The results of the Chicago Botanic Garden Antiques and Garden Fair, April 15-17, 2016

Posted on April 18, 2016 by Philip Chasen

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.

One of the delicious food stations at the preview party

If you read my blog regularly, you know I’m not a fan of preview parties. I still haven’t figured out who gains by having them, but certainly not most of the dealers and specifically not me. I can’t remember the last time I made a sale at any preview party, including this one. At least if I have to suffer through one, let it be like this. The party was classy, with unlimited wine, alcohol and delicious food. All the dealers and guests were treated the same, unlike some preview parties where the dealers are treated like second-class citizens. Kudos to the planners and the chefs.

Our booth was busy on Friday morning

The show started off strongly with good attendance and good sales on Friday morning. Things slowed down after that, with an occasional sale. Attendance was good on Saturday, but sales were non-existent until one of our loyal, best clients showed up. Sunday was decent with a couple of sales. French glass, and Daum in particular, sold best. Overall our results were off from last year (which was exceptional), partly because our best clients couldn’t attend.

We sold this gorgeous piece of internally decorated Burgun & Schverer glass at the show

In asking around, I received the following comments from fellow dealers. Zane Moss, Zane Moss Antiques, Sharon, CT, dealers in period English furniture, told me “Very good. We sold seven pieces of furniture and did better than last year.” Robin and Ron Greenwald, Greenwald Antiques, Cleveland, OH, decorative arts dealers, were a little disappointed, as were others I spoke to. “There was a terrific crowd, sometimes 3-4 deep. Business was a little down from last year. Jewelry sales were good.” Virgil Rogers, Only Authentics, New York, NY, vintage handbags dealer, had a similar opinion. “We had a fair to medium show. Business was a little down from last year.” Still another dealer had a similar opinion. Marty Shapiro and Kay Gregg, Finnegan Gallery, Chicago, IL, period garden and architectural antiques dealers, told me “We did fair, not as well as last year, but last year was stellar.” Finally, neighbors from Oyster Bay, NY, T.J. Antorino, T.J. Antorino Antiques & Design, decorative objects and jewelry dealers, shared a similar fate. “We had a mediocre show at best, especially compared to years past.”

Denver, July 15-17, 2016

No shows until July, when we’ll be in Denver for the Denver World Wide Antique Show, July 15-17, 2016. In the meantime, we’re very much in business, so call or email me with your wants or items for sale. If you have what I’m looking for, I’m paying the highest prices. My decisions are quick and my payments just as quick. Just snap a photo and email it to me.

I always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on my website and at every show. I will continue to list more as often as possible. Please click here to take a look.There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. And remember to keep reading my blog.

Setting up at The Chicago Botanic Garden Antiques and Garden Fair, April 12-14, 2016

Posted on April 14, 2016 by Philip Chasen

Click on the image above to buy tickets

Setup for the Chicago Botanic Garden Antiques and Garden Fair started this past Tuesday, April 12, 2016, and continues today until the preview party tonight. It couldn’t have gone more smoothly. Our booth is large enough that we weren’t stepping all over each other. Now that it’s finished, it looks great.

Lia and Bill were hard at work

We’re in one of the permanent buildings, while a huge tent has been set up for many of the other antiques dealers. The show is classy, with seriously fine dealers displaying quality merchandise. This is no flea market. The show opens to the public tomorrow, Friday, at 10 AM, and continues until Sunday, at 5 PM. It’s a fun show you’ll be glad you attended, with a great variety of plants, garden items and antiques. The forecast for all three days is sunny, with temperatures in the 50s and 60s. You couldn’t ask for nicer weather for a day at the show.

We have a fabulous display of bronzes by Kauba, Barrias and Boucher

We have a fabulous display of bronzes by Kauba, Barrias, Boucher, and others

We’re displaying some of our best antiques ever, with great French and American glass and lamps and many more bronzes than we usually have. We’ll have everything for sale at the show, including Daum, Gallé and Tiffany glass; many nice Tiffany lamps, including a rare Nasturtium and lots of other items, too numerous to mention.

Village Braider, Plymouth, MA has a beautiful display

If you’re in the greater Chicago area, this is one show that’s worth the trip. Please stop in, say hi, and take a look at our great items, all for sale!

Make sure you tune in on Monday for the results of the show.

