Brenda Foley filled this table was filled with antique and vintage English and French kitchenware, like the corner cupboard seen at the center, which sold early on during the show. My Vintage VT Cottage, East Orleans, Mass.
Review & Onsite Photos by Carly Timpson
ORLEANS, MASS. — The Cape Cod Antique Dealers Association’s (CCADA) 56th Annual Summer Antique Show in Orleans was held outdoors on Saturday, August 1, on the front lawn of Nauset Middle School, where all passersby could be drawn in if they were not already following the signs that decorated the small town.
“We had a steady gate all day and about equaled the Falmouth show and Orleans shows of the past,” reported CCADA president Carl Goveia, who is also the owner of Nauset Antiques. “I, personally, had my best show ever at this Orleans venue. Most dealers did extremely well and the feedback from them was very positive. The visitors were very complimentary on the quality of antiques and the friendliness of our dealers. There seemed to be a good mix of nautical items and non-nautical items.”
Alan Herman of Whaling Days Antiques was having a great day from the time the gates opened. “This is one of the best Cape Cod shows,” he said. “People wait all year for it, and dealers have stuff you just don’t see elsewhere.” One of the more interesting things he brought with him, which definitely conformed to his assessment about the show, was a lobster weathervane on a cupola. He noted that people usually see cows or chickens, but even those with nautical themes favor sailboats and fish. His large red lobster certainly had a bit of extra whimsy to it.
This lobster weathervane on a cupola was an unusual form. Alan Herman, Whaling Days Antiques.
That whimsical flair could be found with several dealers, whether it was the figural butcher’s shop trade sign with McGrory Antiques, lobster-form napkin rings with Edward & Charlene Dixon, folky carvings with Barnacle Betty or the nautical potholders from Vintage Lady Linens, duly embroidered “S.S. Pots” and “S.S. Pans.”
Nancy Mayer, who is Vintage Lady Linens, brought her usual vintage and antique linens to dress the table or the bedroom. Aside from the charming potholders that each featured a white dog in a life preserver, Mayer said that she had sold all of her nautical items already, only about an hour into the show. These included a quilt and a printed tablecloth. However, when we caught up with her, Mayer was eager to show us her favorite pieces, which were still in her booth. These were a set of two Belgian bobbin lace pillow shams with delicate portraits at the center.
In the booth across the way was Carolann Burke, who also featured textiles among an array of decorative objects. The array spanned from shining Midcentury silver to shellwork-framed mirrors to a reproduction bust of Louise Brongniart after the 1777 marble original by Jean-Antoine Houdon. Some of Burke’s textiles that stood out were Indonesian pillowcases, Persian woodblock-printed pieces and fine lace napkins.
Beneath a bust of Louise Brongniart, this circa 1970s John Prip for Reed and Barton silver plate tea and coffee service in the Denmark pattern was a shining example on offer with Carolann Burke Antiques (Quincy, Mass.), who shows at Acushnet River Antiques in New Bedford, Mass.
As to be expected at a seaside show, many of the dealers brought maritime and nautical items. No more than a half hour into the show, James Buchanan, who is Cottage Couture, had a solid selection of majolica, including several featuring lobsters and crabs, which he said are especially popular at Cape Cod shows. It was no more than a half hour into the show that we asked about his offerings, and he commented, “I do a lot of shopping, so I get them from all over. But I sold the best ones already!” In addition to the array of pottery, Buchanan had decoys, architectural elements, furniture, garden items and even a basket of shells.
When we stopped by Goveia’s booth, he echoed the sentiments of Buchanan, saying “It has been the best first hour ever. Right out the gate today, people were buying.” Some of the pieces contributing to this early success included a “really old, hard-to-find” sign that read “Don’t Cut Fish on the Dock.” He also sold a neat lantern, a pair of candelabra, a windmill whirligig and what he described as a “giant” pewter platter.
Another platter that found a new home was a turkey platter that was with Cummaquid Farm Antiques, and owner Pat Anderson described her example as “giant” as well. She also recorded sales of botanicals, colorful cake platters and baskets. Still on view and drawing great interest were several glass cake pedestals by makers such as Wexford, McKee and Imperial Glass. While most of the examples in her booth were clear or crystal glass, she had a vibrant emerald green stand that was drawing much attention as well as one in amber and another in cornflower blue. Of course, like any good host would, Anderson had all the right serving utensils nearby for easy access.
Pat Anderson of Cummaquid Farm Antiques brought a selection of cake pedestals, including the circa 1950 emerald green Wexford example (bottom left), which she said was especially rare to find in that color. Cummaquid, Mass.
Kitchen items were also a hit with Brenda Foley and My Vintage VT Cottage. When asked what was selling, Foley replied, “antique and vintage English kitchenware, which is most of what I carry. And garden stuff, that’s going too!” Though English pieces were finding new homes early, some other items on her shelves were German and French as well. From a decorative hanging ceramic flour box to a primitive iron candlestick or a vintage Buzza motto print featuring a Scottie dog to wooden butter molds, Foley had something functional and beautiful for your vintage — or contemporary — cottage.
Dolores Gilbert had a range of antiques that she described as “Things to live with; things to love.” Items typical to see with CCADA members included a wooden model of a three-masted ship called “Eagle,” a carved Canadian goose by Lyme, Conn., artist Les Cone, a primitive cutting board painted with a sailboat and several coastal paintings. However, it was hard not to notice the spattering of cameras spaced between her antiques. These included the circa 1915-20s Kodak No. 2 Folding Autographic Brownie, multiple 35mm models like the 1950s folding Kodak Retina and cine cameras like the Bolex Paillard B8L double 8mm. Only an hour into the show, Gilbert said, “It has gone well. I could go home now!”
Across from Gilbert was Michele Kittila who also had several gaps and “sold” tags throughout her booth, which had mostly garden antiques. Items she sold included plant stands, garden benches, a hooked rug and a Fire King sprinkler. “I’m happy too,” she reported, “I won’t have to pack it all up!”
Goveia added in closing, “CCADA will be holding its third and final 2026 show on Sunday, October 25th, from 10 am to 3 pm. This will be our first show at The Jones River Trading Post, 42 Elm Street in Kingston, Mass. We already have over 22 dealers signed up.”
For information, www.ccada.com.
