VADA Offers Good Pickings At Annual Show

Manchester Center, Vt.

:"There seemed to be good energy at the show, the gate was up the first day, and interest in antiques appears to be picking up a bit," Lucinda Seward of Pittsford, Vt., said following the close of the two-day VADA Antiques Show on Sunday, August 23. This 35th annual event, sponsored by the Vermont Antiques Dealers' Association, moved from its regular fall dates into August last year, where it now seems to be perfectly comfortable.

Jim Dunn, president of VADA and chairman of the show, said, "The gate was up on Saturday, about the same on Sunday, but more dealers did better this year than last year." He mentioned that Saturday was a tax-free day in Vermont for all purchases under $2,000, which may have had some effect on the buying. And the show continued its policy of admitting all visitors under the age of 30 free of charge. "We had about 80 people take advantage of this offer," Jim said.

The VADA show has been in Manchester Center for the past 14 years, but "the committee is always on the lookout for a better venue, one closer to major highways," Jim said. For now, however, the show will be at the same location in 2010.

It is an easy move-in, move-out operation for the 60 dealers, ten new to the show this year, with large doors across the entire back of the Hunter Park Pavilion leading to the exhibition area. And just about everyone was ready by the end of Friday, set-up day, for the 10 am opening on Saturday, with a few dealers fine-tuning displays early that morning. The end result was a good-looking show, inviting, with a nice mixture of furniture, folk art, decorative items and lots of smalls.

A selection of furniture filled the booth of Melissa Bourque Antiques, Garrison, N.Y., including a circa 1780 New England Chippendale four-drawer chest in maple, pine secondary, measuring 33¾ inches wide, and a New Hampshire candlestand in birchwood, most likely Shaker, in all original condition.

A vintage Art Deco green painted iron and varnished oak top bar, with glass shelves, was at the front of the booth of Rathbun Gallery, Wakefield, R.I. This piece was formerly used at the Mittersall Inn, Franconia, N.H., and had no trouble finding a buyer. A metal child's coaster wagon was painted red, blue and yellow, with the words "Iron Clad" printed on the sides.

From nearby Dorset, Vt., Marie Miller Antique Quilts offered a Sheraton plantation desk in cherry, Ohio, circa 1820, and a New England bonnet chest in cherry and tiger and bird's-eye maple. It also dated circa 1820. And, as her shop name indicates, she is known for her quilts, which were arranged on a large rack, as well as stacked on the floor. About three dozen of them were displayed at the start of the show.

Country furniture filled the booth of New England Home Antiques, Wethersfield, Conn., where an early Eighteenth Century William and Mary two-over-three-drawer blanket chest with green-blue paint over the original red, stood against the back wall of the booth. This piece dated from the Nineteenth Century and the feet cones were original. A Federal game table in mahogany, inlaid with flame birch, was also available.

Henry T. Callan Fine Antiques of East Sandwich, Mass., displayed three walls of samplers from various states, including Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut and Maine, over tables laden with examples of Staffordshire, Canton and other ceramics. A large double Prior portrait hung in the booth of Susan Gault Antiques, Thetford Center, Vt., and a large theorem on velvet in a heavy carved frame featured a selection of fruit.

"We took that period Sheraton double bed right out of our guest room," Mary Fraser of Fraser's Antiques, Chester, Vt., said of the tall turned-post bed in the front of the booth. Also of the Sheraton period was a chest/server with divided top drawer for silverware.

A large and colorful "penny form" tapestry easily caught one's eye, hanging on the back wall in the booth of Gloria Lonergan of Mendham, N.J. Dating from the late Eighteenth Century was a New England blanket chest, salmon-mauve painted surface, measuring 41½ inches high, 38¾ inches wide and 19 inches deep, and an early Eighteenth Century New England hutch table with shoe feet, 43-inch-diameter top, was in red.

An interesting and varied selection of objects was on the top of a circa 1770 Chippendale five-drawer chest, Rhode Island, in the booth of Chesterfield Antiques, Chesterfield, Mass. Included were a pair of Burton flintlocks, circa 1810, rifle bored; a chalk dog, Pennsylvania, original paint, circa 1840; a pair of matching Sandwich oil lamps in perfect condition; and a knife box in tiger maple.

A witch's cottage in the original dry surface with porch and dormers, circa 1920, Virginia, was shown by Home Farm Antiques, Bolton Landing, N.Y., and Eric Nesbitt Art & Antiques, Woodstock, Vt., offered five single brass candlesticks, Queen Anne and all dating from the Eighteenth Century, displayed on a tea table with button feet and one board oval top.