If you’re selling, please let me know. If you have what I’m looking for, I’m paying the highest prices. My decisions are quick and my payments just as quick. Just snap a photo and email it to me.

The Chicago Botanic Garden Antiques and Garden Fair opens this Friday, April 15, 2016

Posted on April 11, 2016 by Philip Chasen

Click on the image above to buy tickets

The Chicago Botanic Garden Antiques and Garden Fair in Glencoe opens this Friday, April 15, 2016, at 10 AM, and continues until Sunday, April 17, 2016, at 5 PM. It’s a fun show you’ll be glad you attended, with a great variety of plants, garden items and antiques. The forecast for this coming weekend is sunny, with temperatures in the 50s and 60s — perfect for a day at the show.

We’ll have this fantastic Daum Nancy Bleeding Hearts lamp at the show

We’re loaded for bear with some great French and American glass and lamps and many more bronzes than we usually have. We’ll have everything for sale at the show, including Daum, Gallé and Tiffany glass; many nice Tiffany lamps, a really rare and desirable Daum lamp and lots of other items, too numerous to mention.

The aisles were packed last year in front of our booth

Last year we had a fabulous show, which will be hard to top this year. Our best clients won’t be there because they’re taking a trip to Japan. Hopefully a good percentage of our many clients in the greater Chicago area will attend. After all, we’ve been exhibiting there for over 30 years. We’re in one of the permanent buildings, in a large booth, so we have plenty of room to display our fabulous inventory. If you’re in the greater Chicago area, this is one show that’s worth the trip. Please stop in, say hi, and take a look at our great items, all for sale!

A look at the garden section of the show

Make sure you tune into this Thursday’s blog, direct from the Botanic Garden. Next Monday I’ll post the results of the show.

The Garden, Antique & Design Show opens this Friday, April 17, 2015, in Glencoe, Illinois

Posted on April 13, 2015 by Philip Chasen

The Garden, Antique & Design Show opens this Friday, April 17th, at 10 AM, at the Chicago Botanic Garden, in Glencoe, Illinois, and will continue until Sunday, April 19th at 5 PM. If you want to get in sooner, you can buy a ticket to the preview party this Thursday evening. It’s a lovely show that’s different from most antique shows because it combines gardening with antiques and design. Some people attend the show only for the garden offerings and others for the antiques. If the weather is nice, (it’s predicted to be in the low 60s), the garden will be beautiful.

Just one of the many Tiffany Studios lamps we’ll have at the show

If you read my blog, this is the only game in town this spring. All of the other antique shows are gone, including the Merchandise Mart and the Navy Pier. If antiques interest you, I suggest you visit the show and show your support. The last thing we need is for this show to fail and have no show at all in Chicago in the spring.

This rare Pairpoint Apple Tree puffy lamp is one of several Pairpoint puffies we’ll have at the show

I’m loaded for bear. I’m bringing more lamps by Tiffany, Handel and Pairpoint than I’ve brought to any show in recent memory. I’ll also have an incredible selection of American and French art glass, not to be beat. Come in, say hi, and be treated to a really lovely show. Many top-notch dealers will be there exhibiting.

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.

Reminiscing about the Chicago O’Hare Antiques Fair

Posted on April 9, 2015 by Philip Chasen

Chicago-1994-show I was cleaning up some old papers when I came across a show announcement for the Chicago O’Hare Antiques Fair from April, 1994. The show was advertised as having 350 dealers, but that probably included some exaggeration. 250+ was more like it. The show took up all of one of the larger halls at the Rosemont Convention Center. Over the years, as it got smaller, the show was moved to one of the smaller halls, but finally there weren’t enough dealers, so the show failed a couple of years ago. Oh well! I really miss that show.

Boy, have times changed. Today, not only does the show not exist, but most of the shows in the greater Chicago area are gone. There are only two left, the Antiques + Modernism Winnetka show in November and the Garden, Antique & Design Show in Glencoe next week. There isn’t a single show left in the city of Chicago, but I hope that will change. The Palm Beach Show Group still lists Chicago as one of their cities, with a projected date of Spring, 2016.

