Howard Roberts of White
Orchid, Wallingford, Pa., with a 1950s store clock.
By Carol Sims
FARMINGTON, CONN- Farmington Antiques Weekend on September 1 and
2 brought together about 11,500 shoppers and 495 dealers from all
over the Northeast as well as a few dealers from the South and
the Midwest. It was a magnificent weekend of enterprising
commerce. The selection of antiques was impressive, in spite of
the built-in weather hazards of doing an outdoor show.
With two gorgeous 72-degree days, breezy but not windy, the
weather was made to order. According to John Jenkins of Jenkins
Management, about 1000 people came between the hours of 7 and 10
am for early buying on Saturday. Regular admission beginning at
10 am on Saturday brought in enthusiastic shoppers by the
thousands. Jenkins stated that ''the turnout on Sunday was
phenomenal.''
Some new dealers brought in items that have not been seen at the
show in years past, making for some pleasant surprises. For
example, Buckboard Antiques, of Westville, Mass brought beautiful
buggies, sleighs, and wagons. Because of the size of their
merchandise, the dealer waited ten years to get a space on the
parking lot edge of the show before trying Farmington. Every
sleigh and buggy he offered was fully operational.
Returning dealers, who make up the bulk of the show, imbued it
with a sense of continuity and cordial familiarity. For most of
these folks, Farmington is a relaxed and worthwhile show.
Shoppers could navigate the well-marked polo field and seek out
dealers with a particular type of merchandise by using the show's
buyer's guide.
Dealer feedback on the show indicates that most dealers were very
pleased with the show. Court Smith of Greystone Cottage Antiques,
Winchester, VA ventured back to Farmington for the first time
''since the big storm'' and was glad to have returned. ''I had a
lot of dealer sales from dealers heading to Brimfield on Sunday
and pushed my show totals to a let's say 'I can't wait for the
next Farmington Show.' ''
''They put so much effort into making it a win-win for the
dealers and the shoppers, like the new set up, porter service,
happy people working for them, willing to do what it takes to
make the show a success,'' Smith continued.
Cassandra and George Gorton of Hodge Podge Lodge - ''A Little Bit
of Everything,'' Durham, Conn. sold sterling flatware and
hollowware and several lamps. Since they only do four shows a
year and two of those are Farmington, they were a little
concerned after hearing from some dealers that shows were way off
this year. It turned out that they had an excellent show.
''Sunday's sales were without question the strongest we've ever
seen at Farmington,'' wrote the Gortons after the show. ''Strong
as the gates and our sales were, there was, however, a noticeable
absence of both New York and Boston area shoppers,'' reported the
Gortons.
Jackie and Michael Robinson of Miller-Robinson Antiques sold to
the trade and to private collectors. ''We sold a wonderful
Windsor chair to a dealer, and a large, four-gallon Norton and
Fenton jug to a collector. Both those sales occurred on Saturday.
On Sunday, we retailed a cupboard, and placed some yellowware
with the trade.''
Jerry van der Vleg displayed a red chest more than 100 years
old.
Doug Schmitt from Lake Ariel, Pa., sold 13 pieces of furniture.
''At Farmington I sold furniture for the bedroom, dining room,
parlor and office. Things have been moving quite well for us this
month and I hope that it is a sign that the economy is holding
strong in the antique market.''
Schmitt specializes in restoring and refinishing old oak
furniture. He is of the camp that believes in giving furniture a
new life by stripping off peeling paint and bringing back a
glossy wood surface that you can run your hand over without fear.
''People are so afraid of refinishing anything that's old. Some
pieces shouldn't be touched. The pieces that I sell are not in
that category.'' He sells pieces that are about a hundred years
old.
Ellen Ruck of Colony Farm Antiques, Chester N.J. had a ''GREAT''
Farmington. She said, ''we appreciate the knowledgeable shoppers
from local Connecticut vicinities who live in period homes and
have a natural eye for antiques and countryside, with disposable
income to spend.''
Colony Farm Antiques sold Eighteenth Century pewter mugs and
plates, advertising tin cans, a woolly Welsh sampler, brass
spring pocket scales, medical inhaler, wood trade signs, figural
trade signs, and woven Jacquard coverlet pillows.
''One thing that surprises us but we got a hint of in June [at]
Farmington was our sales in the special area of English black and
white transferware of pot lids, ointment cups, apothecary items,
toothpaste containers, and remedy jars. These beautiful transfer
under glaze wares found in Victorian underground dumps are hot
collectibles on today's market and we have to hustle to keep the
best and rarest on demand. One woman swooped in and scooped up
six of the most expensive items in this category ranging from
$100-350--as did others. A Grimwade pudding mold was sneaked home
for a Christmas present in green transfer. Some of these items
are so scarce, I may only obtain one or two examples in several
years of searching--and they always sell, first time out,''
continued Ruck. One of the secrets of their success might be that
they bring two cargo vans, replenishing merchandise 5 pm
on Saturday.
Tom and Beth Snyder, Bethany, Conn., are hopeful that the new
owners will bring back the glory days of the show. ''It has
always had an energy and excitement associated with it. I'd love
to see that recaptured, and I hope the new promoters are up to
the challenge.'' They pointed out that the number of dealers is
down. ''Farmington has not really bounced back from the storm of
a couple of years ago in June,'' continued Tom, who also feels
that the economic climate in Connecticut is still affecting
sales.
Stuffers, Madoc, Ontario Canada.
Michele Piccolo of Dusty's in Holland, Mass., is new to
Farmington. (June of 2001 was her first show). She specializes in
vintage textiles and was set up in the textile tent, something
that Laurel Mckenny of Jenkins Management started. When the
Jenkinses invited her to exhibit at Farmington in June she
readily agreed, having done shows with them in Nashville, Ohio
and Indiana. ''If these folks hadn't bought the show, I never
could have tried it. The old management had a policy that you
couldn't exhibit until a dealer with like merchandise left the
show.''
According to Piccolo, the textile tent brought in new customers
who hadn't ever shopped Farmington before. She sold lots of her
white linens. On sale at the end to the summer season were her
brightly colored tablecloths, towels and handkerchiefs from the
40s and 50s. These were wonderful. After World War II there was a
great deal of optimism and people wanted happy colorful textiles.
Motorists collected textiles with icons printed on them as state
souvenirs. The cloths are mostly bright white, with brilliant
colorfast dyes used for the designs.
Textile dealers weren't limited to the textile tent. Many wanted
to keep their traditional tent spots. There were five dealers
selling rugs, four selling samplers, about eight selling quilts,
etc. Shoppers had a good selection. ''We have a real
camaraderie,'' said Piccolo, ''if a customer was looking for
something specific that we didn't have [in the textile tent] we
would direct them to the right dealer.''
