Waterloo Antiques Fair In 31st Year, Great Antiques & Fun

STANHOPE, N.J.

:Western New Jersey, in the hills where Waterloo Village was recreated with a show field for concerts and other events, Stella Show Mgmt Co. continued its tradition for the 31st year with the Waterloo Antiques Show. Twice each year since her children were small, Irene Stella has assembled about 150 to 200 antiques dealers in big rental tents or in the dealers' own smaller ones. Regardless of size, they were filled with antiques and early collectables.

This year Irene's daughter Leanne Stella, now the president of the company, added some family fun attractions with lots of ways to entertain children while at the show. A train ride through the show, crafts exhibitions and fun things to do with May and springtime themes kept the kids occupied while the parents enjoyed the shopping. According to the dealers, this activity helped shopping work out well.

"We had a great show. I loved the train on Sunday. As a young couple was pondering purchasing a painted dresser from us the train came by and the husband told the wife that the purchase was up to her and that he would take the kids for a ride on the train. The wife wrote the check and when the train came around again she told the husband to get the SUV and she would take the kids for another train ride. I delivered the dresser to the SUV and everyone left happy. I loved that train!" So said Mike Cook of Royal Port Antiques, Salem, N.J.

Other dealer reports were similar as the show had a "buying crowd," according to a Pennsylvania dealer. Selling late Nineteenth Century furniture, she had good sales Saturday in spite of some rain showers and threatening skies. Another Pennsylvanian, Janice Bonk from Hellertown, was offering a large collection of small antiques and collectables. Her most popular items were garden motif objects including some decorative water pumps. Granite ware and copper were also a part of her inventory, which she obtained in shopping trips to France.

There were three matching bar stools made in the style of Adirondack chairs that sold for $750 at Kazeka Antiques, Sparta, N.J. Vintage Matters is the business name of Al and Jesse Conti, Mount Bethel, Penn. They came up with, as Al says it, "One of those things, you know, a whatchamacallit," those interesting curiosities. They presented at this show an extremely heavy cast iron dog boot scraper and several bronze casting bookends along with their collection of curiosities.

Martha's Vineyard is home for Slocum and Schaffner Antiques. They recently closed their shop there in West Tisbury and are now doing shows. Their offerings included Eighteenth Century New England furniture and accessories.

Miniature brass photo frames from the Nineteenth Century were available from Fran Romanski. The Livingston, N.J., dealer also had a collection of small porcelain and bisque dolls.

Brass Lantern Antiques of Syracuse, N.Y., offered its usual selection of late Nineteenth Century oak furniture including a Larkin style side by side secretary desk. For this show, however, owner Ron Kelly also had some Modern style pieces from the 1950s including bar stools and a Lucite clear plastic patio set. Dreamworks Antiques was at the show with more oak furniture such as the Larkin and other competitive makers from the late Victorian times. The dealers Jennifer and Ron Buzzell, from Tamworth, N.H., also have a shop near home.

Suzanne Bullitt had a round table from the mid 1800s, with a top made from many pieces of pine cut to fit together as a pie would be cut. On top of that was a lazy Susan, with its top cut in the same manner.

Early advertising and Nineteenth Century copper vessels and kitchen tools were a large percentage of the antiques offered by Jim Mercadante of Towaco, N.J. Not far away on the show field were Tori and Tempe Hill from Morris Township, N.J. Their collection featured various kinds of pottery and porcelain with a very large assortment of Majolica. Both of these dealers were saying that by Sunday morning they had good sales.

Lyn's Quilt Source, Bristol, Conn., filled a 20-by-20-foot tent with quilts. Lyn and Gil Stebbins have been doing this show for years along with holding full-time jobs near home. They arrived very early Saturday morning in their large van loaded with the boxes of antique bed covers in excellent condition, ready to use. Jan and Ken Silveri, Hamburg, Penn., offered early country furniture and early dishes, mostly English transfer ware.

For Stella Show Mgmt, this is the company's oldest continuously managed show, and there is no sign of slowing down. Stella will repeat it again in September 16-17, at the Waterloo Concert Field. For information, www.stellashows.com or 212-255-0020.