Antiques At Philadelphia's Navy Pier Show Bows Into Town For Three Days

PHILADELPHIA, PENN.

:"Everyone wants a show at Navy Pier. So let's do it," York, Penn., promoter Jim Burk told Barry Cohen of b4rTIME, Inc.

The upshot was the all-new Antiques at Philadelphia's Navy Pier, presented by b4rTime, Inc, in cooperation with Jim Burk Antiques Shows. One of a trio of spring markets in Philadelphia, the fair opened in the Naval Yard Cruise Terminal at 10 am on Friday, April 7, continuing through Sunday, April 9.

Seventy exhibitors spread out along the spacious, L-shaped floor plan, offering American formal and country furniture, folk art, paintings, textiles, glass and ceramics, and brass and iron along with a smattering of other specialties.

"People love this facility. It's bright and cheerful," Burk said of the high-ceilinged, single-story space that is flooded with natural light. Convenient load-in and pack-out, easy access from Interstates 95 and 76 for motorists, ample parking and a secure setting are other Navy Pier assets. The facility's main disadvantage is its distance from downtown, a ten-minute cab ride away for those who are without a car.

Barn Star Productions, manager of the 23rd Street Armory Antiques Show, and b4rTime addressed transportation issues by offering courtesy shuttle service between the three shows every 20 minutes or so. Some shoppers made Navy Pier their base, leaving their cars behind at the Navy Pier lot.

Many exhibitors were Burk show stalwarts. For some, this was their first experience working with Cohen, who got high marks from his dealers.

"Barry is calm, relaxed, efficient and totally apolitical," said Victor Weinblatt. The South Hadley, Mass., dealer sold a yellow bucket-bench cupboard, a sideboard scraped down to original green, a set of pumpkin-colored drawers, two hanging cupboards, a small barber pole, a large hooked rug of a sailing ship, three game boards and two tourist signs.

"Barry is a very sharp promoter. He understands that dealers and promoters must work together to be successful," said New Hampshire dealer Tom Longacre, who sold two hooked rugs, a pair of carved birds, rooster and a banner weathervanes, a game board, a pair of Hessian andirons, three miniature baskets, a pair of New England paint decorated chairs and a paint decorated open settee. A pilothouse eagle from the side-wheeler Rosedale was $23,000 in his stand.

Cohen said that the nicest compliment he got was from Russ Goldberger, who admired the manager's choice of music: soft jazz, each title personally selected by Cohen himself.

"Attendance was very satisfactory. The final numbers were almost identical to the first year that we did a show at the 23rd Street Armory," said Cohen.

With the three shows opening within hours of each other on Friday, buyers scrambled from one venue to the next. On Saturday, heavy rain may have discouraged some shoppers. On Sunday, be-backers returned to enhance the bottom line.

Purchases made by a Texas decorator and by Marlo Thomas, accompanied to the show by her Chicago decorator, added to sales. After narrowly missing out on a green candlestand with a four-leaf clover top in Victor Weinblatt's booth, the actress tracked down its buyer and convinced him to resell it.

"Considering it was our first time in Philadelphia, we were very pleased," said New Hampshire dealer Cheryl Scott, who ticketed a tiger-maple stand, a four-drawer figured-maple blanket chest, an eagle carving, a stag weathervane, a labeled mortar and pestle apothecary trade sign, and a pair of andirons. A large, paint decorated drum went to Marlo Thomas.

Furniture was a brisk category. David Good wrote up a tavern table. Raccoon Creek said goodbye to a dry sink, and Newsom and Berdan's raft of sales included a big eagle overmantel, followed in the same spot by a boldly painted hanging cupboard, also sold.

"The first three hours were terrific and Sunday was a bonus day," said Russ Goldberger, who sold a set of eight Hitchcock chairs, $8,800, decoys and hooked rugs to buyers from Texas, Connecticut, New York, Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania. A small Shenandoah Valley corner cupboard in the New Hampshire dealer's stand was $18,500.

"We had a terrific response," said Pittsford, Vt., dealer Lucinda Seward, who sold a pedestal-base banquet table, picture frames, a New England candlestand and a watercolor miniature of a young girl.

Mercer, Penn., dealer Chuck White parted with a cigar store Indian princess and a large hat box, among other early sales. A painted pine 35-drawer apothecary cupboard signed J.J. Wilson, Jamestown, N.Y., circa 1840-50, was $33,000.

Folk art clicked for Pam Boynton and Martha Boynton, as well. The Massachusetts dealers sold a pair of primitive portraits attributed to David Hartwell.

"I bought them for myself five years ago. They were 25-by-30s on cardboard, in untouched original frames," said Pam Boynton, pleased with her result.

Folk painting headlined at Stephen-Douglas Antiques, who showed a pair of primitive 1790s portraits of Phineas Stone and his wife and an early sign, $95,000, for Hodges Inn, first seen by the Vermont dealers at Skinner years ago.

At Stonington, Conn., dealer Roberto Freitas', four pastel on paper family portraits, including two children with their pets, were $24,000. Freitas had a solid bite on a Connecticut cherry lowboy, $85,000.

"We've sold everything from soup to nuts: textiles, redware, stoneware, baskets, a dry sink and a really great theorem," said Raccoon Creek's George Allen halfway through the show.

"It came out of Chicago and has been in a house in Michigan for the past 15 years," Bob Ketelhut of Oakland Antiques said of a large, robust architectural fan, $3,400, of carved wood and tin.

"This facility is wonderful for showing textiles," said Don Herr, whose wife, Trish, is never without a good selection of Pennsylvania show towels and woven coverlets. Through the end of the year, the Heritage Center of Lancaster County is showing "John Long & John Boyer: Nineteenth Century Craftsmen in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania," organized by Don Herr, who happened to bring a Boyer miniature chest to the show.

Two Sunshine and Shadow Amish quilts, each $35,000, and a $16,500 show towel inscribed Mary Burkholder and dated 1828, starred at Gene and Carol Rappaport, Millersville, Pa.

A heart hooked rug and a fancifully carved condiment trolley were among the first to leave at Judith and James Milne, whose stand was watched over by a full-bodied cow weathervane, $12,000.

In the ceramics department, Bill Campbell of Campbell House in Baltimore dispensed with Mocha and several pieces of folk art.

"We sold several Liverpool pitchers, four historical platters, lustreware and all sorts of Anglo American ceramics," said Bill Kurau, a satisfied exhibitor from Lampeter, Penn.

"We bought well, sold well and made some new clients," said Pat Garthhoeffner, who marked up a chair table, two trade signs, two hooked rugs, a quilt, jewelry and some folk art. Her well-appointed display ranged from a black cat child's chair, $595, to a winsome American rocking horse, $8,500.

"Our show exists for real people to buy," Cohen said after returning home to Virginia. "We'll be back next year, tweaking everything to make it a little better."