor Antique & Collectibles Show In The World," according to show officials, who remind us that the name is a registered national servicemark and should be used in its entirety whenever possible - has attracted in the past and wants to continue to attract. The thrill of holding in one's hands the elusive item that may prove to be the linchpin of one's collection is something that cannot be matched by the cool, plastic curve of a computer mouse or the one-dimensional page in a price guide. It is, show producer Mark F. Moran, will tell you, putting everything from the "sublime to the ridiculous" under one roof for two days in the expectation that collectors like Darryl Kirbo will come to shop the show.

Unfortunately for the Kirbo clan on this day, a mix-up in communications between the show managers and convention staff meant that as the 8:45 am early buying time arrived, Hall B's doors remained closed and they had to trek to another entrance to get into the show. Such glitches routinely occur in shows as large as Atlantique City, and Moran, marking his first stint as producer under the aegis of Iola, Wis.-based F+W Publications, said in a postshow interview, "The most important thought I brought away was that it takes a village to run the show."

There were other restive grumblings among several of the dealers. Some commented that some of the booths looked downright junky, such as one entrepreneurial space that bore a homemade cardboard sign advertising Steiff bears. But a bigger issue seemed to be the fact that complimentary show passes, which had been dispensed liberally to show dealers in the past, had been eliminated. In the same way that casual web surfers are able to cruise eBay and other Internet shopping portals for free - and perhaps get bit by the collecting bug along the way - casual show attendees, who are often favorite clients of the dealer receiving "comp" passes, might come to the show, thereby boosting the gate and perhaps becoming exposed to something new and interesting. Said Bernice Conn, who with husband Arnold has been participating in the show for 14 years, "Of our regular customers, not one showed up."

Moran defended the decision to eliminate the free show tickets, explaining that show management preferred to allocate promotional dollars across other areas, such as television, radio and general interest print. "We found out in going back through the records that 90 percent of these people [complimentary pass attendees] had purchased tickets in the past." A paying customer, Moran said, has a higher level of motivation to buy. "The fact is, some dealers will do land office business, and some will not," he said. Moran believed the reduced ticket sales and smaller gate had more to do with the horrendous rains that soaked the region that weekend, and said that after the New Jersey governor declared a state of emergency, he had to constantly reassure the people who called him that the serious flooding was occurring in northern New Jersey.

The Conns, based in Voorhees, N.J., said they had an "okay" show, certainly not "land office," but they did sell two sets of sterling flatware, a three-dimensional Victorian work depicting Little Red Riding Hood, an English barometer, a French chenet and five of the folk art gadget walking sticks for which they are known.

Dave and Clara Johnson of Point Pleasant Antique Emporium said they have devised their own little "barometer" to gauge attendance at each show. "We put out two candy containers for the customers, one with M&Ms, the other candy corn - In the spring, we use jelly beans," said Clara Johnson. "We used about 30 bags of candy compared with 45 in the spring. I know this isn't scientific, but it is an indication."

The Point Pleasant Beach, N.J., dealers nevertheless turned in good sales results, selling the second highest amount ever. "Some items were sold for good profit, others for moving items along. In all, it is worthwhile for us," said Johnson. "We sold a four-piece Victorian parlor set and center table, an empire stand and a jelly cupboard in the furniture line. Although the management offered free delivery, our customers chose to carry their pieces home."

Ironically, the Johnsons also sold a cabinet-sized Kestner character doll to a regular customer at their co-op shop who had never bought a doll from them there. "We sold about ten dolls and a few toys, three or four lamps - one a beautiful cut glass example - and a number of decorative items, including four or five pieces of Historical Blue. We also sold two sets of sterling flatware, which we were happy to say goodbye to. The best item was a French toy cart, circa 1865, pulled by two goats."

"It seemed to me that the gate was a little different this year," said Vicki Turbeville, a New York City jewelry dealer who specializes in Southwestern items. "In the past couple of years, I saw more people coming to begin their holiday shopping, whereas this year I saw more people just enjoying a day out and filling in places in their own collections. It's possible that overall numbers were slightly fewer, but the folks who did come out seemed to be serious about buying good quality antique items."

Turbeville added that one of the more interesting comments came from a woman who bought an antique Navajo necklace and bracelet. "She pointed out that if she had gone gambling with her husband and friends she would have lost at least as much money gambling, and instead she was coming home with two beautiful pieces she could wear forever. That's one I've never heard before," said the dealer.

"It was an interesting show, and several people found pieces they had been looking for to round out their collections of Zuni inlay rings, or an old Navajo Harley ring with a gigantic turquoise stone, and a Fred Harvey bracelet from the 1940s which was bought by a woman who was beginning her collection. I always enjoy doing the Atlantic City show and find the other dealers to be knowledgeable, professional and fun," Turbeville concluded.

