:With so much in flux with regard to 2009 antiques show schedules, Frank Gaglio, manager of Rhinebeck, N.Y.-based Barn Star Productions, has some good news for his loyal roster of dealers — the shows that have been evicted from the Manchester Quality Inn
will
go on, it is just the new venue that is uncertain at this point.
The specific shows in question are the Mid*Week in Manchester Antiques Show and the Monday Bedford Pickers Market Antiques Show, both cornerstone events during New Hampshire Antiques Week in August.
As he celebrated the Mid*Week show's 15th year last August, Gaglio acknowledged that he needed to begin looking around for another spot because the future plans for the convention center and large parking lot were in limbo. Quality Inn purchased the motel portion of the property and was planning to undertake renovations that would make room for a retail mall operation. He assured
Antiques and The Arts Weekly
then that the shows would go on, but added, "We very well might not have to move next year, but we are planning for all circumstances," he said.
That was prescient on the promoter's part. Despite an assertion by Quality Inn's sales manager published in the
Manchester Union Leader
that "people who have bookings for 2008 and 2009 will not have their events cancelled or rescheduled," Gaglio was informed recently by management that the facility would be unavailable for this August shows.
Gaglio has been working hard scouring New Hampshire for a new site, but told
Antiques and The Arts Weekly,
"It's quite a challenge to find another venue up there." He said he has three proposals out, one of which is a scenario under tents, another of which is a building in Manchester, which is his preference, and a nearby university.
Reached by phone on February 27, the promoter said he was expecting a response from a real estate agent representing him in Manchester concerning the building's availability, and hoped that negotiations could begin shortly. "My primary goal is to contribute to the continuity of Antiques Week in New Hampshire, and I will do everything in my power to make that happen," said Gaglio.
He has kept the dealer community in the loop on his progress, most recently with update emails to Mid*Week and Bedford Pickers show dealers.
This year, Pickers is set for Monday, August 3, with Mid*Week in Manchester following on Wednesday and Thursday, August 5 and 6. For more information,
www.barnstar.com
or 845-876-0616.
