: - The fall or "pumpkin" edition of the Kramers' Heart of Country
Show in Nashville is still a smaller event than the
longer-running Valentine's Heart -- 110 exhibitors compared to
over 200 in the spring. This season of the year is controlled by
a complex schedule of fixed shows on the East Coast, while the
Opryland Hotel-bound Heart dates may vary by a week or two. But
the October show has gained its own strength of sales and
distinctive character, as the nucleus of a weekend drawing
another 300 dealers to tailgates across Music Valley Parkway.
Familiar faces like Harold Cole, Greg Kramer, and the Deuprees
were on hand to buy and sell merchandise with the many collectors
and dealers who come from the Great Lakes, Midwest and South for
the Heart of Country reunion.
When the fiddler struck up the first strains of "Rocky Top" at
the Thursday night preview, there were plenty of bodies galloping
down the aisles, but an important presence was missing. For the
first time ever, show founder Libby Kramer -- Heart's heart --
was not at her beloved show. Stricken with bronchitis, she stayed
home in St Louis on doctor's orders and husband Dick remained
with her. Fortunately, the family organization that has grown
stronger over the years stepped in to carry on. Familiar faces on
the floor included daughter Marianne Kramer Haskins, son-in-law
Stephen Hunkins and grandchildren Stephen Jr and Samuel, both
show kids from birth.
Brant Mackley, Hummelstown, Penn., offered a Third Phase Navajo
chief's blanket, 1880, $12,500, and a split horn bonnet trimmed
with ermine pelts and porcupine quills, $4,500.
Marianne was quick to mention Mom's frequent calls and
emails, and later Libby -- feeling much better -- said, "We were
thrilled that the show ran so smoothly without us there." Also on
the floor at all times was veteran Andrew Glasgow, who organizes
educational events and leads the Adventure Tour group on
expeditions. Key programs this year revolved around the "Art of
Tennessee" exhibition at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts in
Nashville and a Gallery Exhibit of "Pie Safes" at the show.
Dr Dennis Paustenbach has a real day job at his home in
California, but has been fascinated since Midwestern college days
by pie safes as a regional furniture form. During his research,
he has examined and photographed thousands of safes from the
heartland, and he returned this fall to share his discoveries
with collectors during an illustrated lecture on Friday. The rest
of the time, he fielded questions at the exhibit and took yet
more pictures around the floor for his book on the subject. One
stop was in the booth of Tennessee dealer Mary Jo Case who showed
him her home-state example with unique side tins, priced at
$7,850. With Paustenbach in residence, exhibitors showed off what
they had in stock and turned the Pumpkin Preview Party into Pie
Safe Central.
Opening night is still buy first, eat later. Shaker authority
Chuck Muller really wanted to talk but rushed off with a "I have
to find something to buy." Displays on the floor are divided into
dealers with familiar country classics -- the show will never go
on without painted furniture and quilts --and exhibitors who
offer more unusual folk art and found objects. And both sell.
Brant Mackley of Hummelstown, Penn., carries very high quality
Native American material but one of the first things to sell in
his booth was a vivid panther hooked rug that would look perfect
in Florida with rattan and Roseville. He said, " The rug sold
during the first ten minutes of the show; it's really exquisitely
hooked with a color palette from the 1940s." A striking find for
another collector was a large folk art head with angular features
purchased from Hypoint Farm in Barrington, Ill.
Just like last February, a team from Ralph Lauren's Polo swept
through, leaving dealers with the right look studded with sold
tags. Transatlantique of Costa Mesa, Calif., was a perfect choice
with its vintage luggage and decorative furniture. Happy owner
Robert Watson said, "People had been telling us we should contact
Ralph Lauren because this is what we specialize in." Polo also
made multiple purchases from Mark Morris of Dayton, Ohio, who
commented that they seemed to be buying for their decorating
warehouse. They also bought a stack of painted trade signs from
Harold Cole of Woodbury, Conn.
"It's been incredible -- sold, sold, sold," said Rick Ege of St
Louis, as he pointed around the booth. "Polo bought half of it
and then my regular customers. And I had an amazing setup, the
best setup I've ever done." Among the items with sold tags were a
hooked rug with cats and stars, which had been priced at $1,100,
a huge painting of an elk, and a grain painted hat rack.
Beyond the fun stuff, however, nothing sells better at Heart than
the basics. Terry Daniel who comes from Newville, Penn., with
wife Brenda is a specialist in dry sinks and brought an
unbelievable pair of identical twin examples from Lebanon County,
Penn., which were priced at $3,800 each. On Saturday, he said, "I
sold the sugar chest, a seven-foot cherry table, a chair rail
hanging corner cupboard yesterday -- I had a really good day, and
we're having a great show."
A rare sight at this country show, in the booth of B and D
Antiques, Shepherdstown, W. Va., is a Rookwood standard glaze
vase (left), 1892, decorated by Kataro Shirayamadani, $9,500.
And no one is a greater purist dealer of primitive painted
furniture than Kelly Taylor of Davenport, Iowa, and by Saturday
morning, she admitted, "I'm running out of stuff. The rope bed went
and then I had that huge six-foot shelf and an Eighteenth Century
glass-paned hanging wall cupboard. Libby and Dick put on a
wonderful show, and I've always done really well here." Her piece
de resistance was an Eighteenth Century two-piece buttery cupboard
with pegged construction and a green grunge surface for $26,000.
"It's the best piece of furniture I've ever had."
Karen and Charley Buckingham from Burleson, Texas, also had a
good grasp of their market. She said, "We've sold large hooked
rugs, one room size, a portrait of young boy from Maryland, an
early Eighteenth Century shelving unit, lighting, wall paper
boxes, stone fruit and quite a bit of pewter. The show's been
great." At the center of their display was a New Hampshire
architectural cupboard, circa 1790, for $12,500 with
cream-colored paint.
New dealers with something completely different were B and D
Antiques and Art Pottery of Shepherstown, W.V. Dale Jones said,
"I read an article on Heart of Country in an antiques paper and
thought, I think this is show we should do -- it sounds like a
lot of fun." In addition to a beautiful Rookwood vase decorated
in 1892 by Kataro Shirayamadani for $9,500, Jones and partner
Robert Shores had filled a New England step back cupboard with a
complete set of Roseville cookie jars in every pattern and color
the firm made, priced together at $10,690.
Less than four months will pass until the next Heart of Country,
which previews on February 5. Libby Kramer promises to be back on
the floor with Dick and without the cough. For more information
and Adventure Tour itinerary, call 800-862-1090.
