Full House Marks Atlantique City's 18th Year

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.

:For the 18th year, the Atlantique City Spring Fair was conducted in the new Convention Center, March 18-20, with a full house of dealers and visitors. For the first time, however, the show opened on Friday at 1 pm instead of the customary Saturday at 10 am in order to lessen the effect of the competing Pier Antiques Show in New York City, according to Ted Jones, show manager for F&W Publishing, owners of the show.

"It was a very good move, for while the figures are hard to compare, there were huge crowds waiting for the opening and our advance ticket sales were the highest since we have been running the show," said Mr Jones. The show management does not keep a daily visitor count, for most people buy tickets valid for the duration of the show, making any counting problematic, and like most show promoters, F&W Publishing does not make public the actual revenue figures. It was a fact, however, that the lobby, which is more than 800 feet long, was full about five minutes before the opening.

As for dealers, a full house at this facility is 1,600 booth spaces rented to more 1,000 dealers of antiques, collectibles and some decorator accessories. Offerings at the show also include a wide array of early toys, mostly those manufactured from the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries. Because of the show's size, there are also a variety of seminars and lectures, along with appraisals done by antiques experts, most of whom have written books on special topics, such as furniture, glass, porcelain or collectibles. Mr Jones said, "These special features at the show give extra interest to the collectors, whether they are beginners or seasoned pros. This year, we were also able to get the Keno brothers [Leslie and Leigh] to host a portion of our program with their FIND! television show as part of the fun. In fact, they seemed to be having as much fun as their audience for they stayed on the stage almost an hour longer then the program called for."

Dealers at the show were generally pleased with the results for the weekend, as there was good activity in many areas of antiques buying. Furniture from several styles was selling quite well, as seen at the shipping dock. Several years ago management instituted a policy of free shipping within 200 miles of the show, provided the customer paid for insurance and special packing when necessary. At this most recent event, there were three semis filled by Sunday afternoon for delivery.

Collectibles and toys are also very popular at this show. There are numerous dealers who have been doing it at every show since the beginning. Several toy dealers come to this show with their collections from Europe and England to sell and buy fresh additions. A Dresden collector/dealer said he had an excellent show with great interest in more than 100 mechanical toys worth from $10,000 to as much as $50,000. Another toy dealer from America said he does the show as much to get in during the setup days for the early buying opportunity. His collection also featured early motorized vehicles, but the motors were steam or, as they are called, clockworks, winding up like a clock and releasing their tension to wheels or propellers.

Over the last several years, management has converted the twice-annual event to a full-line antiques show, with dealers offering all lines and levels of merchandise. There were dealers from Birmingham, Mich., offering Flow Blue porcelain, several others with a wider selection of early dishes, furniture of many styles, early lighting and jewelry.

Alan Grodsky, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is a specialist in early art glass, including lamps from Tiffany Studios, Handel and others. His collection, however, was not limited to lamps, as he also had a large selection of early art glass. Don and Virginia Cruise, American Stars Antiques of Baltimore, brought their inventory, which is always filled with American folk art. For this weekend, it was especially big in hooked and braided rugs and early nursery rhyme dishes.

Noble Peddler is a Torrington, Conn., dealer who specializes in Quimper. Of their sales, they commented, "Not bad, and we'll be back." Its first showing finding its way out of an attic, an elaborately made gingerbread house clock offered by Virginia Newell, Naugatuck Conn., was only $495. The dealer said it took a week to take off the accumulated dust without damaging the work.

John Kroeck always seems to come to the show with a wide variety of early furniture. His collection this weekend included an English Hepplewhite server in excellent condition and a diminutive corner cupboard, which he said was from near his western Pennsylvania home.

Ron Kelly works hard to have a wide variety of late Nineteenth Century oak furniture, much of which comes from New York. The Syracuse, N.Y., dealer said he had a "pretty good show, selling several pieces," including a dentist's cabinet, with all its work surfaces and specialized small drawers.

More furniture dealers were doing good business especially with late Nineteenth Century continental pieces.

The show is so big, there are all kinds of specialists. There was a showcase filled with novelty napkin rings in silver plate on Britannia. Several shelves were just rings of Kate Greenaway figures, a group of children's stories from the 1800s, according to dealer Sandra Whitson of Lititz, Penn.

In postshow interviews, most of the dealers and customers said they were pleased with the results. Sales were good in most lines of Nineteenth Century antiques and later collectibles, but some dealers of the earlier American periods and styles reported that sales were soft. Visitor traffic was excellent, with a full house each of the three days.

This year marked a transition for the show, because it was the last one at which Mr Jones and his wife, Diane, will be shepherding the activities. Their retirement was announced a few months before the show. Mark Moran, Jones' replacement, was in attendance all weekend being introduced to the staff and dealers. Mr Moran, a veteran of 30 years as a newspaper man in Rochester, Minn., and an equally long period as an antiques dealer at shows, mostly in the Midwest, was working with Mr Jones during this show and will be traveling to various shows with the Joneses for the next several months.

Mr Moran said he will spend much of the time from now until the next show, October 15-16, looking for more new dealers, as the hall could accommodate more and in a show this big there is always some attrition. Interested parties should call the show office at 800-526-2724 or visit www.atlantiquecity.com.