We’ll have this great Amphora vase at the show

If you don’t want either of the two remaining shows to fail, I suggest you support them by visiting next week’s Garden, Antique & Design Show at the Chicago Botanic Garden in beautiful Glencoe, IL, a north suburb of Chicago. The weather is projected to be in the 50s and 60s all next week, so the gardens should be in bloom. The show combines both antiques and garden, for a delightful mix that doesn’t exist at any other show I know of. We’re bringing a truly vast assortment of American and French glass and lamps plus important miscellaneous items. The buying has been good, so you’ll like what you see. The show opens to the public on Friday, April 17th at 10 AM and runs until Sunday, April 19th at 5 PM, with a preview party on Thursday night. I’m looking forward to seeing you!

Chicago is losing its antique shows

Posted on March 9, 2015 by Philip Chasen

Chicago is a great city for antiques. Its large population and centralized location allow it to draw collectors and decorators from all directions. There’s good interest from the affluent community of the greater Chicago area. You would think it could support many antique shows, but they’re mostly gone.

So what happened? I wish there were some clear answer, but there isn’t. Ten years ago, we would come to Chicago to exhibit at 5-6 shows annually. Now we’re down to 2 — Winnetka in the fall and the Chicago Botanic Garden in the spring. Amazingly there isn’t a single show left in downtown Chicago.

The Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont, IL

Here’s a little history. Dolphin Promotions used to hold a show at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL. At one point, the show was held three times a year, with approximately 200 exhibitors. I loved that show. Buying was easy. Attendance was great. The show was easy to setup. Vehicles were permitted to drive onto the show floor. The hotels were right across the street. Listen to my very big nostalgic sigh! As dealers started to drop out and fewer people attended, the show was cut to once a year, until it finally closed. I sure miss that one.

Arlington Park Racetrack

The antique show at Arlington Park Raceway was one of the best in the country many years ago. There were three floors of dealers and 30,000 visitors! After the fire at the racetrack in July of 1985 (click here for the video), the promoter, Charles Wheatley, moved the show temporarily to Donnelly Hall at McCormick Place (click here for the article from the Chicago Tribune). Unfortunately he never restarted the show at Arlington after the racetrack’s reconstruction. (Scratch my head about that.) Many years later Dolphin Promotions restarted the show to moderate success. The show was then sold to Shawn Hastings, who unfortunately ran it into the ground. It closed a few years ago.

The Chicago Merchandise Mart

The story in downtown Chicago is even more unfortunate. For years, the Merchandise Mart ran a very successful show. At one point it ran twice a year, but later was cut to once a year in the spring. Two years ago, the Palm Beach Show Group decided to come to Chicago. Here the details get a little murky, but to the best of my knowledge, they tried to negotiate with the Merchandise Mart. After failing to reach an agreement, the Palm Beach boys decided to do battle with the Merchandise Mart. They started a new show at the Navy Pier to compete head on with the Mart. Dealers were forced to choose between the two. The Mart caved and the Palm Beach boys won the battle (but apparently not the war). The Palm Beach Show Group held a show at the Navy Pier last year that was not well received. They couldn’t get enough dealers to resign for 2015, so not only will there not be a Navy Pier show, there won’t be a Merchandise Mart show either. Sounds like a case of killing the goose that laid the golden eggs. I don’t know if either the Merchandise Mart or the Palm Beach Show Group will revive either show. Personally I would like to see an agreement where the Palm Beach Show Group runs the show, but the Merchandise Mart hosts the show. The earliest that could happen would be the spring of 2016. Since they couldn’t work out an agreement for 2015, I’m pessimistic there’ll be a show next year. I hope I’m wrong.

So what does that leave? The Antiques, Garden & Design Show at the Chicago Botanic Garden, in Glencoe, IL, a beautiful suburb north of the city. It will be held this April 17 – 19, 2015, 10 AM to 5 PM, Friday – Sunday. We’ll be there and we hope you will too. It’s a fun show that combines antiques and gardening. If the weather is nice, some of the flowers will be in bloom, but there are no guarantees. Chicago weather is fickle — it could be 40° or 80°. But we’ll be indoors and not subject to the weather. This will be your only chance to see us at any antique show in the greater Chicago area until the Winnetka show in October. Make your plans now. You’ll enjoy the show!

Now for a little down time and a lovely vacation. We’ll be back in time for our next show, the NYC Pier Antique Show, March 28-29, 2015.

The results of the Chicago Botanic Garden Antiques and Garden Fair, April 11-13, 2014

Posted on April 14, 2014 by Philip Chasen

There was a long line of cars to get in on Friday morning

The Chicago Botanic Garden Antiques and Garden Fair was held this past weekend, April 11-13, 2014, under the management of Stella Shows. The weather was considerably improved over last year, with mild temperatures in the 60s and 70s and not too much rain. You might remember there was terrible flooding last year at this time.

