Neon signs and antique furniture combined in the shared booth of Klint and Cindy Griffin, Liquid Fire Vintage Neon and Props, respectively. Franklin, Tenn.
Review & Onsite Photos by Carly Timpson
NASHVILLE — Jenkins + Co., invited more than 130 dealers and thousands of shoppers to the Fairgrounds Nashville from February 13-15 for the return of The Nashville Show, a reiteration of the Tailgate-Music Valley Antique Show which began in 1985.
We were able to catch showrunner Jon Jenkins during the show’s first day. At that point he reported, “We had record early bird ticket sales this morning and there are lots of decorators and people shopping — especially considering it’s midday on Thursday.” After the show, he followed up on that saying, “There are people who absolutely love antiques, but they have jobs — Saturday is their day.” Additionally, he shared further attendance statistics: “Last year we set an all-time record going back to the 80s, and we were just 110 people short of that this year. That’s a pretty good sign of a healthy show. We did break the record for early bird shoppers and for Thursday attendance overall. It was our second-best show in 40 years — I’ll take that! I’m hoping that this is sort of where the show is. Everyone talks about the good old days and romanticizes the past, but what if the good old days are right now? The numbers are telling me that’s the case.”
Jenkins said another positive is that people are renting good-sized booths. “It’s a good sign because you’re not booking that kind of space unless you’re selling. It’s an expression of the dealers’ confidence in their ability to sell at the show.” In total, there were 120 booths with 138 exhibitors, a number that included those with shared booths, and around 15 of the dealers were new to The Nashville Show.
It was Sydney Budysheva and Soul Fed Home’s first ever antiques show — not that we could tell! Bowling Green, Ky., and Franklin, Tenn.
As Jenkins said, and as evidenced by the multiple shows running that weekend, “The shows in Nashville started in the early 80s with an intense focus on Americana and country. My show is more diverse, but that’s by design. We want a variety in both style and price point because if we get somebody to come, especially for the first time, we want them to come back. We want to have things that are affordable and approachable while at the same time, if you have a longtime collector who is more affluent, you want them to find things as well.” One way that Jenkins has been able to bring in new shoppers, those who he hopes will return, is by selling combination tickets with the concurrent Nashville Vintage Clothing & Jewelry Show, which runs next door to The Nashville Show. “We haven’t finalized the numbers yet for this year, but I do know that last year we sold about 1,000 combo tickets — that’s 1,000 people getting exposure to our show and that’s the whole point. Something that makes me happy with these combo tickets is that I see younger customers looking at traditional antiques, responding to them and sometimes buying.”
Jenkins has also taken to social media marketing to promote the show, a strategy echoed by plenty of the dealers in attendance. One such dealer who easily proved the strategy’s impact was first-timer Sydney Budysheva, who runs Soul Fed Home, a popular “online destination for thoughtfully curated European antiques and interiors,” according to her Instagram profile. Budysheva’s booth neighbor, David Beauchamp, was eager to introduce us, saying that many of her loyal followers of all ages had been stopping by to take photos with her and shop her first-ever booth. Not only was this her first time at The Nashville Show, it was her first time exhibiting at any antiques show. Soul Fed Home’s booth primarily featured French antiques including furniture, decorative arts and fine art. Scattered throughout the pieces, adding a pop of light color to the mostly dark assemblage, were artfully potted orchids, arranged specifically for the show by Budysheva’s mother.
These American school portraits done by “Seeley” were of Mr and Mrs Eben Henry Burgher (1812-1861), an investor worth more than $900 million at the time of his death. The pair, found in Maine with Connecticut origins, was being offered by David Beauchamp of Beauchamp Antiques, New Bern, N.C.
Beauchamp, who was across the aisle from Soul Fed Home, owns Beauchamp Antiques out of New Bern, N.C. His booth was filled with Eighteenth to Twentieth Century American and English furniture and art, among other assorted goods including several framed documents. “A once in a lifetime find” in his booth was a pair of portraits depicting Mr and Mrs Eben Henry Burgher. Eben Burgher (1812-1861) “was an investor in gold mines, and when he died he was worth more than $900 million, which would be nearly $40 billion today,” Beauchamp told us. The portraits were owned by someone in Casco Bay, Maine, who had ties to the sitters.
Another first-time exhibitor was Anna Lisa Dobbs, owner of Anna Lisa Design. The Nashville dealer considers herself an interior designer, but she also sells her curated collection. She told us her styling leans more toward Danish furniture and design, but she stocks an assortment of vintage and antique pieces, such as tapestries, paintings, sculpture and “unique vintage light fixtures, which [were] doing well.”
Tallulah Antiques, also from Nashville, was another first-timer at the show. Her booth was stocked with an assortment of merchandise, including a pair of stained glass windows, a postage stamp vending machine, children’s toys, apothecary cabinets, bold signage and much more. She had a lot of interest in her large sets of drawers but reported that she was mostly selling smaller items that were easy to carry out.
Shoppers were continually drawn to the blue-green set of drawers at the center of Tallulah Antiques’ booth. Nashville.
William Union of Art & Antique Gallery, Holden, Mass., said, “I love this show. We’ve been coming on and off for years, but we’re back this year, and I just love it!” He brought with him a selection of original paintings, noting that his favorites were a Nineteenth Century farm scene with cows by Canadian artist Frank Houghton and a river scene by William Ongley (1836-1890).
Fine art could be found throughout the show, but another booth dedicated solely to the category was that of Warren Wright, Fine Art Concepts, Vernon, Ill. He has been showing at The Nashville Show for three years and filled his booth with a diverse selection of paintings and prints. One notable work was Lazzaro Pasini’s (Italian, 1866-1949) “Fishermen at Dock,” which Wright had framed himself with a rippling gilt border that accented the light playing off the shallow water in the painting.
