Verve Home Furnishings, Richmond, Va.
Review & Onsite Photos by Andrea Valluzzo
RICHMOND, VA. — First-time show promoter Kipton Currier, owner of East Coast Expositions, had Mother Nature to contend with as a major snowstorm moved up the coast, set to bring several inches of snow and freezing rain to the area, timed perfectly to hit during her show. Staged in the Old Dominion Building at the Richmond Raceway, the Virginia Antiques Expo was scheduled for Friday through Sunday, January 23-25 but, due to the forecast, ran with extended hours Friday and opened earlier on Saturday. The show closed earlier than planned Saturday to get dealers and buyers home safely before the storm kicked in, and Sunday’s session never happened.
Such a situation could have been the kiss of death for an antiques show, especially one in its inaugural edition. In the end, though, it didn’t make much difference. Currier was happy with how the show went on and public feedback, adding that all the dealers she talked to were pleased with how they did. “The show was a major success, even for a shortened show. We had 3,000 guests, and dealers had record sales,” she said. Her original goal, which many said was ambitious, was for a gate of about 5,000 people spanning the three-day run. “I think we could’ve come close.”
She is already planning the next edition, which will take place in September, and hopes to make the show a twice-a-year affair, though January is likely off the table.
Show promoter Kipton Currier was dressed to the nines to greet guests at the opening day of the inaugural Virginia Antiques Expo.
“I would say across the board every single dealer that I spoke with had an unexpected weekend at a first-time show,” she shared, noting they had a diverse mix of demographics at the show and even institutional buyers. “I think what was really interesting was the mix. When I would go around asking people how they heard about the show, 50 percent of people, the younger people, had heard about it from Instagram and the other 50 percent had heard about it from dealers. My dealers did a tremendous amount of outreach as well and I’m grateful.”
Creating a welcoming space with a wide and broad spectrum of goods for attendees was one of her main goals. “I tried my best not to oversaturate in any one certain genre and I wanted a variety of offerings. I wanted a 20-year-old Virginia Commonwealth University student to be able to come in and buy something, whether it is a piece of vintage jewelry or a postcard, a memento they can afford.” Offering items in all price points, the show indeed had something for everyone, from affordable items all the way up to early American paintings and furniture, the likes of which could be found in the booth of Stonington, Conn.-dealer Roberto Freitas.
“I want the show to be approachable and welcoming. I am a consumer and love to shop, and I like a spectrum of shopping. I will buy high-end, but I am personally interested in value, and I think you can find that at an antiques show,” Currier said. “I just wanted a welcoming environment, nothing stuffy but that being said, all of our dealers are experts, lifelong learners and curators and that is what has made them successful.”
Roberto Freitas American Antiques, Stonington, Conn.
Freitas’ highly curated booth offered a mix of Americana, paintings and furniture. Offerings ranged from a finely carved and painted peacock from Maine, circa 1880, set on a base, that was turning heads to a late Nineteenth Century Goddess of Liberty weathervane in molded copper, attributed to William G. Henis, Philadelphia. Among furniture highlights was a rare Chippendale carved and figured walnut bonnet-top highboy from Salem, Mass., circa 1765.
Freitas had not even planned on exhibiting here; a fellow dealer talked him into it at the last minute as he was in between doing shows in Nashville and Palm Beach. Freitas signed on but had few expectations other than having good conversations and selling some modest items. “On the contrary, the show was unbelievable,” he reported, noting that he made almost six figures in sales, including a marine painting, sailors valentines and woolies. “I was overwhelmed not only by what I sold but the people who came. They were educated and knew what they were looking at. I’ve done a lot of shows and you could tell [Currier] put a lot of work into it, and she was very savvy with what she did. Everything worked.”
Francis Crespo Folk Art and Antiques, Lancaster, Penn.
Considering Currier was running her first ever antiques show, she pulled off what some dealers called a miracle, taking this event from an idea sketched out on her kitchen table in August to a fully realized show in January. The show looked like most other antiques shows at first glance, with carpeted and walled booths, but the 3D moon photo backdrop at the front of the show and the food trucks in back hinted at the show’s fresh vibe. A magician wandered around the show, delighting showgoers with card tricks and other feats. Chair massages were offered, and there was a “Richmond Loves You” graffiti wall where showgoers could add their mark. To incentivize buyers, Currier also gave out gift certificates. Several dealers wholeheartedly embraced the mood and aesthetics. Bachelor hill antiques (Elkin, N.C.) created a fun booth with pops of color from a pair of wing back chairs, originally made for a Virginia library, that were given new life with a bold blue fabric; a one-door cupboard in rusty-orange paint; and a pair of artworks after Warhol that depicted Marilyn Monroe with colors practically vibrating out of their frames.
Many items were priced reasonably with student or young collectors in mind. A fun collection of classic Remington and Underwood typewriters was seen with Platypus Interiors (Gainesville, Va.), displayed on top of vintage trunks, both of which would be a great addition to a young person’s apartment décor.
bachelor hill antiques, Elkin, N.C.
Dealer Peg Lockwood went home to Zuni, Va., with a lot less to haul. Specializing in Staffordshire figures for four decades, mostly animals, she sold a lot of those at this show but was thrilled to also see success with furniture, paintings, tea caddies and silver. “I sold five pieces of furniture! I haven’t sold five pieces of furniture at a show… I can’t remember if I have ever sold that much,” she exclaimed. “It was an amazingly beautiful show; Kipton is well organized and professional, has youth on her side, and that’s what the business needs. For many years, I did eight to ten shows in Richmond and they are all gone. This is the first show we have had in Richmond in four years. Richmond is an early city with lots of beautiful old homes and people who are collecting. The crowd was amazing; [Currier] brought people in, even with an impending snowstorm, and she brought young people in and they were buying. I usually do well but I haven’t had a show like this in a number of years.”
East Coast Expositions will be back in Richmond for its fall edition September 18-20. For information, www.eastcoastexpo.com.
