In a letter sent out last week to dealers, show manager Marilyn Gould stated, “It is with great distress and sorrow that I have finally accepted the fact that circumstances have conspired to close the Wilton shows.” The next Wilton show on the schedule was set for Sunday, December 4, an event that has built a strong following and supports a major local scholarship.

In addition to the problems in the world of antique show management, such as “counting on my regular dealers to do the show,” Marilyn’s personal life has had a drastic change concerning both the mental (Alzheimer’s) and physical decline of her husband, Mike, who at this time is in a nursing home. Her letter adds, “I have finally bitten the bullet and admitted that I can no longer do both things simultaneously and successfully.”

Marilyn concludes her letter saying, “I so want to thank those of you who have been loyal friends. For more than 30 years the antiques business and the circuit have been the center of our lives. We’ve actually gone through a lot together †illness, marriage and romantic changes, reinvented lives and business, even the aftermath of 9/11. Thanks for the memories.”