Shining brass of all shapes and sizes was about the booth of Drake Field Antiques of Longmeadow, Mass., but stealing attention was a corner chair, circa 1790, at the front of the booth. The back and arms were heavily carved with the inscription "olde wine e ye olde Frendes are goode E merria companions." A selection of stoneware jugs and crocks, five with cobalt bird decoration, was offered by John and Eileen Smart, Rutland, Vt., and furniture in this booth included a Shaker two-board-top tavern table in old red with one drawer.

Jeff and Holly Noordsy, Cornwall, Vt., had a most impressive and attractive display of large glass bottles that took up one wall of the booth. Mounted on clear shelves were 23 examples in various colors, including light green, brown, olive and clear. A highly paint decorated dome top box had the initials "D & PH" on the lid, and an early banner read "Encouragement to the labour of the free."

Peg and Judd Gregory had only a short distance to travel from Dorset to do the show, offering an English Pembroke table, circa 1786, two leaves and with Nineteenth Century paint decoration, and a serpentine chest of drawers in mahogany, Boston, circa 1760. A silkwork of the ship Patsie by Thomas Willis showed an interesting view of this New Jersey pleasure boat, signed lower right.

A set of eight oak curved back Windsor side chairs, circa 1825, English and signed by the maker, surrounded an oak drop leaf table with spiraled legs, circa 1725, in the booth of Brookside Antiques, Bridport, Vt. Esther Gilbert Antiques, South Hampton, Mass., had a Sheraton country store clerk's desk and a nice Chippendale blanket chest, three over two drawers, that retained the original snipe hinges.

Michael & Lucinda Seward, Pittsford, Vt., were "very happy" with the VADA show, selling a variety of things ranging from a sheep painting by Susan Waters to an Indian burl bowl. Also included on the "sold" list was a folk art sign, a couple pieces of mocha, some coin silver objects, a Federal mirror, a mahogany candlestand and a blue paint decorated blanket box with a red heart on the front. "We had interest, but did not sell our Clermont Hotel trade sign," Lucinda said, of the large sign with eagle decoration.

With the rain, warm weather and humidity, the oil on canvas of a "Vermont Homecoming," a pair of oxen hauling a load of firewood through the Vermont snow, was probably a welcome sight in the booth of The Norwoods' Spirit of America, Timonium, Md. Sharing the wall with this painting was a trade sign for "Boots & Shoes Repaired Here," a large woolwork of a majestic tiger looking down on a crock and a sheet metal cow weathervane in black and gray paint.

"The show was OK for us, best on Saturday," John Maggs of Conway, Mass., said, emphasizing his favor of a one-day show vs the usual Saturday and Sunday. "Some visitors do come on the second day, but if there was not one, they would be there for the opening," he said. With his wife, Jan, he offered an oak bible box with chip carving and hatching, English, circa 1680, with the original snipe hinges, and a large Continental gate leg table, American, circa 1906, in mahogany with old crusty surface. On opening day they sold some jewelry, a paintings, a few smalls and a Seventeenth Century English oak sleeping chair.

The Farm Antiques, Arlington, Vt., had an early two-drawer blanket chest, yellow over the original red wash, and an oil on canvas by Carlton Wiggins showing sheep in a forest setting. Also from Arlington, Otto and Susan Hart showed a selection of still and mechanical banks, a pair of cast iron hitching posts with ball top, good patina, and two arrow weathervanes, one of iron and wood and the other metal with yellow painted arrow and tail.

"It has been 25 years since I did the last VADA show," Jean Tudhope of Back Door Antiques, East Middlebury, Vt., said, "and I am glad to be back." After the close of the show she reported sales of a pair of decorative duck wood carvings, a piece of forged iron, a Grenfell mat, a Sandwich oil lamp and a folding canoe seat. "A client came along with her decorator, liked the seat, tried it out in the aisle, and left with it," Jean said. While she did not sell a lot, "It was good for me and I was impressed by the number of people who came back on Sunday and bought things."

In addition to the show, visitors were treated to a small exhibit near the entrance of objects from the collection of Shelburne Museum and a display of artwork by the well-known and popular folk artist Warren Kimble.

The 36th annual VADA show will again take place in the Hunter Park Pavilion in August. For information, www.vermontada.com or 802-885-3705.