Status Symbol Antiques, Lynchburg, Va.
Review and Photos by Tom O’Hara
ATLANTA – A lightning strike to the air-conditioning in one of the two giant buildings at the Scott Antique Market for the September 12-15 weekend during a late summer heat wave had little effect on the weekend shopping. Thursday was hot in the North Building, but shoppers returned in earnest Friday and resumed perusing the selections and buying for the balance of the weekend, starting the Scott Market fall season off as a successful sale for the majority of the exhibiting dealers. The South Building was not affected, and because the show is so large and diverse, many shoppers needed to make only a slight alteration to their shopping pattern on the first day.
Len Harmon Antiques, Vilas, N.C., said he was having a good time in the South Building, with his collection getting a great deal of attention. He has been there for more than 20 years, so he has a following with collectors of the fine porcelain and silver he offers.
Across the aisle, Jerry Stinnett of Status Symbol Antiques, Lynchburg, Va., had nearly the same comments. He has also been there for nearly 20 years but offers a selection of Georgian and American Federal period furniture. “Sales have been good – sold several pieces, including a chest and a desk so far, and the show isn’t over yet,” he said on Saturday morning. He also sold a variety of accessories.
Jane Kundra is a local dealer who trades in Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century dishes and early quilts. She finds her collection near home in Tucker, Ga., and trades primarily at this show each month where she has become well-known.
Another local dealer at the show is Antoinette Jordan of Jordan Gray Designs of Decatur, Ga. Her style is somewhat eclectic, with a great deal of color, and she is also into the midcentury look. Her collection was filled with pieces ready for the young, upwardly mobile people who would be looking for accessories.
Belinda Walker, Columbus, Ga.
Electric Art of Thomasville, N.C., is not steampunk, according to the artist and exhibitor, John Hofmann. This North Carolina fellow said he is only converting non-functional objects into functional decorative lighting.
Jeffrey Butler, Charlotte, N.C., likes traditional furniture and art and, he said, so do his customers. By the middle of the weekend, he had several sold tags on furniture, including one on a large cabinet and on one of the better paintings.
Over at the North Building, the dealers were continuing their sales despite the first day’s heat.
The Lamp Shoppe, a featured exhibitor in the North Building for many years also has a retail store in downtown Atlanta and was showing one of their specialties: English stoneware water filters from the Nineteenth Century converted into table lamps. Steven Cobb, the principal of this business, said these are very popular, with his biggest problem being finding the supply of stoneware.
Antique-looking furniture made in the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Century has become increasingly more popular at Scott Market. Ed Hopkins of A List Antiques, Santa Rosa Beach, Fla., features these styles in the leather club chairs, painted wood furniture and associated accessories he offers.
Kemp Hickey, Atlanta, has a later aesthetic, with most of the furnishings in his collection being Midcentury Modern. His selection of midcentury abstract art saw several sales as well.
However, many dealers are traditionalists and bring period antiques to the show.
Thomas Hoke, Thomas Hoke Art and Antiques, Salisbury, N.C., fills his booth with English and American furniture dating from roughly 1700 to about 1850. This month, his collection also included a wonderful large oil on canvas of gentlemen at a country ale house, likely European and circa 1800.
James Young, Wilmington, N.C.
Sharon Green Antiques, Sharon, Conn., focused on the same time period as Hoke, but this month had Georgian Period furniture and sold several pieces. American hand-stitched quilts were also popular from this exhibitor.
Also from Atlanta, Tennyson Antiques specializes in 200-year-old dishes. They only concentrate on dishes but have examples of Staffordshire, transferware, creamware, pearlware and much more.
Southern Classic Jewelry is a regular presence at the show, with their collection at the market ten times each year. The three partners in the business – Tom and Lynn Waldon and Brenda Heath – have been there for more than 20 years with a collection of estate jewelry second to none, offering prices suitable for almost any budget. One of the most interesting pieces this month was worn by Brenda, a Victorian-era cameo with 14K gold bezel, then remounted on a large sterling buckle, which probably was used by a lady on a sash or scarf.
This is the 27th year for Scott Antique Markets. The September market always has the feel of a new season, with many of the Northern dealers returning after from time away to fill the two enormous buildings with their collections. Shoppers return to build their collections and inventories or to redecorate their homes.
The Scott Antique Markets in Columbus, Ohio, will begin Thanksgiving weekend, November 29-30 and December 1 and will continue monthly through March.
The market takes place on the second weekend of each month, opening on Thursday at 10 am. The market is open 9 am to 6 pm on Friday and Saturday and 10 am to 4 pm on Sunday.
The Scott Antique Market is located at 3650 Jonesboro Road, in the Atlanta Expo North and South buildings just off I-285. For more information, 740-569-2800 or www.scottantiquemarket.com.