At times it was busy in the booth on Saturday

This year our booth was an end cap in one of the permanent buildings, Nichols Hall. It made a big difference, as we didn’t have to worry about the weather, the humidity, and the shaky floors of the tent. Attendance was strong on Friday at the opening, but it didn’t help business. Most of the attendees were women gardeners, more interested in the gardening section of the show. By the afternoon, the crowd had changed and we did some business, including some new clients. Saturday was better, with business from our existing clients and a new one. Attendance and interest was off on Sunday, but we did a little business. Overall, the show was fine — not a barn burner, but certainly worth the time, expense and effort. We’ll be back next year.

The last show of the season will start in 10 days, at Chicago’s Navy Pier. It will be the first time in Chicago for the Palm Beach Show Group, but if history is any indication, the show will be a good one. The Palm Beach Show Group knows how to promote a show, so there will be plenty of advertising, publicity and free tickets. I’m sure attendance will be great and hopefully sales will be commensurate. The show opens with a fabulous preview party on the night of Thursday, April 24th, that I just can’t wait for. (Somebody should create a new symbol to indicate sarcasm. Wouldn’t that be cool?) The show opens to the public on Friday, April 25th at 11 AM and continues until Monday, April 28th at 4 PM. This is one show you will not want to miss, with some of the country’s most important exhibitors. It will take the place of the Merchandise Mart Antique Show, which closed.

This rare R. Lalique blue Piriac vase is a recent purchase

Click here to view my new website and look around. We always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on our website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps

The Chicago Botanic Garden Antiques and Garden Fair opens this Friday, April 11, 2014

Posted on April 7, 2014 by Philip Chasen

The Chicago Botanic Garden Antiques and Garden Fair in Glencoe opens this Friday, April 11, 2014, at 10 AM, and continues until Sunday, April 13, 2014, at 5 PM. It’s a fun show you’ll be glad you attended, with a great variety of plants, garden items and antiques. The weather is forecast to be much better this year than last year when we had flooding from the extreme rain.

This is the first show for our Tiffany 17″ Dragonfly

We recently went on a European buying trip and purchased some lovely glass. Additionally, we were able to buy some great items domestically. We’re going to have all of them for sale at the show, including Daum, Gallé and Tiffany glass; several nice Tiffany lamps, including a gorgeous 17″ Dragonfly with the most beautiful purple bodies, blue wings and turquoise jeweled eyes; several new Icarts, including Sheherazade, Sapho and Sofa, and lots of other items, too numerous to mention.

We’ll have this wonderful, rare Daum vase for sale at the show.

Last year we exhibited in one of the tents, which was quite challenging. The weather was a huge problem, with all of the rain and humidity, but the biggest problem was the shaking from the wooden floors of the tent. This year we’re in one of the permanent buildings, in a larger booth, so our display should be fabulous. If you’re in the greater Chicago area, this is one show that’s worth the trip. Please stop in, say hi, and take a look at our great items, all for sale!

Make sure you tune into this Thursday’s blog about some great results at Cottone’s recent sale. Next Monday’s post will let you know the results of this Botanic Gardens show.

This rare R. lalique blue Piriac vase is a recent purchase

The results of the Chicago Botanic Garden Antiques and Garden Fair, April 18-21, 2013

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Philip Chasen

In front of our booth at the Thursday night preview party

You know I’m not a fan of preview parties, but the party at the Chicago Botanic Garden Antiques and Garden Fair was one of the better ones. Some show promoters treat dealers as second-class citizens at preview parties, offering one little box of airline food for the evening. At the Botanic Gardens, the dealers were treated equally, with plenty of delicious food and drink for everyone. I even made a nice sale at the preview party — can you believe it?

Friday, 11:30 AM. Strange weather in Chicago. Lightning, thunderstorms, torrential rain, and cold on Wednesday — worked with a coat and gloves in a cold tent. Warm and rainy on Thursday — worked in a tent that was hot and humid, with all the showcases fogging up. Today, Friday — hailing, windy and cold — wearing a coat and freezing in the tent. The fire department shut the propane because of a leak. The wind is swirling and the tent is shaking violently at times. What fun! :>(

There was a big crowd early on Friday

OK, so much for the weather report. There’s a big crowd already, about 90% women, most of whom seem unknowledgeable. No sales yet, but that’s understandable, as unknowledgeable people rarely buy. Haven’t seen most of my Chicago clients yet, but I’m hopeful they’ll attend.

