Growing up in Connecticut, Erik D. Wohl, who now operates an eponymous antiques business in Washington, N.H., was introduced to antiques by going to flea markets with his grandfather. His appreciation for and love of Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century material, and antiques in general, continued to grow over time. Having first attended the New Hampshire Antiques Dealers Association’s flagship show as a visitor during Antiques Week back in the 1980s, he is thrilled to make his debut as an exhibitor this year at the 69th annual New Hampshire Antiques Show. We reached out to learn more about his antiques journey and what we can expect to see in his booth.
As a first-time exhibitor at the New Hampshire Antiques Dealers Association (NHADA) show, what are you most excited for?
I am most excited about taking part in the NHADA show because of its long history. To be included in the company of all these fine dealers, past and present, is an honor for me. It is a show I have wanted to do since I first saw it. This show consistently delivers diverse, high-level quality, fresh-to-the-market objects year after year.
What were your guiding principles in terms of putting together your booth?
I have always been drawn to the more country and rural objects. Things that were made for specific uses or tasks. Early iron is something that has always appealed to me. Objects that were imagined and then made by hand to fill a specific purpose. Look for some early cast and wrought andirons and cooking utensils in my booth. Painted furniture and accessories are also favorites of mine. Tables, boxes, chests, chairs and some paintings and folk art. I will have some early lighting, weathervanes and stoneware with me too.
How long have you been saving items for this show?
Very fortunate for me, I am a substitute for this show, unfortunately, filling in for someone who was unable to participate this year. I have been much less active selling in the past several years, doing fewer shows but still actively buying. I am lucky to have an inventory to pull from. I am also pulling items from my own collection for this show — some items not out in 20 or 30 years. I have been saving for a while. I am always scrambling for fresh material to fill in the spaces.
This Nineteenth Century sheet iron and wood horse-and-rider weathervane is in original weathered surface.
When was the first time you attended a NHADA show?
I first attended the NHADA show in the late 1980s. I was then kind of in awe of the quantity of quality material — seeing objects that you do not get to see anywhere else. I have often thought about what people just starting to collect and shop think when they come into a show like NHADA. As dealers and collectors who have more experience know, seeing that amount of high-quality antiques in one place is a really rare thing. More so now than ever.
The NHADA show and the other shows happening during Antiques Week in New Hampshire are such a great opportunity to learn about and see so many different things. No matter what level you are at as a collector, or even if you are just trying to add decor to your home, there will be items here to purchase and take home. There is so much material to choose from.
The internet is a great tool, but pictures and descriptions are just not the same thing as being in the room. Holding that object in your hand. Seeing the colors with your own eyes. Feeling the plane marks on a table. Seeing the objects in context with other like objects. Hearing the story firsthand of where that item came from. Hearing from the dealer who chased it for many years. The objects help keep the stories and the history alive.
When did you get your start?
I became interested in antiques as a child. I went to flea markets with my grandfather. I started working for Bernadette and Dermott Ryan, owners of Island House Antiques in Ridgefield, Conn., when I was in high school. They were importers of Irish pine furniture and accessories. I worked for them all through college. I have always been drawn to the objects and the stories. It is history told through our objects. I got the bug early on and have been unable to stop.
What genres are you best known for?
I started out with an interest in furniture. When I was starting out, country furniture was more affordable, so I gravitated toward it. As you continue in this business, you keep learning about and admiring different things. That has always been the most fun part of it for me. The finding of the thing — the hunt. I always try to have some folk art, early iron, game boards, paintings, treenware and stoneware mixed in with the furniture.
I also like and deal with early tools. Many times, the tool was made to complete a specific task. A person comes up with an idea to make something and first they have to make the tool. I do not think I can pick just one favorite. I have too many.
—Andrea Valluzzo
