Autumn Hartford Antiques Show Is A Hit

Hartford, Conn.

:It was all treats and no tricks for the crowd in attendance at the opening of the newest antiques show on the circuit, Frank Gaglio's Autumn Hartford Antiques Show. Kicking off on the morning of All Hallow's Eve, October 31, the show opened for a two-day run amid fanfare and mild trepidation.

What would fall be in New England without the Hartford Antiques Show? Hartford, a show that once defined the antiques business, ran its course over the past couple of decades until being discontinued by its previous promoter in 2008. When word leaked out last year that the Fall Hartford show would be canceled little more than a month prior to run-date, Gaglio and his Barn Star Productions crew put the wheels in motion to reinvent the show. His goal was to build a new event that recreated the excitement once generated by the Fall Hartford show, while enlarging it in both size and scope. Expanded to host 92 dealers and a more eclectic mix of materials, Hartford was a hit — for some.

While getting dealers to exhibit at the venue has never really been a problem, getting buyers to come to the show has been. How did Gaglio's show fare? Overall, it received passing marks from most of the dealers we spoke with, an A+ from some, an "it was OK" from others, and then there will always be that handful at the opposite end of the spectrum.

"I've done really well," stated Woodstock Conn., dealer Michael Whittemore just two hours after the show opened. "I sold my Field paintings," he said referring to an important pair of Erastus Salisbury Field portraits that had proudly hung on the rear wall of the booth until just a few moments earlier. "Two weathervanes, a checkerboard and a spoon rack" were also among his initial sales.

East Granby, Conn., dealer Steve German of Mad River Antiques reported the sale of a large and impressive piece of stoneware, a water cooler with an incised and blue-filled bird decorating the vessel. "It was an important piece and it didn't last in the booth for more than an hour," he said.

Stoneware was a huge draw at the show and the selection of pieces was stellar; most of it, however, was housed in a special display area at the entrance to the building and none of it was for sale. "There is a lot of killer stuff," commented Gaglio as he loaded the shelves of the display cases. Exhibitors brought in pieces from their private collections, with the assortment containing a lot of early Connecticut wares, including a wonderfully incised and blue decorated gemel jug made in New Haven, as well as exquisite examples from New York City and New Jersey.

The crowd began lining up for the premier outing of the "new" Hartford show just before 8 am and by opening at 10 am, a group of more than 100 serious shoppers rushed into the show. A dreary day may have helped boost attendance at the show, which remained crowded throughout opening day. Despite the larger floor plan, the aisles were filled with a good-sized crowd of people that truly seemed interested in the wares exhibited. Sunday's crowd was smaller, although several of the dealers reported good sales on the second day.

Those that came to the show expecting "more of the same" from the Hartford show, i.e., traditional early American fare, were pleased, but they also got something else — a pleasant surprise in the form of diversity.

Yes, it is still a strong Americana show. Yet, while booths filled with quality American furniture remained the mainstay, there were also booths that were filled with fun things; modern things; decorative things; splashy, colorful and eclectic merchandise.

Catering to a "shrinking clientele had not worked well" for the show over the past years, reasoned one showgoer, adding, "Frank has done a great job; this is a great-looking show with a wide range of merchandise. He really pulled it off."

It was obvious that Gaglio had put a lot of forethought into the floor plan. The display of Roberto Freitas on the left side of the entrance spoke to the old guard entering the show, while Modern merchandise displayed by Wells and Company screamed from the front booth on the right.

A long center aisle ran perpendicular to the show's entrance; this is where the cream of the crop, mostly dealers with plenty of experience in Hartford, displayed their wares. The Nolans, Arthur Liverant, Jeffrey Tillou, Lew Scranton, Michael Whittemore, Peter Eaton and Joan Brownstein, the Hubers, and Otto and Susan Hart made for a Rodeo Drive of sorts. The cream spilled over toward the front and the back as well, with Hartford veterans Harold Cole flanking the front wall of the show, and Russ and Karen Goldberger shining from the rear.

While a good list of heavy-hitters were displaying their wares at the show, the line at opening contained a bunch more. David Schorsch was on hand, reportedly snapping up a couple items, John Keith Russell was observed leaving the show with a bag in hand, Sam Herrup had dashed about, and so had a host of private collectors.

A longtime veteran of the Hartford scene, Newbury, Mass., dealer Eaton commented that he was "pleasantly surprised by the time it all ended." A slow beginning on Saturday ended with five furniture sales on Sunday, including one "come-back" buyer who had gone home to measure on the first day and returned the second day to cut the check.

Eaton ticked off a list of sold items that included a set of four Chippendale chairs, an early bible box, a Chippendale desk, a country Chippendale secretary, a high-country Federal candlestand in red paint and a couple of accessories. "I did business and was pleased with the way things went," said Eaton.

Eaton's wife and boothmate, Brownstein, did not fare quite as well, although she did sell a major piece of ceramics from the shared booth. At the opposite end of the mainstream Eaton/Brownstein merchandise spectrum, a large Modernist vessel in a matte black glaze by New Hampshire potters Edwin and Mary Scheier was sold to one of Brownstein's clients on opening day.

Colchester, Conn., dealer Arthur Liverant liked the look of the show, commenting, "People seem to like a big show and I enjoyed seeing a lot of different aesthetics." Nathan Liverant and Son has been exhibiting at the show since its inception in 1963, with Arthur representing the firm there since 1972. Given time, Liverant agreed that the show may mature and become a viable event, but added, "It was not one of the best shows we have ever had for sales."

Charles and Barbara Adams reported the sale of a "blanket box in old red paint and the rest were all smalls, some in quantity." Charles commented that he "ended up having a decent show." A major plus for the dealer was the presence of a lot of new faces, some of whom became customers, including a couple from Deerfield to whom he made his first sale. Compounding his pleasure with the crowd was "a fair number of younger people."

He echoed the sentiments of many of the dealers, stating that the diversity seen at the show was a welcome change, then summed up the event as "favorable."

One exhibitor graded the event with a 70. There were lots of pluses inked on Autumn Hartford's report card, along with some minuses, resulting in a passing grade.

For further information, contact Barn Star Productions, www.barnstar.com or 845-876-0616.