No Thursday post this week because this week’s post was postponed to Tuesday. Next Monday’s post will have the results of The Grove Park Inn Arts & Crafts Conference.

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 beautiful Daum Nancy Blackbird vase at the show

The Original Miami Antique Show finished its four-day run yesterday at its new venue, the Miami-Dade County Fair Expo Center. We had a reasonably good show, especially compared to my low expectations. French glass sold best, as usual. In asking around, some dealers did fairly well and others complained bitterly.

Here’s some of the scuttlebutt surrounding the show.

1. Many of the dealers and attendees were satisfied with the new location because of the extensive free parking. You probably remember what a pain parking was in Miami Beach.

2. Many of the heavy hitters who usually attended the show in Miami Beach didn’t attend at this location. There were plenty of people, but fewer qualified buyers among them. That resulted in a lack of electricity that the show had in Miami Beach. It was probably a combination of many things including uncertainty surrounding the new venue. One person told me that Pres. Trump’s travel ban caused some Europeans not to come. (I did notice far fewer Europeans than usual). I wonder if the Zika-carrying mosquitoes affected anyone’s decision. (That’s pure speculation on my part.)

The present state of the Miami Beach Convention Center

An artist’s rendering of the future Miami Beach Convention Center

3. Rumors had been circulating since last year that the show would not be permitted back into the Miami Beach Convention Center after construction is complete. The latest information is that was totally untrue. The show will move back into the Convention Center in January or February, 2019, if the construction is complete. That means only one more year at the Miami-Dade County Fairgrounds. Here’s hoping.

4. Other rumors had it that the Miami-Dade County Fairgrounds was in an awful neighborhood in cow country. Again, totally untrue. It’s in an up and coming neighborhood that is perfectly fine and totally safe.

I recorded a short video of the show including several dealers reactions. They skew to better comments because most of the dealers who did poorly were unwilling to go on camera to say so. Click here to view it.

Today we’re off to the historic and beautiful Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC for the Arts & Crafts Conference this coming weekend. It’s one of our favorite shows of the year, which you will surely enjoy if you make the effort to attend. Hope you can make it.

I’ve been listing on my website many of the new items I’ve recently purchased and I’ll be listing more in the near future. Please check my site as often as you can.

Click here to check my website for the latest items and to look around. I will update it as often as time permits. We’re still very much in business between shows, so please don’t hesitate to email or call. 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.