When a show is slow, it gives me time to write a contemporaneous account of the activity. Unfortunately, the show is very slow, allowing me the time to write this blog.
Friday, 1 PM. There were about 75 people on line at the opening, but they quickly dissolved into the show space. I had a few serious questions about a bronze and a Tiffany & Co. clock, but no sales as of the moment.
Friday, 7 PM. The show was dreadfully slow today, but we did manage to make one sale of a lovely Gallé box. I spent most of the day sending photographs of items in the show to my best clients. At least I was successful making sales there.
Saturday, 1 PM. The show has been just as slow today as yesterday. No serious inquiries and no sales as of this moment.
Saturday, 7 PM. The day has been fairly tortuous. Very few people and no sales. What a difference from last year, when attendance, interest and sales were significantly better. Just hope that Sunday will be better or this show will end up a disaster.
Sunday, 1 PM. Why the show opened at 11 AM is beyond me. No one comes to a show on Sunday morning. You could have bowled in the aisles it was so empty.
I did have one serious inquiry recently. Got my fingers crossed it will lead to a sale.
Sunday, 6 PM. The show is closed. Our serious inquiry led to a sale, so we had only two sales for the entire show. Since one was an important Tiffany Studios Aquamarine vase, the show was a financial success, but it certainly felt like a failure. It’s no fun sitting at a show for three days, open 23 hours to the public, and twiddling my thumbs most of the time because so few people attended.
Next year the Miami show schedule will be turned on its head. The Original Miami Beach Antique Show will be held January 5-9, 2020, Sunday-Thursday, with a possible opening at 3 PM on Saturday. Personally I think that’s terrible. We would need a full day open to the public on Saturday, the same as this year. The show is also going back to five days, from four presently.
The Miami Airport Show is scheduled for three weeks later. That means that we have to set up the Miami Beach show just after New Year’s and then wait around for three weeks until the Airport show. That will be very difficult. I’ll keep you posted if anything changes.
