By R. Scudder Smith
YORK, PENN. -- The tailgate business is booming in York, all as a
result of Jim Burk's ever-popular Greater York Antiques Show
& Sale. Nine years ago Barry Cohen came first with his fall
York Tailgate Antiques Show at the Quality Inn, just down the
road from the York Fairgrounds. This past weekend he opened a new
show, the York County Classic Antiques Show in the Old Main
Building on the York Fairgrounds, within an easy walk to Burk's
show in Memorial Hall.
This fall Frank Gaglio enters the picture with another show at
the fairgrounds, The Pennsylvania Antiques Show. This now means
three shows on the York Fairgrounds with a potential of more than
350 exhibitors. "Looks like we have the makings of an OK Coral,"
Ken Kohn of With All Due Ceremony said. Actually, most of the
"shooting" is over, a few things still have to be worked out, but
each manager seems, at this point, to have his ducks in a row.
So here is how it is all shaped up at this moment.
Jim Burk, who has been running shows at the York Fairgrounds for
33 years, will move his show into the new building presently
under construction at the fairgrounds, the York Expo Arena. His
dates are October 31 and November 1, two days instead of his
usual three, but still with a two-day setup for the exhibitors.
"I plan to add about ten to 15 new dealers, as the space for the
show will be larger," Jim said. He will open his show at his
regular time, noon on Friday, and his new floor plan will not
call for cross-aisles, but will retain the center aisle look his
show once had. He noted, "Since I own my booth walls, I will
still be able to keep the rent down for the dealers."
The new arena will continue to be the site for both of Jim Burk's
Greater York Antiques Show. The spring edition will, most likely,
follow the same dates as this year and happen on the Friday and
Saturday before Mother's Day.
Frank Gaglio of Barn Star Productions was at York this past
weekend passing out notices of his new show, The Pennsylvania
Antiques Show. The announcement noted that the event was "in
co-operation with Jim Burk antiques shows" and would result in
"two great shows under one roof." Frank said, "I am just here to
let people know of my plans for another show in York and I am not
here to solicit any of Jim's dealers for my show." He mentioned
he will be sending out contracts to some dealers who have already
heard about the new show, as well as to some of the dealers who
do his other events. At present Frank runs seven shows, including
two during Antiques Week in New Hampshire, one in Philadelphia,
Antiques in a Cow Pasture, the new show in Woodbury, Conn., in
June, and the two planned for York.
"I am looking to have as many dealers in my show as Jim has, and
I will be opening my show three hours before Greater York, at 9
am," Frank Gaglio said. He also indicated he will be contacting
some of the top dealers in the field of Americana, encouraging
them to come to York with him.
At the early stages, there was to be one ticket to include both
shows. "The people from the Y's Men's Club of the local YMCA,
tickets sellers and beneficiaries of my show, did not want the
responsibility of both shows," Jim Burk said, resulting in the
decision to have separate admissions. "I think it will work best
this way and I am just going to continue on the way I have for
the past 33 years," he said.
Barry Cohen, who opened up his new County Classic Show on May
9-10 to favorable reports from both exhibitors and visitors, will
move from the Old Main Building on the fairgrounds to Memorial
Hall where Jim Burk has been for all these years. Barry made it
official to his exhibitors for the first time when he announced
his schedule over the address system prior to the start of his
show.
"This show will be moving to Memorial Hall in the fall, and will
also be there again in the spring," he said. A number of his
dealers have expressed delight with the move, saying that dealing
out of a hotel room is not that advantageous to business. As of
last Friday he had not set the time of his opening as he was not
sure of the schedule of the other two shows. He was not available
for comment at press time.
"Let us hope concentration works as well in York as it does in
New Hampshire, Brimfield, Nashville and New York City," one
exhibitor stated. All of these locations, with grouping of shows,
have proved successful and drawn a large audience.
There was some talk of there being a fourth show added to the
schedule, an event under the management of Robert Goodrich of
Goodrich & Co Promotions. Apparently there is no available
space in any of the fairground buildings at the same time period,
and Goodrich & Co. already has a show planned for November
21-23. That event is The York Folk Art & Craft Show and
Antiques Show, with 50 dealers. A call to the Goodrich office on
May 12 confirmed there will not be a fourth this fall.
John Philbrick, who was exhibiting at Jim Burk's show, likened
the situation to the end of Little Black Sambo when the tigers
ran around the tree and ended up as a pool of butter. "If the
managers iron things out and eventually turn out some fine
butter, we will all benefit from this trio of shows," he said.
