The National Arts & Crafts Conference opens today in Asheville, NC, February 20, 2015

Posted on February 20, 2015 by Philip Chasen

The blog schedule will return to normal this Monday with the results of the Grove Park Inn Arts & Crafts Conference in Asheville.

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.

The temperature was -3 on Thursday morning

The National Arts & Crafts Conference will open today, February 20, 2015, in Asheville, NC. We only had one day to set up, instead of the usual two, because the Palm Beach show ended on Tuesday and the Asheville show started setting up on Wednesday. We missed Wednesday’s setup because of the long drive, but we worked diligently and made it happen.

We were about half finished at this point

The show is heaven for Arts & Crafts enthusiasts. It includes outstanding dealers specializing in lighting, pottery, art, and furniture. The ballroom is filled with antique dealers, while the outer hallways are filled with reproduction arts & crafts. It’s a great mix.

Arnie Small has an amazing display of American Art pottery

The show opens today at 1 PM and closes on Sunday at 4 PM. You’ll love the show, so try to make it!

After working hard at five shows in a row, we get to slow down for a little while until our next show, the NYC Pier Antique Show, March 28-29, 2015. I can see St. Maarten in our near future. 🙂

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.

The results of the Palm Beach Jewelry, Art & Antique Show, February 13-17, 2015

Posted on February 18, 2015 by Philip Chasen

The blog schedule will be modified for a while because the Florida shows started and ended on unusual days. The next post will be this coming Friday, February 20th, from the floor of the Grove Park Inn Arts & Crafts Conference in Asheville.

There was a decent opening crowd on Saturday morning

The Palm Beach Jewelry, Art & Antique Show ended yesterday after a 5-day run from February 13-17, 2015. Attendance was decent, but below the levels of some previous years, when it was difficult to walk down the crowded aisles. Sunday was the busiest day, but business was not in line with the number of inquiries. It was amazing how many times we heard “We’ll think about it.” or “We’ll see you later. (or tomorrow)”. We gave out so many business cards that we ran out. I’m sure there is a relationship between the business cards distributed and the show results. More cards = worse show. The real purpose of a business card should be to get in contact with a dealer. Too many people use them as a “polite” way of excusing themselves from making a decision. I would much rather deal with a no decision on the spot.

We sold this lovely Daum blownout scenic vase at the show

Personally our show was quite mediocre. French glass sold well again while English furniture (not mine) fared poorly. We answered so many questions from knowledgeable, bona fide clients that it could easily have gone better, but it wasn’t our turn this year. We did much better last year. Next year the show is getting longer and the booth rent is going up, so we’re on the fence as to whether we’ll return. We won’t make that decision yet.

I like to get comments from dealers I know, but amazingly I didn’t personally know many of the dealers at this show. Consequently I solicited only a few comments. Lloyd Macklowe, Macklowe Gallery, New York City, a dealer in Art Nouveau decorative arts and jewelry, told me “We had an excellent show. Well attended. We were very happy.” David Lowenherz, Lion Heart Autographs, New York City, a dealer in autographs, was pleased as well. “I did very well. Very good turnout. Very interested and curious customers in a super elegant setting.” Michael and Ewa Cohen, Cohen & Cohen, London, England, dealers in Chinese export porcelain and works of art, were not pleased. “It wasn’t a disaster, but it wasn’t great. We were disappointed. Last year we had the best show ever and this year we didn’t see those same clients. We’ll be back. It’s still a show with great potential.” Bill Rau, Rau Antiques, New Orleans, LA, dealer in high-end quality items, told me “We sold a couple of very nice paintings and a lot of objects and nice jewelry. Traffic was very good. There was a lot of strong competition. I was 6.5/10 pleased.” Two dealers refused comment.

This week we’ll be in Asheville, NC, for the National Arts & Crafts Conference. It’s a beautiful show in an amazing 1910 historic hotel. The focus is Arts & Crafts, both antique and new. It’s a very pleasant show that we enjoy doing. Attendees fly in from all over the US.

The Palm Beach Jewelry, Art & Antique Show opens today, February 14, 2015

Posted on February 14, 2015 by Philip Chasen

The blog schedule will be modified for a while because the Florida shows are starting and ending on unusual days. The next post will be this coming Wednesday, February 18th, with the results of the Palm Beach Jewelry, Art & Antique Show.

