Historic Concord, Mass., Has Happy New Year

CONCORD, MASS.

:Nan Gurley conducted the nearly annual New Year's Day Antiques Show at the National Guard Armory in this historically significant American town, the place where the British were first attacked while taking the guns and munitions from the colonials. Driving into the village from the interstate highway a few miles along narrow roads lined with ancient stone fences and tall trees, one can imagine the Minute Men hiding behind them, taking their shots at the British troops 235 years ago. Today, it is a peaceful, affluent suburb of Boston, and it has hosted the show each year the guard has been able to rent its headquarters to Gurley. On January 1, she had more than 40 dealers in the building, most featuring antiques with an Americana theme.

At the front of the hall, Gurley and her husband, Peter Mavris, had an oversize booth filled with the antiques they find on house calls and that are brought to them at their Cornish, Maine, shop. Of particular interest were a farm worktable in old paint and a tall cupboard with double doors and small lights to show the contents.

Gurley began producing this show and some of her others as a way to bring her antiques business to the buyers more than 20 years ago. With her own shows, she brought many of her friends from Maine to do the same - sell early American antiques to the collectors and decorators in the greater Boston area.

Tom Jewett and Butch Berdan also collect in Maine, near their home in Newcastle. For this show they were offering a variety of small antiques and also a small dressing stand, only about 2 feet wide, in original yellow paint with stencil and line paint decoration. While Berdan said, "We did okay at the show," the dressing table, priced at $7,900, was not sold that day.

A New Hampshire dealer in the second generation of the business, John Anderson had a good collection of early American furniture in what he called "as found condition." That is the way he first saw each piece, with no changes by him, even in the case where repair was needed. He had a New Hampshire candlestand with spider legs into a pedestal base. One of the legs was breaking loose from the base of the pedestal, but he believed it was best to offer it as found and let the buyer decide on the repair. The price was very low, accommodating the need for work.

Also from New Hampshire, the Brennans are collectors of early iron household articles and tools. Joe Brennan can tell the age and other attributes of most early iron and at the same time sell it reasonably to both retail customers and the trade. During this show, he took orders for some iron brackets he said he might have at home.

A partnership formed in friendship and their mutual love of antiques has created the business of Perkins and Menson. Martha Perkins has been a collector and dealer of early textiles for most of her adult life with an emphasis on bed covers, such as quilts and coverlets. Barrett Menson had been involved in antiques by helping his parents as a child, and although as a young adult he had another business, he slowly moved to antiques full time over the last ten years. His specialty is American fine art of the colonial and federal periods.

Not all the dealers are from the far Northeast. Firehouse Antiques is a full-time, multidealer shop in Galena, on the eastern shore of Maryland. The owners, Paul Thiem and Doug Warriner, have been exhibiting at some antiques shows for the last dozen years as a way of making the business more fun and expanding their business horizons. Thiem said they enjoy the camaraderie of the shows and it gives them additional shopping opportunities as well as good sales. Regarding this show, he said, "The show had a lot of energy and the gate was really good. We sold a pretty good deal of the collection we brought, including some toleware tea tins and several penny mats."

Another dealer from their shop, Nancy and Rich Holleny, trade as Grantham 1763 House Antiques, Denton, Md. They reported several good sales. "We sold the red painted decorated chairs, a blue bird weathervane, some early Christmas decorations and a mohair cow, a child's pull toy," they said. "We also have had several callbacks since the show, so it was good for us."

Additional dealers included the Country Gentlemen from Michigan and Red River Antiques from Shohola, Penn. The show has been such a positive draw for collectors and customers, it has become a New England tradition and a positive way to begin the year. Gurley's next show will be in nearby Marlborough, Mass., on Sunday, February 19, and she also conducts several short and sweet three-hour markets in Portsmouth, N.H., on Wednesdays. For information, 207-625-3577.