Heather Karlie Fine Art, or HKFA, owned by Heather Karlie Vieira, had walls filled with works by New York and Brazilian artists, Joan Miró and Pablo Picasso, among others. The Atlanta-based dealer told us one of her favorite and most unique pieces had already sold early on during the show; it was a life-size wooden horse head on a post.
Other specialty dealers included Sarasota, Fla. -based Barometer Fair, owned by John Forster, who proudly claims to have the largest selection of working antique barometers in all of the United States. Only a small portion of his collection was present in Nashville. He has been coming to the show for five years and noted, “It’s always a good show. A few ‘regulars’ have stopped by, but barometers aren’t really something most people have more than one of.” For good measure, his booth also included some globes, a circa 1850 English apothecary chest with assorted bottles and a scale, compasses, magnifying glasses and other scientific instruments. An especially rare device in his booth was a circa 1810 Scottish stick barometer by J & J Gardner of Glasgow that indicated “Serene” at high pressure. Forster thought this was amusing, saying Scotland’s weather is never “serene.”
In the market for a barometer or another scientific instrument? John Forster of Barometer Fair would have what you’re looking for. Sarasota, Fla.
B.J. Pawlaczyk, from Au Gres, Mich., is BJ’s Outboards. He specializes in antique outboard motors that have been restored and polished to make unique display pieces rather than functional equipment. “My two sons take them apart and clean them. They’re for show, not for go!” Most of his motors were on display stands, though some were mounted to their paired vintage advertising display signs.
Jeff R. Bridgman American Antiques from York County, Penn., filled his booth primarily with a diverse array of historic American flags, but other political items, painted furniture and folk art were included as well. On the first day of the show he had sold one good flag and a painting, too.
When you’re a long-time dealer, the years start to get away from you. Jason Parker Counce is DIRT Home + Garden, Nashville and Franklin, Tenn. When asked how long he’s been exhibiting at the show, he said, “About as long as it’s been around!” His booth was filled from top to bottom with red, white and blue antiques — Americana, quilts and other textiles, handmade pillows and folk art he made himself.
Jamie Hanks of Studio 13, St John’s, Mich., is another veteran dealer. He’s been coming to The Nashville Show for about 20 years now and reported great success. On the first day, he had several good sales, including a large 1900s expandable dining table with self-storing leaves, Midcentury Modern items, antique firearms and lots of art. In addition to these items, his booth included eclectic pieces, from a late 1800s wooden doctor’s examination table to a large round stained-glass window in four parts.
A silver collector’s dream! Antique Cupboard, Big Bend, Wis.
Folk Art, Etc., based in Kansas City, Mo., filled their booth with, well, folk art and other miscellaneous goods. Having exhibited at The Nashville Show for eight to 10 years, they understand what kinds of things the clientele is looking for. On day one, the owner, who wished to remain anonymous, told us, “This morning has been very good. I’ve sold a lot of smaller, flat stuff and there have been a lot of younger buyers.” Some of the items left in his booth included a metal poodle sculpture, prints, taxidermy butterflies, figural salt and pepper shakers, carved wood and stone items, an oversized decorative spoon and some signs.
Next to Folk Art, Etc., was Dordy Fontinel of Nellysford, Va., run by Dordy Fontinel Foust and husband Richard. Dordy, who was exhibiting for her fourth year, described their offerings as folk art, Americana and eclectic items. Some of these included tramp art frames and boxes, quilts, samplers, a wooden barber pole, weathervanes and whirligigs, hooked rugs and sculptural animals, including a large painted ostrich. “This is one of our best shows. Most of our things are one-of-a-kind, and those are the items that are selling,” said Richard Foust. In addition, they also reported several sales of small furniture items.
“We love this show. It’s great,” exclaimed Susan Fleener-Apple of Tarkington Interiors, Indianapolis. She has been doing the show for about five years and there’s no immediately clear theme to her merchandise besides “fun!” Hanging on the walls were several large posters from W. & A. K. Johnston’s Charts Of Anatomy & Physiology and one vibrant clown poster, which may have seemed out of place if it weren’t for the carousel horses positioned in the center of the booth. Other animals were represented, from duck decoys to a metal giraffe’s head, large gilt bronze cocks and a zebra rug. Of course, her booth also included furniture: sets of drawers, a wooden workbench, a step-back cupboard and a dining table. On the first day, she sold a large cast iron arrow, a library ladder, a cabinet and a hooded chair.
This large circa 1890s J. H. Mott eagle weathervane held court in the center of Bob Zordani and Heidi Kellner’s booth. Z & K Antiques, Lexington, Va.
Just a few hours into the show’s first day, Brenda Potts of Rust & Refind, Loretto, Tenn., was already rearranging her booth to make room for new merchandise and pack up things that had sold. She said, “It’s been a very good morning. The first day is always the best because that’s when the most serious buyers come.” When we finished talking, she went back to moving sold items out, including a set of shutters in old white paint, a French pine bamboo-style cabinet with a marble top, a reclining deer garden figure, an over mantel mirror with shell crest, lighting, a sideboard and an antique French sign.
“At the end of the day on Saturday, I was walking around and noticed a lot of empty booths and full aisles. That’s what you want to see as a promoter by the end of the show. Overall, it is proof that the show was really strong, and that people, both exhibitors and shoppers, were leaving happy.”
The 2026 Nashville Show is set to take place February 12-14. For information, www.jenkinsandco.com or 317-431-0118.