6:10 PM Friday, looking down my aisle. That’s my booth on the right.

It’s Friday afternoon, February 13th, as I write this post. We’ve had to be open to “special” guests for the last four hours. It was a bad idea. There were very few people walking around, with even fewer questions and certainly no sales. The show is long enough. Why extend it unnecessarily? It’s bad enough we’ll have to suffer through another preview party this evening. It’s my opinion that today’s activities will suck some of the oxygen out of the actual show. When the crowd is big and active, it creates excitement and electricity. Sales turn thinkers into buyers. Save the oxygen for the show.

8 PM, Friday night, in front of my booth

9:30 PM UPDATE: There was a nice crowd for the preview party, which included decent interest from prospective buyers. We even made one small sale, which hasn’t been paid for yet, but I’m optimistic will be shortly. I still prefer shows with no preview party, but I haven’t been able to convince any promoters yet.

If you read this post on Saturday, the show will open to the public today at 11 AM. It will run until Tuesday, February 17th, at 6 PM. If you want to see a classy show, with really great exhibitors, make it your business to come. It will be well worth the trip. You’ve got my word.

Next week we’ll be in Asheville, NC, for the National Arts & Crafts Conference. It’s a beautiful show in an amazing 1910 historic hotel. The focus is Arts & Crafts, both antique and new. It’s a very pleasant show that we enjoy doing. Attendees fly in from all over the US.

The results of the Naples Art, Antique and Jewelry Show, February 6-9, 2015

Posted on February 10, 2015 by Philip Chasen

The blog schedule will be modified for a while because the Florida shows are starting and ending on unusual days. The next post will be this coming Saturday, February 14th, from the floor of the Palm Beach Jewelry, Art & Antique Show.

There were only a handful of people on line at the opening on Friday morning

Yesterday, February 9, 2015, the Naples Art, Antique and Jewelry Show finished its 4-day run. I had high hopes it would turn out well, but it wasn’t to be. We made a few sales, which didn’t cover our costs, so our experiment with this show failed. We took a loss. The attendees were pleasant, inquisitive, and frequently naive. How’s this? “Are you here to represent the Morse Museum?” or “Did you make these lamps?” Additionally, too few of them were serious buyers. Next year we’ll go back to our routine of taking a week’s vacation in the middle of our Florida show season.

Sunday afternoon in front of our booth

Sunday evening the show promoters held a lovely, unexpected cocktail party for the dealers. The hors d’oeuvres and drinks were delicious and plentiful, but the timing didn’t make sense to me. It would have been great to hold this party for the dealers just prior to the preview party for the public. Maybe at another show. Regardless, it was a very nice gesture.

We sold this fine Daum padded and wheel-carved vase at the show

I asked only a few dealers to comment on the show. William Isen, of The Great Dane Collection, Philadelphia, PA, art dealer, told me “The show was fair. A lot of people looking, but the real buyers bought.” Ali Karimi, Persian Galleries, Naples, FL, rug dealer, was more enthusiastic. “Good. We got the customers from the show to come to our gallery. Mostly they wanted silk and old Persian rugs.” And finally Virgil Rogers, Only Authentics, New York, NY, handbag dealer, commented “The sales were comparable to the last four years. I’m satisfied. I’ll be back next year.”

This week we’ll be in West Palm Beach, Florida for the Palm Beach Jewelry, Art & Antique Show, opening on Saturday, February 14th. It will be our 5th time there. We did well last year, so we’re hopeful this year will be good too.

The Naples Art, Antique and Jewelry Show opens today, February 6, 2015

Posted on February 6, 2015 by Philip Chasen

The blog schedule will be modified for a while because the Florida shows are starting and ending on unusual days. The next post will be this coming Tuesday, February 10th, with the results of the Naples Art, Antique & Jewelry Show.

That’s Lia (back left) helping some clients at the preview party

I’m writing this post on Thursday evening, February 5th, during the preview party. As many of you know, I’m not fond of them, but I tolerate them better when the dealers are treated well and plied with food and drink. There are a few hors d’oeuvres being served, but we decided we’re better off with our own food and wine (Cheesecake Factory and Markham Cabernet). There are lots of questions, but as usual at preview parties, no sales.