Qualifying their observation with an "as shows go these days," Patti Bourgeois and Don Gill of Patti's Past Perfect Pottery, reported a good show. "We have actually enjoyed higher sales in the past two shows at AC, that is, March and October," said Bourgeois. "Like most dealers, we saw a tremendous impact after 9/11 We have only just begun to see things improve this year. In fact, we've enjoyed several very good shows in 2005. Sales were fairly steady on Saturday, but only marginal on Sunday. Overall, we were satisfied."

The Westport, Mass., dealers specialize in art pottery, vintage bookends, first editions and World War I posters. "We sold many bookends at this event," said Bourgeois. "The Bookend Collectors Club was in town for their convention, so we would certainly attribute the greater interest in bookends to the members' attendance. We also had a strong inventory of bookends"

Art pottery continues to be a good seller, added Bourgeois. "We had pottery ranging from higher end Rookwood to Roseville to Moorcroft to McCoy. We sold lots of McCoy, which is consistent with our overall experience this year - the lower end is still selling. People are more likely to impulse buy with McCoy than they are with Rookwood or Fulper. Roseville sales remains steady, and interest in Weller remains strong.

"The AC show still attracts dealers with high quality merchandise. We heard wonderful comments from many buyers with regard to the high-end collectibles they were able to see and buy at this show. It is always difficult to 'guesstimate the gate,' but I would think it was down some from the March show. That is the way it has always been, more in March, less in October. While there were less people there on Saturday, our sales were good. Attendance on Sunday was definitely off, in our opinion. We hope Mark Moran continues to draw in dealers from around the country with great stuff and customers to buy it. We'll definitely be back."

Vintage linens purveyor and author Marsha Manchester of Milady's Linens, Gardiner, Maine, said the highlight of her show was meeting with her publisher Peter Schiffer and receiving a contract to start her third book. The author of Vintage White Linens from A to Z and Antique Linen said she saw no "electric in the air, there were no frantic shoppers running past booths as the show opened, and fewer people passed by with fewer bags in their hands." Manchester recounted that one woman shopping in her booth asked her husband for $6 to buy a hanky, "and he almost had a seizure," she said. "Another husband tried his sleazy buying tactics on me to have me discount an $8 towel. I asked him if he wanted as much as $1 taken from his paycheck this week. He didn't answer me and handed me the $8. It was a very tough crowd. I saw women passing on $3 hankies, and that is a real blow to my business."

A "solid okay" - not great, but not terrible either - was the assessment of Jerry and Janice Bonkey of Bonkey's Treasures, Hellertown, Penn. "We sold a lot of our greatest copper pieces. They were very popular," said Janice Bonkey. "Some of the French enamelware went, too, including my favorite piece. Some pieces you are real happy see leave, others pull at your heart. The couple who won the $500 giveaway purchased my beautiful French enamel utensil rack. It was so old, somehow surviving without any serious chips or dings. The pattern was extraordinary. They have been looking at my enamelware for a long time and were thrilled with the piece. It found a good home."

The Bonkeys also sold a few nautical items, which they said are always popular at the Atlantique City show. "The interesting thing about this show - if it was really great, it sold; nothing middle of the road, just the great pieces. We look forward to March and are starting to gather more great things."

In a spooky seasonal display that also promoted the recent opening of the new Castle Halloween Museum in Benwood, W.Va., the "Halloween Queen," Pamela Apkarian-Russell greeted visitors in the show's special exhibits area. The author of Collectible Halloween, Halloween Decorations and Games, The Tastes and Smells of Halloween and other books said the museum, which showcases about 15,000 items collected over a 35-year period, covers the whole spectrum of Halloween and the occult. "It's family-friendly, fun and educational, but it's not a haunted house theme park," said Apkarian-Russell. In a glass case behind her were examples of Halloween collectibles, including Salvador Dali Tarot cards, a lifelike Jack Frost figurine, a silver skull and a rare Schoenhut roly- poly, circa 1905.

Moran noted that the show will mark its 20th anniversary in 2006. "We're cooking up ideas now to come up with special ways to recognize the longevity of the show," he said.

The Atlantique City' Spring Festival - The Largest Indoor Art, Antique & Collectibles Show In The World will take place March 25 and 26. Exhibitors from 43 states plus Canada, Great Britain, Europe and the Orient will be set up at the Atlantic City Convention Center, One Miss America Way, on Saturday, 10 am to 7 pm and Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm. The fall 2006 show will take place on October 14 and 15. For a free courtesy pack, early entry tickets, hotel and airline discounts, 800-526-2724 or www.atlantiquecity.com.