Stephen Chambliss, Atlanta
Review and Photos by Tom O’Hara
ATLANTA – Don Scott was thrilled once again to welcome his friends, the dealers exhibiting at the two huge halls on either side of Atlanta’s circumferential interstate, I-285, which on the weekend of October 12-15 were again filled with antiques, collectibles and home décor ready for buyers. Additionally he was welcoming the several thousand shoppers that came for the four-day buying spree at his two buildings, the Atlanta Exposition Centers, North and South, at I-285 and Jonesboro Road.
Don Scott, left, the show owner/promoter, was enjoying a moment with frequent customers Noilani and Don McCain from Grants Pass, Ore.
In its 27-year history, this monthly event has steadily grown with more dealers filling the buildings and outside areas, with continuously larger numbers of shoppers visiting starting on Thursday of the second Saturday weekend of every month of the year. The pattern is convenient so it does not interfere with major holidays, thus keeping the shoppers and dealers free to make the show a regular part of their schedules.
There is a resurgence in the fall with the buyers looking to redecorate and some Northern and Midwestern dealers that skipped the summer months returning. This gives the October show a feeling of beginning again and indeed it was a full house with great sales.
Sharon Green Antiques, Sharon, Conn., was there after skipping three months with a fresh collection of New England and early Colonial period antiques furniture and decorative accessories. The offerings included several painted pieces, a small hutch in pewter blue paint with multicolored and attractive cutout accents, as well as a Maine chest of drawers in red faux grain paint, both from about the second quarter of the Nineteenth Century. Further, there was a Mid-Eighteenth Century corner cupboard, pine in original stained finish, which sold on the second days of the show. The dealer also sold a Flemish brass chandelier dating to about 1700-25 in good condition, and a set of Windsor bowback chairs. Several all handwork quilts sold as well.
Across the aisle, Mr Chippendale’s Best, Larry Thompson, was selling from his collection of contemporary art and furniture. Among this Snellville, Ga., dealer’s sales was a Hepplewhite bowfront chest of three drawers with mixed veneers on oak and chestnut underwoods and likely English, circa 1775-1800.
Richard Purvis, Raleigh, N.C.
Richard Purvis has been doing the show for more years than he remembers, 20 at least, and his collection has changed with the times to keep up with the changes in the demands of the customers. Recently this Raleigh, N.C., dealer has been finding and selling a good deal of later decorative arts in home furnishings with, at this most recent show, an early barber pole in wood, turned with bulbous sections, and a large opaque lighted glass globe on top; also, sets of picnic benches and tables in brightly colored paint and other decorative accessories.
Stephen Chambliss, an Atlanta dealer, has been featuring Nineteenth Century furniture. This month he had an accountant’s rolltop oak desk, in excellent condition with a good tambour and fine finish, as his centerpiece. Behind it was a long church bench, Windsor style, in mixed woods, very good condition; also a collection of porcelain, mostly English and European from the same time period.
Augusta, Ga., dealer Paul Boulus is another one of the regulars in the show, exhibiting for 20 or more years, and he takes as much space as is available on the center row. His collection is always varied, but topical to the decorators demands; for example, this month he found a set of four columns at a Florida estate sale, handcarved and artfully painted with flowering vines. His offerings also included Asian and European furniture from the past 150 years.
Tomberlin Antiques, Macon, Ga.
The English Antiques Company is Tony Gould and his wife, who now live in Jacksonville Beach Fla., but still trade in antiques from his homeland in the United Kingdom. A great deal of their collection are barrister prints from the Victorian era that line the walls of their six booths in the North Building, but they also offer a large assortment of home furnishings, too. This month, for example, there were several leather covered club chairs and ottomans, Biedermeier chests and painted kasten, and even some Art Deco glass and chrome tables.
Vintage House Antiques, Greer, S.C., was showing its collection of furniture in the South Building. Featuring Edwardian reproductions of Duncan Phyfe and Colonial period furniture, the exhibitor, Bob Tuttle, offered all the pieces necessary to fill every room in a house. The centerpiece was the large banquet dining table with dual spider bases and matching server. There were several mahogany chests of drawers, a secretary and much more.
Nearby, Jane Kundra, a Tucker, Ga., dealer, was offering her collection of 200-year-old English earthenware. Carol Bittner, Bittersweet Antiques of Atlanta, sells lots of little things in one small space in the North Building, such as sterling silver ink wells and antique fishing reels.
Town and Country Vintage Linens, Rome Ga., offers fine linens, as the name implies, along with lovely nosegays, small pillows and more.
Judson Baker, Louisville, Ky.
Chelsea Hill Antiques, Hampton, Conn., had returned after the summer hiatus to fill the exhibit spaces with its collection of Jacobean and other very early furniture and fine art.
Alderman Ford Antiques, Columbia, S.C., while doing several Northern shows during the summer, still maintained its commitment with the Scott show, missing only August. Here in October selling inventory included silver hollowware and fine jewelry.
Atlantan Kemp Hickey never misses the show, offering a variety of the latest in home décor, sometimes setting the style. For example, he has found a source for curious objects, which are used in the manufacture of balloons, but when hung on a wall, they prove an interesting eye-catcher and a good seller in his exhibit. He also sells lamps made from many different things, some which might be called Steam Punk objects, as well as others that are conventional from some time in the past.
Randy Cottier of Village Antiques, Auburn, Ala., showed up with great variety, too. This month she was offering painted country furniture from the Nineteenth Century, wood bowls for chopping, fine porcelains dishes and even pedal cars from the 1940s.
Nearby, Jeff Davis, who trades as Heritage Antiques from Macon, Ga., was offering a Nineteenth Century copper wash tub and a 1970s Vespa motor scooter.
Scott Antiques Market has the variety. And it happens every month, on the second weekend. Coming up it will be November 9-12 and December 7-10. Hours are Thursday, 10:45 am to 6 pm; Friday and Saturday, 9 am to 6 pm; and Sunday, 10 am to 4 pm. For further information, www.scottantiquemarkets.com or 740-569-2800.