If you read this post on Friday, February 6th, the show will open to the public at 10 AM today and continue until Monday, February 9th, at 5 PM. We visited the show last year and liked what we saw, so we’re giving the show a chance this year. If we do well, we’ll be back next year. If not, we’re gone.

naples-show-2-2015(3) The show is held in a huge tent, with white carpeting and air conditioning — quite comfortable. I’m guessing there are 75-100 high-quality dealers, with no junk. The emphasis at the show is paintings and jewelry, with enough other merchandise to make it interesting. If you’re anywhere in the area, I suggest you come and visit. I think you’ll be pleased.

Next week we’ll be in West Palm Beach, Florida for the Palm Beach Jewelry, Art & Antique Show. It will be our 4th or 5th time there. Tiffany lamps sold well last year, so we’re hopeful this year will be good too.

The results of the Original Miami Beach Antique Show, January 30 – February 3, 2015

Posted on February 4, 2015 by Philip Chasen

The opening day crowd was huge with almost 1000 people on line

Yesterday, February 3, 2015, the Original Miami Beach Antique Show finished its 5-day run. The crowds were smaller than usual, but included many serious buyers. (At least that’s the way I perceived it.) Most dealers I spoke to did well, but there were some disappointments.

There were lots of sold stickers at Best of France

Following are comments from dealers I know personally. It is not a representative cross-section of the dealers at the show. Jack Papadinis, Jack Pap Antiques, West Simsbury, CT, a dealer in 20th Century lighting & decorative accessories, commented “Overall it was a quieter pre-show and show, compared to last year. I sold more expensive items pre-show to other dealers. The crowd was somewhat lackluster, however several customers made the show profitable.” Butler & Butler, Sarasota, FL, 19th Century general dealers, were quite enthusiastic. “It was one of our best Miami Beach shows. We restocked our stand several times.” Ron Greenwald, Greenwald Antiques, Cleveland, OH, general dealers, was equally ebullient. “Strong. The energy was great. Saw old and new customers. We sold up to the last minute.” Xavier Eury, Nancy, France, French cameo glass dealer, was pleased. “My show was pretty good. Most of my clients were South American.” Dean Lowry, Dean Lowry Antiques, Gulfport, FL, lamp dealer, told me “It was a good show. Traffic was down, but we picked up several new clients. Business was down from last year, but we were still satisfied.” Jack Ophir, Ophir Antiques, Englewood, NJ, 20th Century decorative arts dealer, remarked “We had a very nice show. We sold good Art Nouveau lamps and objects, including a Loie Fuller lamp by Raoul Larche and an important vase by Camille Fauré.” Bill Holland, hollandarts.com, West Chester, PA, dealing in the works of Louis Icart and Louis Tiffany, commented “Quality items sold. Low-end items not as much. I did about the same as last year. I was happy with the show.” Rick Kaplan, Rick & Robert Kaplan Antiques, Palm Springs, CA, general dealers, seemed pleased. “We did well — pretty much the same as last year, which was good.” And lastly Larry Zinzi, Lawrence J. Zinzi Antiques, Bronx, NY, general dealer specializing in the works of Louis Tiffany, was disappointed. “It was fair. Europeans didn’t show because the euro was weak. The Tiffany market is still good. I sold four lamps, but business was down from last year.”

We sold this lovely Gallé table lamp at the show

Personally I feel like I’ve died and gone to heaven. After a fabulous show at the Miami National (Airport) Show last week, we did very well at this show — much better than last year. Business to the general public was better than last week, but sales to my private clients was down. French cameo glass continued on fiyah! (that’s fire for those who need translation). I cannot think of another show, ever, where more cameo glass was sold, not just by me, but by all the dealers.

Next year the show returns to its usual starting day of Thursday and that’s a good thing. The show will move to the Washington Ave. side of the building, halls A & B, while renovations are underway to the west side of the building. I suggest to you dealers who missed the Miami Airport Show the week before that you reconsider for next year. There were a lot of smiling faces at the end of that one.

This week we’ll be in Naples, Florida for the Naples Art, Antique & Jewelry Show. It will be our first time there and we’re expecting good things (especially after the good business in Miami). We visited last year and were pleased with what we saw, so we decided to give it a shot this year. If we do well, we’ll be back next year. If not, we’ll vacation, as we’ve done in the past.

