: The 34th annual Bedford Hills Antiques Show took place February
21 and 22 at Fox Lane High School. It is sponsored by the Bedford
Hills Lions Club and produced by Martin Greenstein's The Last
Detail Antiques Shows, Ltd.
As an antiques dealer and Lions Club member, Marty was approached
by the club five years ago to find new show management. When he
could not find another they said "How about you?" and The Last
Detail Antiques Shows, Ltd was born.
Marty had been making a living at least part of the time dealing
at shows and markets in Arts and Crafts décor including Stickley
and Mission oak furniture and art pottery, especially Roseville,
McCoy and Weller. He had an appreciation for antiques, knew how
to market them and a wealth of experience in doing shows. He is
also a very conscientious and detail oriented (as in the name of
his business) with a very big list of dealer friends. These
qualities allowed him to take over and reinvigorate this show.
This year there were more than 70 dealers in room settings; areas
of different sizes, set as a living room, study or even a store
or gallery. Each dealer space has its own atmosphere or
personality.
Fine Art dealer Peter Winsom, Fairfield, Conn., closed part of
the front opening to his booth so show guests would enter his
space and be secluded with his collection. It seems to give the
visitor an atmosphere or quiet place to ponder and consider the
artwork. At this show he had paintings by listed artists, African
and Asian primitives, sculptures and early American folk art.
Bob Baker trades as Poverty Hollow Antiques in Redding Ridge,
Conn. His exhibit was a mix of American country style, some
European pine furniture and a wide variety of art. He had one of
the larger booths and it was very full. Reports were that he was
also pleased with the results of the weekend's activities.
Jesslyn James formerly lived in the Fairfield County, Westchester
County area but has moved to Paris, France where she shops for
art, mostly paintings. Trading as the Gallery of European Art she
offered a collection of more than 100 pieces and sold well at the
show.
Albert Joseph & Co, Naugatuck, Conn., had an interesting
collection for this show. The furniture was mostly mid-Nineteenth
Century with very affordable prices. A Victorian low dresser with
large framed oval mirror priced at $895 found a new home along
with a pine commode and a Nineteenth Century drop leaf tea table,
meant to be a Jacobean reproduction. The dealer, Albie Yuravich
also offered a large collection of baseball memorabilia,
pennants, autographed photos and the like, which also sold well.
Edward and Sheila Hylan, Southbury, Conn.
American country pine furniture sold well for the Hylans of
Southbury, Conn. A small chest and a dry sink were among the items
that went to new homes.
Hancock, N.H., dealer David Beauchamp brought a large collection
of hardwood and hardwood veneer furniture of Sheraton through
early Victorian styles. He also had an oil on canvas that was
tagged at $6,000 and sold to a well-known art collector and
expert.
From their shop in Sheffield, Mass., Good and Hutchinson brought
a very large collection of furniture, art and accessories. Theirs
was one of the largest booths in the show and it included a
complete dining room and living room. David Good customarily
fills a very large bowl filled with spice drops; bet you couldn't
pass them up.
Pierce Archer, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., offered English
porcelain, brass and furniture in sparkling bright condition.
Antique Folly, New Market, Md., does dishes, Eighteenth and
Nineteenth Century transfer ware and Staffordshire from England
and porcelain from France. Victorian era furniture was the
principle offering from Wappingers Falls, N.Y. dealers Steve and
Lisa Fisch.
Clocks were the main focus from Charles Brevel of Glenmont, N.Y.
He had a variety of small clocks and two tall-case, grandfather
clocks. One was from Pennsylvania made late in the Eighteenth
Century with American works in an intricately detailed case and
hood (the top), priced at $8,500. The other, also over seven feet
tall, was made in Winchester, Conn., by Riley Whitting, circa
1810-1825, featuring clock works made of wood in a grain painted
case.
Amy Parsons is a collector who has become a dealer; her
collection became so big, she had to! Her centerpiece at this
show was a silk and wool crazy quilt, so named for the erratic
nature of the shapes of the pieces. In this quilt, hung on the
full back wall of her booth, there was some continuity to the
craziness with several fans radiating from the center and a
broken circle to the pattern. It was not apparent in the first
look but when studied, there was a visible plan to the pattern.
Its price is $2,500.
Brothers Brent and Derick Johnson, B&D Johnson Antiques LLC,
were at the front of the gymnasium for this event. Their
offerings were mostly Georgian period furniture from England with
accessories from later periods.
Penny Pincher, Bedford Hills, N.Y., had furniture and accessories
of mixed periods stylishly collected together in her room
setting. Lily Choi, Dragon Culture of New York City offered Asian
furniture. And from North Hatfield, Mass., Brown-Boyle Antiques
had an early primitive keeping room or kitchen in their space.
Dragon Culture, New York City.
Henry and Nancy Fender, Glen Cove, N.Y., offered mostly
furniture but on their walls were several early round mirrors with
convex glass. Known as girandole mirrors, a word that comes from
Italian for sunburst or sunrise, these were popularized in American
by Dolley Madison, the First Lady of early 1800s fame. The story
goes that she had several installed in the White House East Room
because the parabolic face of the mirrors gave her a view of
everyone in the room.
In a post show interview Marty said that while the Lions Club
members did not keep accurate count there were at least 2,000
visitors to the show, many who came both days.
His next show will be the Armonk Antique Show for North Castle
Historical Society, April 17-18 and he expects to do Bedford
Hills again next year. For information, www.mgkisco@aol.com or
914-572-4132.
