My goal is to publish new posts twice a week — Mondays and Thursdays. However, if you don’t see a new post on Thursday, it’s because I was too busy, so please look for a new one the following Monday.
We sold this important Gallé Lake Como vase at the preview party
The Garden, Antique & Design Show at the Chicago Botanic Garden ended yesterday after a 3-day run from April 17-19, 2015. The show was jammed with people every day, starting early and easing up as each day went on. Attendance was much stronger than previous years, partly due to the beautiful weather, but that couldn’t have been the only explanation. This was the first year the Botanic Garden took over management of the show from Stella Show Management. They must have done something right.
The aisles were packed at 1 PM on Friday
The preview party was held on Thursday night. You know I’m not a fan, but this one was mostly tolerable. The guests and dealers were treated equally to unlimited good food and alcohol — a biggie in my book. Some other promoters treat the dealers as second-class citizens. Attendance was excellent, with most people dressed to the nines. One of my best clients came to the preview party and made a major purchase, but I can’t chalk that up to a preview party sale because if they had come the next day, they would have made the same decision. I did however make one additional smaller sale. If the party had ended at 9 PM, instead of 10 PM, it would have been ideal.
We sold this fine Tiffany Studios 16″ Daffodil table lamp at the show
Most of our regular clients came to the show and almost every one of them made a purchase. That was great, but it was also very important to find new clients. Luckily, we did — not many, but enough to make a difference. We had a great show. Tiffany lamps and glass and French glass sold best. A big thank you to each of you who made it happen.
Framont, Greenwich, CT
In asking around, I received the following comments. Bruno Francois, Framont, an art dealer, Greenwich, CT, told me “I did OK. Attendance was good at preview and the guests were interested and engaging. Most of my sales were from the the preview, including some good ones.” Sue Brown, a dealer in quirky jewelry from the past, London, England, was unhappy. “We did poorly. There seemed to be a lack of knowledge and finances. We were very disappointed.” At the other end of the spectrum was Rosemary Schorr & Barry Dobinsky, Schorr & Dobinsky, French garden dealers, Bridgehampton, NY. “Excellent. Super! We nearly sold out. Our best show here in a dozen years.” Sandy Berman, Deluxe, 60s-80s jewelry, objects & furniture dealer, NYC, commented “Business was slightly better than expected.” Virgil Rogers, Only Authentics, handbag dealer, NYC, said “I did OK. Not fantastic, but OK. For a show in the suburbs of Chicago, it was good. They like Chanel more than Hermès”. Ron & Robin Greenwald, Greenwald Antiques, decorative arts dealers, Cleveland, OH, were satisfied. “Our show was OK, twice what we did at the NYC Pier. We sold from furniture to silver to jewelry.” And finally, my neighbor at the show, Zane Moss, Zane Moss Antiques, English furniture & accessories dealer, NYC, told me “We did OK. Sold some furniture, porcelain and paintings. This was our first time here and we were pleasantly surprised.”
We won’t be back to the greater Chicago area until our Winnetka show, November 6-8, 2015. In the meantime, we’ll be traveling in Europe and getting ready for our next show, the Denver World Wide Antique Show, July 24-26, 2015. We’re sure to come up with some goodies, so keep an eye on my site for the latest additions. I’ll always be in touch, so please don’t hesitate to email or call.
Click here to check my website for the latest items and to look around. I always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on my website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. And remember to keep reading my blog.