The Original Miami Beach Antique Show begins today, January 30, 2015

Posted on January 30, 2015 by Philip Chasen

The blog schedule will be modified for a while because the Miami shows are starting and ending on unusual days. The next post will be this coming Wednesday, February 4th, with the results of the Original Miami Beach Antique Show.

The Original Miami Beach Antique Show set up the last couple of days and will open to the public today, January 30, 2015, at noon, and will continue until next Tuesday, February 3rd, at 6 PM. I’m expecting good things this year, so tune in this coming Wednesday to see if I’m right.

My booth was 90% set up yesterday

Setup was unusual, to say the least. Hall C exhibitors were allowed to set up beginning early Wednesday morning. Hall D exhibitors were allowed to set up from 3 PM until midnight, but were allowed to shop Hall C before 3 PM. Some interesting consequences occurred as a result. Hall C exhibitors had 16 hours to set up, but were busy for the first 8 hours. Hall D exhibitors had 16 hours to shop, but only 8 hours to set up. So if shopping from other dealers was more important, Hall D exhibitors benefitted. If total hours setting up was more important, Hall C dealers benefitted. Hopefully next year, setup will return to normal and all dealers will be able to set up simultaneously.

Lawrence J. Zinzi Antiques

I was able to buy some very fine objects from other dealers, some of which I already sold. I’ve got so many great items for sale, I encourage you to stop by and see for yourself. There’s no doubt you’ll be pleased. The entire show is absolutely fantastic. Where else can you see so much great merchandise from all over the world under one roof?

naples-show-2-2015 Next week we’ll be in Naples, Florida for the Naples Art, Antique & Jewelry Show. It will be our first time there and we’re expecting good things. We visited last year and were pleased with what we saw, so we decided to give it a shot this year. If we do well, we’ll be back next year. If not, we’ll vacation, as we’ve done in the past.

The results of the Miami National Antique Show, January 24-26, 2015

Posted on January 27, 2015 by Philip Chasen

The blog schedule will be modified for a while because the Miami shows are starting and ending on unusual days. The next post will be this Friday from the floor of the Miami Beach Convention Center. That will be followed by a results post on Wednesday, February 4th.

The Miami National Antique show ended its three-day run yesterday, January 26th. It’s smaller and leaner, but still a fine show. I’ve exhibited at shows all around the country and this one puts many of them to shame.

Ouch! That smarts.

Unfortunately setup on Friday didn’t go smoothly for one dealer. The bracket on the top shelf gave way, causing all of the French glass to slide off and smash to the ground, as well as take out a Gallé lamp on the way down. It was major, uninsured, six-figure damage that the dealer took with a fair degree of equanimity. I felt really bad for him. If it had been me, I would have been a basket case.

Saturday afternoon in front of my booth

Attendance on Saturday was quite good, in part because it was both the opening day of the show and the weekend. There was plenty of interest and questions, but no sales.

We sold this Tiffany Linenfold floor lamp at the show

Attendance on Sunday was much lighter, but business was much better, which proves it’s the quality of the buyers that counts, not the quantity.

I sold this important Argy-Rousseau pâte-de-verre vase at the show

Monday was a joke. Almost no attendance and, of course, no sales to the public (but some sales to dealers on the show floor). It would have been nice to have a day off. Many shows have switched to two days, Saturday and Sunday, and that’s what I suggest for this show. Everyone will be happier, including show management. I did manage to buy out the French glass collection of one of the dealers on the floor of the show. He raised some capital and I got some nice glass.

In asking around I got the following comments from a few dealers. Dave Crockett of Artifacts Antiques, Palm City, FL, a general dealer, commented “Did well. Wished it had been a larger crowd.” Joey Schwartz of Steve’s Antiques, Tiburon, CA, a dealer in 19th Century decorative arts, told me “Good. We did better than last year. We’ll definitely be back.” Robin and Ron Greenwald of Greenwald Antiques, Cleveland, OH, general dealers, were also enthusiastic. “We had a good show, in fact, we were thrilled. We are looking forward to many years of this show.” The general consensus of the dealers was overwhelmingly positive.

Personally this was the best show of my life. Let me repeat. Best show. Ever. I wish it were due to the huge crowds and their voracious appetites, but alas, it wasn’t. I did make two sales to the public — one important and one moderate. Most of my sales were to private clients who I emailed photos of items I found at the show. They were most enthusiastic and I was most grateful. Thank you. You know who you are. French glass, in particular, was on fire.

