Tom Ineson brought a variety of antiques, including the Virginia pie safe at the front of this image. He said the hooked rug hanging on the far wall was from Maine. Tom The Picker Antiques, Lakelore, N.C.
Review & Onsite Photos by Carly Timpson
NASHVILLE — On February 12, the Fiddlers Antiques Show welcomed about 60 dealers and countless shoppers to its inaugural Wednesday Evening Preview Party to kick off the four-day event at the Fairgrounds in Nashville, closing on Saturday, February 15. Though Fiddlers has been a decades-long establishment in Nashville Antiques Week, this was the first year with MattPro Show Management at the helm, taken over from Kay and Bill Puchstein, who had been running it since 2020. Jill Mattingly, who is one half of the MattPro team with her husband Mark, shared, “We had lived and breathed Fiddlers at our house for so long that seeing it come to life was a truly special experience for us. When we opened the doors Wednesday night, it definitely exceeded our best expectations. We were blown away by the size of the crowd, the energy in the room and how many people took the time to stop and give us such amazing positive feedback.”
The duo also manages The Country Spirit Antique Show in Arcola, Ill., and the Pure Country Antique Show in Chrisman, Ill. Many of the dealers at Fiddlers told us they followed the Mattinglys down to Nashville given their great success at other MattPro shows. Of these loyal dealers, Mattingly shared, “We enjoy getting to know them and do our best to make sure at all of our shows that each dealer’s unique needs are met so they have the best chance for success with what they sell and how they like to present it to our shoppers.”
While the Fiddlers Show does predominantly bring in dealers who specialize in country antiques and Americana, other offerings included textiles, stoneware, vintage holiday, art and more. Mattingly added, “The difference with Fiddlers [compared to our other shows] is that the merchandise offered goes beyond just early country and Americana — it’s a more diverse selection and the customers are more diverse in their taste as well.”
Country music duo Jake & Mikayla provided a perfect soundtrack to the opening night event.
Really exemplifying this diversity was Iowa City Art and Antiques (Iowa City, Iowa) who have been exhibiting at Fiddlers for three or four years now. On the first night, owner Scott Carpenter said, “It’s been very strong with people coming in and buying. People are interested in lots of different things, which is nice. They’re leaning towards folk art, but we’ve also sold an Art Deco magazine rack — you never know what people are looking for, so we try to have something for everyone!” While we were chatting, a group of young women came by and snatched up a pair of framed animal prints that Carpenter said were rare in that they were fully hand-colored with watercolors.
Another booth that strayed from the thematic expectation was that of Pittsburgh dealers Bob and Laurie Whyhouse. The pair had an assortment of merchandise from decorative table lamps to children’s toys to porcelain and glass. They reported, “People like our crocks, we’ve sold some toys and railroading items and a few sets of sleigh bells.” It was their first time showing at Fiddlers, and what Bob was most excited about having in the booth was an unusual 36-candle commercial candle mold that he had recently found.
Another first-time dealer, Rick Hundt of Hundt No More, Shipshewana, Ind., also had an eclectic array. His booth included furniture, textiles and several children’s ride-ons, such as tractors, scooters, rocking horses and wagons. However, what people were really drawn to were Hundt’s cameras, which he reported selling well, and his great selection of petroliana. One especially eye-catching item was a vibrant blue and white Firebird gas pump, but he also had older, worn pieces like oil and gas cans, signage and shop displays.
Large petroliana was not common at Fiddlers, but the items Rick Hundt brought, such as the Firebird pump on the left of this photo, attracted lots of interest. Hundt No More, Shipshewana, Ind.
Not their first time attending Fiddlers, but their first as a dealers after shopping the show for many years, Edinburgh, Ind., -based Gray Granite Antiques reported “a really great crowd” on opening night, with lots of exciting sales just a few hours into the weekend. Most notable to Brent Gray was that of a green painted table he acquired in Missouri: “The top tips up and the surface is great. We had a lot of interest in it and then it just went out the door! It really had a great look to it.” The Grays also sold a collection of five sports games from the late 1800s to early 1900s early on the first night.
Robert Adams of R. Adams Antiques, Cartersville, Ga., has a personal interest and specializes in works by Cartersville potter W. J. Gordy (1910-1993), who was known for his unique glazes. Adams paired the selection with copies of Evolution of a Potter: Conversations with Bill Gordy by Lindsey King Laub and W. J. Gordy. Other interesting finds Adams pointed out in his booth included samplers and other needlework pieces, including one that detailed the islands of England and Wales; an 1840s child’s chest in mahogany and maple; and a patriotic inlaid box. Shoppers were very interested in the samplers, and he sold multiple miniature sugar chests and a weathervane during the preview party.
Mattingly noted that about one-third of all the dealers at Fiddlers this year were first-timers, but several could be considered mainstays at the show. One such exhibitor was Bradley Bloom of The Gryphon’s Nest, Kalamazoo, Mich. Bloom told us, “It’s a good looking show. The depth of merchandise here seems to be better than some years past. It’s not just country, it’s got more flair now.” In Bloom’s booth, he had lots of silver — some dating more than 400 years old — furniture, pottery, Asian items, oddities and two historic Irish portraits, one of which, from the mid Eighteenth Century, depicted the Earl of Cashel, so named after the Rock of Cashel or St Patrick’s Rock. Bloom told us that the portrait hung in a great home in Ireland and he was hoping to find it a new owner at the Nashville show.
