Kathy Brown, Old Bethpage, N.Y.
Review and Photos by Tom O’Hara
CHANTILLY, VA. – D’Amore Promotions’ November 2-3 installment of the DC Big Flea and Antiques Show kicked off holiday shopping for the thousands of shoppers who pored over the offerings of the more than 600 exhibitors at DC Expo. With a sold-out event about a month before it opened, promoter Joan Sides said, “The show was a rollicking fun-fest for all, with great supplies of gift ideas, antiques, home décor and vintage fashions and textiles.”
On Saturday, the Village Antiques, Syracuse, N.Y., was offering all little things, including toys, seasonal decorations with an emphasis on Christmas and dolls and associated paraphernalia. Co-owner Charlie Landon said that, even with both he and his partner Sandra Belko writing receipts, for most of the day there was a line waiting to complete their purchases.
New Yorker Kathy Brown was enjoying a similar day with the sales from her showcase, which was filled to capacity with small toys, holiday pieces and collectibles from the last 150 years.
Neverbird Antiques, Surry, Va., was there for the first time. The firm’s specialty has been paper and ephemera from the Eighteenth and early Nineteenth Centuries. Owners Joyce and Bill Subjack reported good sales, which included a 200-year-old sampler, a large wooden sculpture and many of paper objects.
Davidsmirnoff.com is the business of David Smirnoff, who divides time between New Haven, Conn., and Buenos Aires, Argentina. His collection is mostly fine art but with some folk art included. His favorite painting for the weekend was an oil on canvas by Augustus Fuller of Connecticut’s Oxbow River. Also included in his display was a fireplace that showed the design from the Twentieth Century, an inverted funnel in enameled metal.
The Brills Antiques, Newport News, Va.
Brad Myers, Purcellville, Va., was exhibiting again, this time with his advertising materials and Christmas lawn decorations. Among the items in his collection were the nearly life-size figures of Christmas carolers and large candles.
Jewelry and silver from the Atlantic beach town of Milton, Del., were offered by Admiral Antiques. In the summer, traffic from visitors to the seashore keeps this shop busy, but from September to about May or June, shows work with good sales of estate jewelry.
Buddy Lunceford, Rixeyville, Va., was too busy selling for conversation. He has created a specialty with primarily Nineteenth Century furniture, including Larkin-style pieces that were shown in his booth.
A tiger maple butler’s secretary was unusual, most likely American-made about 200 years ago. Fort Harmon Antiques from Marietta, Ohio, was showing the piece and confirmed the attribution, pointing out that the tiger maple and pine underwood supported that belief.
Jerry and Judy Brill were again at the show with Georgian and early American furniture and related accessories.
Mario Gauthier, Manchester, N.H., was selling small antiques all weekend. His collection included interesting silver pieces but not simply flatware; there were showcases filled with special items, such as perfume containers, compacts, snuff boxes and many other objects, all selling well.
Josie Dillon of Cherry Hill Liquidators, Cherry Hill, N.J., does her business by liquidating entire households of furniture and accessories. For this most recent show, her collection was Twentieth Century manufactured furniture, some reproductions of Louis XVI and some midcentury and Art Deco styles. As she said, “We sold everything but the little love seat during the show.”
Road Runner Antiques, Newtown, Penn.
There was more.
Heller Washam Antiques, Portland, Maine, was offering an advertising model of the German zeppelin Hindenburg.
It was the last show for Hans Krogh of Krogh’s Nest. This exhibitor of midcentury and Art Deco is planning to retire, so his inventory was offered at especially attractive prices to liquidate his stock.
Vasilikus is Mike Vasilikus’ business name; his is what could be best described as a minimalist exhibit. The Annapolis, Md., exhibitor brings a small amount of interesting objects, usually including some Nineteenth Century folk art. This month, one of his most prominent pieces was a 2-foot-long hand-carved man with ox-drawn plow.
Dannette Darrow, Binghamton, N.Y., had her collection of Chinese porcelain Rose Mandarin and Rose Medallion. Anita DeOld, Verona, N.J., was selling Victorian hat pins.
Patrick Hasting, Pittsburgh, Penn., created an art gallery for all the fine art he was offering. By Sunday morning, he reported a very good weekend.
The attendance, according to Sides, was excellent again this month, with the shoppers doing good buying while at the show. D’Amore Promotions produces this show five times each year at the Dulles Expo Center, 4320 Chantilly Shopping Center, Chantilly, Va. Hours are Saturday, 9 am to 6 pm, and Sunday, 11 am to 5 pm, with January 4-5 and March 7-8 as the next shows. Admission is $10 good for both days, and parking is free. For information, 757-430-4735 or www.thebigfleamarket.com. Check the firm’s website or Facebook page in December for online admission ticket sales. D’Amore is also producing the Hampton, Va., show March 21-22.
