Good Sales Of Traditional Furniture, Small Accessories
And Early Folk Art Make A Lively Four-Day Weekend
Review and Photos by Tom O’Hara
ATLANTA, GA. — Don Scott was again thrilled to visit with the dealers and shoppers at the two giant buildings along Interstate 285 where he and his staff hosted more than 3,000 dealers with their antiques, décor and early collectibles for the four-day weekend October 8–11. Happening every month of the year on the second Saturday weekend, the show in October usually seems to be the beginning of the new season with a great many dealers from the Northeast and Midwest squeezed into the buildings and some of the outside spaces. These merchants have fresh merchandise collected during their summer travels at sales, auctions, house calls and other out-of-the-way places in the Northeast.
Letha Polk, Mount Pleasant, S.C.
Larry Thompson, for example, is a regular dealer in the North Building here from nearby Stone Mountain, Ga. This summer he was exhibiting at Deerfield, N.H., and Union, Maine, where he added to his inventory a couple of Eighteenth Century farm tables and a dry sink. He sold all of them this weekend along with a bowfront Hepplewhite period chest of drawers in cherry with pine underwood, which he said came from the Carolinas. His sales also included several American paintings from the Nineteenth Century, all landscapes in oil.
Coming from Cape Cod, Mass., Edmond Tessier said he was pleased to have sold his Eighteenth Century American tiger maple highboy. The piece was found in Dennis, Mass., with original brasses, and, priced at $2,995, it sold on the first day of the show. Other sales included some early artwork and an assortment of Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Asian artifacts and furniture.
A folk art collector arrived early Friday and spent the day shopping. Mark, as he is known, was looking for the special additions for his collections and he usually finds something. Early in the afternoon he spotted an eagle weathervane, often referred to as a Peace Eagle or eagle in flight, in gilt, complete with its original standard and directional in the booth of Easter Hill Antiques, Sharon, Conn. Mark is quite the collector; he has been featured on a television show with his collection, but he considers his acquisitions carefully and slowly, so there was no decision Friday. He returned Sunday early in the afternoon and then made the purchase along with some other smalls.
Woody and Nancy Straub, Umatilla, Fla.
Steven Mitchell-Crain, Fort Walton Beach, Fla., enjoyed his time at the show, aside from having to constantly rearrange his collection. Early into the weekend he sold his large backdrop, a landscape mural painting, somewhat primitive, so he then hung a quilt, then sold that, too. His centerpiece was a large, heavy store counter, about 8 feet long, 4 feet tall and needing a couple men to lift it. He sold it, replaced it with a Nineteenth Century maple drop leaf table from New York, then sold that, too. As he went to put the fall front desk into the center of the booth, it sold, but by then it was Sunday so the booth could look sort of empty and that was alright. Sales for the weekend also included several selections from his stoneware collection.
Letha Polk was having similar success. The Mount Pleasant, S.C., dealer was selling from a collection dominated by early Twentieth Century styles and some late Nineteenth Century as well. A pair of iron room dividing screens priced at $695 meant to be covered with fabric or tapestries sold early for her. Among the other pieces in her collection were some relics from the Reed House Hotel of Chattanooga, Tenn., including the ceiling lights with crystals.
Blakely and Blakely, Cherokee, N.C.
Woody and Nancy Straub, Umatilla, Fla., were showing a fresh collection of late Eighteenth Century furniture and art. After finishing their week at the Round Top, Texas, show, they had to race home for more supplies, and then back to Atlanta for the show, which Woody said was going well with furniture sales.
Mulberry Grove Antiques, Johns Creek, Ga., is a regular fixture at the show with a collection of silver flatware and hollowware. The collection is so extensive, many shoppers look to the dealer for pattern matching pieces.
Chuck Rawlings, Bowling Green, Ky., carries American-style furniture, both from early periods and custom quality reproductions from the Twentieth Century. For example, this month he was offering a pair of wing chairs from about 1900 upholstered in a Schumacher fabric and an English sideboard, circa 1840, in chinoiserie.
Turnage Place is an Atlanta business that handles house and estate sales. The firm uses the Scott show as one of its marketing tools in selling the collections, so the offerings can vary greatly. One of the unique items this month was an advertising piece from Rock City, a tourist stop in the mountains near Chattanooga.
Turnage Place, Atlanta, Ga.
American country furniture is what Hunts Antiques was offering. Originally from Pennsylvania and now in nearby Monticello, Ga., Hunts sells primitive and Nineteenth Century country and some early industrial furniture.
The more formal furniture can also be found with many dealers. Butte’s Antiques, Thomasville, N.C., was showing three English tall case clocks side by side. Not far away Athens Classical Antiques, Athens, Ga., had a sold sign on a maple highboy that had a made in America in the Eighteenth Century tag on it.
Kemp Design, Atlanta, works with decorators and homeowners alike on lighting. Kemp Hickey, the owner, has been a specialist in the field for years, selling both new and old table and floor lamps with shades. He also carries a large collection of Midcentury Modern furniture.
Southern Classical Jewelry is based at the Mart in downtown Atlanta with the specialty of trading in only estate jewelry pieces. The values range from the hundreds on up to very big numbers but all are special designs and in as good as new condition.
Mostly Majolica, Alpharetta, Ga.
Scott Antique Market is at Atlanta Expo Center, North and South Buildings, 3650 and 3850 Jonesboro Road, exit 55 from Interstate 285. The show hours opening to the public are Thursday 12:45 pm, Friday and Saturday at 9 am, closing each of those days at 6 pm. Sunday the hours are 10 am to 4 pm. For information, www.scottantiquemarket.com or 740-569-2800.