This Friday, January 30th, the eagerly anticipated Original Miami Beach Antique Show will open to the public. After all these years, it’s still a big deal. Dealers and attendees from all over the world flock there to do business. I imagine the total value of the merchandise on display to be at least $1 billion. At a 10% sell-through rate, that’s $100 million in sales — not a bad piece of change.

Setting up at the Miami National Antique Show, January 22, 2015

Posted on January 23, 2015 by Philip Chasen

Monday’s blog will be postponed until Tuesday so I can include the results of this show, which ends on Monday.

We’re just starting to set up our booth

We started setting up the Miami National Antique Show yesterday, but a few of the dealers started on Wednesday. Even though the show is smaller, I was impressed by the quality of the remaining dealers, including top-notch dealers like Toulouse Antique Gallery and Valerio Antiques.

The free lunch was very good

Kudos to the management for providing free lunch to the dealers. It’s nice to be appreciated. This was never done before at this show.

Toulouse Antique Gallery

Dealers prowled the floor buying from each other. I was lucky to be able to find some very desirable items, which I’ll have for sale at the show.

Valerio Antiques

The show opens to the public tomorrow, Saturday, at noon, and will stay open until Monday at 5 PM. If enough dealers do well, there will be another show next year. We’ve exhibited at this show for decades and would be sad if it were to fail. Do your part by visiting the show and consider making a purchase.

Tune in Tuesday for the results.

Next Friday, January 30th, the eagerly anticipated Original Miami Beach Antique Show will open to the public. After all these years, it’s still a big deal. Dealers and attendees from all over the world flock there to do business. I imagine the total value of the merchandise on display is at least $1 billion. At a 10% sell-through rate, that’s $100 million in sales — not a bad piece of change.

The Miami National Antique Show will open this Saturday, January 24, 2015

Posted on January 19, 2015 by Philip Chasen

Thursday’s blog will be delayed until Friday because I will be writing from the floor of the Miami National Antique Show. Monday’s blog will be postponed until Tuesday so I can include the results of the show, which ends on Monday.

I missed the last couple of Thursday posts because I was really busy getting ready for Florida. There’s a lot of work involved in cleaning, rewiring, inventorying, pricing and packing a large inventory for shipment by truck. We’re going to be doing five shows in a row, so we had to think of everything. In the meantime, business has been good, so we also had to spend a fair amount of time packing items for shipment. I assure you I am not complaining, only explaining the time pressure.

This lovely 18″ Tiffany Belted Dogwood lamp is one of many Tiffany lamps we’ll have on display

So the Florida shows are finally upon us. As I write this blog in cold New York, it seems surreal to me that we’ll be in sunny, warm Miami this Wednesday, and open to the public for business this Saturday at the Miami National Antique Show (The Airport show). The dates are all screwed up this year, with the show opening on Saturday. Of course, that angered observant Jewish dealers who won’t do business on Saturday and confused just about everybody else. I think the boat show at the Miami Beach Convention Center was the culprit. Its dates were considered more important by the city of Miami Beach, so it took precedence over the antique show, which was bumped to start on Friday, January 30, 2015, instead of the usual Thursday start. That in turn caused the Airport show to start a day later. Got it?

A previous year at the Miami National Antique Show

The Airport show will be a little smaller this year, but still full of very high-end dealers, most of whom will be exhibiting at the Original Miami Beach Antique Show the following week. If you take the time to come to Miami a few days early, you can get first crack at all of this merchandise. Seems like a no-brainer to me, yet many people haven’t taken advantage of the opportunity. You could visit the Airport show first and then have a few days to soak up the sun and enjoy the great restaurants. Seems like a “win-win” situation to me. So what are you waiting for? Make your arrangements now, if you haven’t done so already.

The following week the eagerly anticipated Original Miami Beach Antique Show will open to the public. After all these years, it’s still a big deal. Dealers and attendees from all over the world flock there to do business. I imagine the total value of the merchandise on display is at least $1 billion. At a 10% sell-through rate, that’s $100 million in sales — not a bad piece of change.

Philip Chasen Antiques

The blog for chasenantiques.com