On the Trail with Tom O’Hara Howdy Folks! This is now just about Thanksgiving and the shows for the year are quieting down soon, but not yet, as we are exhibiting every week and covering lots more shows and auctions. And while the dealers I meet admit sales are not what they may have been 10 or 20 years ago, they are sufficient enough to make a good living. There are buyers out there for the right stuff: Antiques with legitimate histories ready for the customers to use without hesitation. So while dealers are not selling furniture in the quantities of past years, customers will reward themselves with special fine objects to add to their collections. This last weekend at the Antiques at The Piers in New York City, run by Stella Show Management, sales were generally good with some dealers selling very well. In many cases, the objects were special things which buyers wanted for themselves such as these sales experienced by me: A couple from Sitka, Alaska bought an apothecary for about $850 which had a shipping bill of nearly $200 as a gift to themselves for their wedding anniversary; a single gentleman really loved two oil on canvas still-life paintings the first day, came back the second and bought them; a couple added to their collection of dishes with a modest small serving piece; and a lady treated herself to an oversize pin cushion. In each case, the sale was very slow in happening - they saw the item, studied it more, walked away, then came back later that day or the next and finally bought it. Another positive sign is that they public is returning to the shows. The Piers show Nov. 14 had more than 1,000 waiting for the 10 a.m. entry; in Nashville a couple weeks earlier both shows had from 700 to 900 waiting at the opening bell. a fun atmosphere for the buyers and sellers. Halloween was on the weekend so some dealers got into the program with period dress or in costume. This fun attitude did help lighten the evening and probably assisted in sales. The Oberg’s Richmond House Antiques, Ashford, Conn., were in period dress for their Colonial Era room setting which included the wall of a seventeenth century house and furniture to correspond with it. The wall sold along with a good deal of their furniture. Country Mouse City Mouse of Cincinnati, Ohio was offering fine English period antique furniture and lots of accessories which sold well. Georgia Morel of New Roads, La. was offering a combination of styles from French Provencal through Art Deco, modern and even some industrial lighting. She and her husband Buddy practically sold out. Returning to shows after a four-year absence was Brenda Daniel, now living in Athens, Ala., and offering early Americana in original paint decoration. The Tailgate Antiques Show opened Friday morning with great crowds. Schoolhouse Antiques, Kirkwood, Mo., was selling small antiques including carved birds and early lighting. Dawn and Rick Mabry were offering their collection of painted furniture and accessories but also a fresh supply of Native The Pier Show has great variety in the exhibitors and their collections, here showing Al Conti’s Vintage Matters where there looks to be something for everyone. American jewelry. The Raleigh, N.C. dealers were just returning from a recent buying trip in New Mexico. Nashville for the Jenkins and their dealers has been a popular venue for Americana and early American antiques for many years, but the location across the street from Opryland USA had been problematic. To alleviate that problem, Jenkins moved to Tennessee State Fairgrounds last October. Recently Nashville Metro, the local government, which is the owner of the site, decided to close the site in order to redevelop it into more intense commercial use with more jobs and much higher tax revenue. This change has been causing considerable consternation among dealers and shoppers alike. Jenkins Show Management has been working tirelessly to move their show by the Nashville Since our last meeting on the pages of Northeast Antiques, we went to Nashville for the Jenkins Management shows Music Valley Antiques Show and The Tailgate Antiques Show Oct. 29-31. Held for a year now at Tennessee State Fairgrounds, these two shows, which are held twice a year, have a loyal audience of antiques shoppers who buy for their inventories and for themselves. This most recent edition had about 100 dealers in Music Valley and 115 dealers in Tailgate. Music Valley opened Thursday evening with cocktail snacks and cash bars, creating Don and Marta Orwig, Corunna, Ind., have been regulars at Jenkins Nashville shows for many years, shown here with their exhibit at the Tailgate Antiques Show. Robert Perry, Orchard Park, N.Y., was showing his Americana collection at the November Pier Show. T. J. Antorino, Oyster Bay, N.Y., has been offering more modern and 20th century recently to accommodate the customer demand. Shown here is his exhibit at the November Pier Show. Page 28, Northeast Antiques, December 2009 www.northeastantiques.com