Nichols & Dimes Antiques had a circa 1920 storage unit meant to hold nails, with each compartment labeled for a different length. These buyers were very interested. Elizabethtown, Ind.
Judy Nichols, Nichols & Dimes Antiques, Elizabethtown, Ind., is another familiar face at Fiddlers. She told us she’s been showing here “for 44 years — ever since it began!” Her booth was filled with an assortment of country items, furniture, hooked rugs, a pair of floral plaster panels and some Santas. One especially interesting item — and shoppers agreed — was a 1920s hanging storage unit, likely for nails. The unit was painted blue-gray and each of its eight compartments was labeled by size from two to six inches, plus “L” and “S.”
Tom Ineson of Lakelore, N.C., who, with his wife Annette, sells under the name Tom The Picker Antiques, noted that he had taken some time off from doing the show but was happy to be back. The pair brought mostly American antiques, but Annette said she “tried to keep it interesting to draw people in.” One way they did this was by centering a large, eye-catching half-moon window on the back wall. At the front of the booth, they filled a Virginia pie safe with assorted wares, and off to one side a blue cupboard was stuffed with plush bears.
Portland, Mich., -based William B. Spencer, “The Ragman,” had antiques and Americana among curiosities and militaria. Some of his items included painted signs, swords, tramp art boxes, collages, instruments, sculpture and an old tavern table he found in a Michigan college town. When asked how long he has been exhibiting at Fiddlers, Spencer said, “I’ve been coming to Nashville since the 70s, that’s quite a while I guess.”
David and Debbie Woodward of Foxrun Antiques said that they were returning for a second year and reported that the Fiddlers show last year was the best show they had ever done. Most of the items in their booth came from their own house. Some of these pieces included textiles, burl, tea and coffee pots, game boards, baskets, boxes and books. David gestured to a pointing folk art hand and said that was something “really good” and he hoped others would appreciate it. The Woodwards were pleased with the crowd on the first night and mentioned selling good early lighting.
David Woodward of Foxrun Antiques, Springfield, Tenn., pointed out this “really good folk art hand” as something he was excited to be showing.
Every show needs a dedicated rug dealer and Amir Esfandyari held that title at Fiddlers for a sixth year. The Franklin, Tenn., seller brought “desirable, high-end rugs, rare textiles and embroideries.” He proudly told us that he is a fifth-generation rug dealer, originally from Tabriz, Iran. On the first night of the show, he sold a small rug and had many more he was excited to present to shoppers.
Next to Esfandyari’s booth was Rivermill Antiques of Maryville, Tenn. Debe Campbell brought us around the large booth, pointing out her favorite pieces. One was a Victrola Mandel Phonograph made in Chicago, which had built-in cups for new needles. She had a pair of 1910 marquetry trays made by the consignor’s grandfather, a French country coffee or side table with copper leaves, an unusual three-tier drying rack that folded up into a pole and a Red Wing crock.
George Timmons Gallery of Woodbine, Ga., definitely had one of the more colorful booths at Fiddlers. The third-year dealers filled their tables and walls with vibrant posters and prints. Andrea Timmons said, “they’re all original and mostly French, from the 1880s to midcentury.” One of the rarest was a 1926 Hendayarra poster by Lotti, advertising a scarce liqueur from the Basque region of Spain. Another was the first printing in English for Campari by Lenonetto Cappiello.
Guiding us toward the back wall of his booth, Steve Hallett of Antiques, Art ‘N Treasures said, “This is one of the best paintings I’ve ever bought.” He pointed to an 1880 work by Arturo Corsi titled “Baby’s First Bath.” The oil on canvas was in its original circa 1900 frame and was being offered alongside lanterns, decorative clocks, pottery, doorstops and an “exceptional 1910 Duffner & Kimberly table lamp.”
Hanging in its original frame above this display was “Baby’s First Bath” (1880) by Arturo Corsi. Antiques, Art ‘N Treasures, Virginia & Steve Hallett, Kentucky.
Though the Kentucky-based dealer had lots to offer, he said we couldn’t leave opening night without speaking to his booth neighbor about an “unbelievable Alfred Montgomery ‘Corn’ painting.” The work was being offered by Danny Tytenicz of Abbieland Antiques. The Oklahoma City dealer has been showing at Fiddlers for three years, and most of his merchandise was fine art. The “Corn” painting was all original and in untouched condition, bearing Montgomery’s impressed insignia to the upper left of the image.
With the amount of merchandise available, we were curious if the promoters were able to find anything for themselves. Mattingly shared, “We didn’t have much ‘spare time’ to shop and when I’m in the booths I’m thinking more about photography and marketing for next year. But we did add a piece of stoneware to our collection of 1½ gallon pieces, which are a little tougher to find. I also found a really sweet Windsor chair in old blue paint — our whole house is blue, so I can never resist when its in good original paint. And we both fell in love with a little folk art bird so that came home with us, too.”
“We were exhausted by the end but ready to redouble our efforts and make year two even better. We have had already had interest from some top dealers wanting to join us for 2026 and we can already envision how we will be able to take Fiddlers to the next level,” reported Mattingly. The 2026 Fiddlers Antiques Show is set to run February 11-14. For information, www.fiddlersatthefairgrounds.com.