Friday, 3:00 PM. Thought it would get more crowded in the afternoon, but the opposite happened. It’s much quieter now. The heat was fixed and then it broke again. One small sale so far. Still have my coat on.

Friday, 5:00 PM. It’s been a trying day — one of the toughest we’ve had to endure at any show. It was very cold most of the day, where the chill gets into your bones. We made one additional medium sale, so we’re slowly chipping away at the results.

Saturday, 1 PM. It’s the first sunny day since we arrived and very pleasant in the tent. Lots of people here all day so far. Nice sale to one of my established clients. Sure would like to make a sale to a stranger.

Incredible Tiffany Favrile Cypriote vase, sold at the show

Saturday, 5 PM. Much thanks to my clients for showing up and making purchases. Even made a moderate sale to a new client. The show is now going well and hopefully will get better. Another important client is considering making a major purchase.

Sunday, 11:30 AM. The day is off to a slow start, but that’s to be expected on a Sunday. The show should have opened at 11 AM, not 10 AM. Jeanne Stella, you listening? Several naive inquiries will likely lead nowhere, but on the other hand, the weather is lovely and the tent is very comfortable.

Sunday, 2:20 PM. After a slow start today, it got really busy. Made a couple of sales to strangers, which was very gratifying. I’ll be surprised if anything happens between now and the end of the show, but hope springs eternal.

Sunday, 5:00 PM. The show is over and as I predicted, nothing happened from mid-afternoon to closing. It was a busy day, but not as remunerative as it should have been, based on the activity. Overall, the show went well. More sales to new clients would have made it better, but I’m not complaining.

In other news. The Palm Beach Show Group (who run the Palm Beach and Baltimore shows) has announced that it will be starting a new show in Chicago at the Navy Pier. Ordinarily I would be excited to hear such news, but not this time. They hope to run the show exactly the same week as the Merchandise Mart Antiques Show in April, 2014. Why choose that week, when there are 51 other weeks? There are rumors that this will be the last year for the Merchandise Mart Antiques Show, in which case it would make sense to run an important show in Chicago the same weekend. Other than that, it seems folly. I’ll try to get to the bottom of it.

Speaking of the Merchandise Mart Antiques Show, it’s this week! The show opens with a preview party on Thursday night, April 25th. It opens to the public on Friday, April 26th at 11 AM and continues until Monday, April 29th at 3 PM. It’s a great show and my favorite of the year. Make sure you attend. You won’t be disappointed!

Important Gallé vase with spider webs and wheel-carved leaves

Click here to view French cameo glass for sale. We always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on our website and at every show.

Fine Argy-Rousseau pate-de-verre geometric vase

Look around my website. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. I regularly add Tiffany vases, lamps and desk accessories, as well as French cameo glass by Galle and Daum Nancy and etchings by Louis Icart. Here’s the link. Philip Chasen Antiques.

The Intrepid Antique Dealers are at it again

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Philip Chasen

Lia is busy setting up our booth

The antiques business is not supposed to be exciting (though sometimes it is). If I wanted excitement, I would have become a sky-diving instructor. Do you remember the time we drove into a fierce snowstorm on our way to a show in Palm Beach? Click here to refresh your memory. Or the time we went through an earthquake and a hurricane at the same show? Click here to read about that one. So what happened this time? Just a bomb scare at LaGuardia airport, a country-wide outage of the entire American Airlines fleet and evacuation of our tent at the Chicago Botanic Garden Antiques and Garden Fair.

One of the many beautiful floral displays at the show

Tuesday was supposed to be a low-stress day. We were to fly out of New York at 4:10 PM, arrive in Chicago at 6 PM, and then spend a leisurely evening, before starting to set up our show at the Chicago Botanic Garden the next day. After hearing about the bomb scare at LaGuardia Airport, I checked the American Airlines website to make sure our flight was still on time. The website said “on time”, so we took a taxi to the airport and got on line. When we reached the representative, she told us that no flights were leaving LaGuardia and our flight had been cancelled. So much for checking with American. Flights were to resume at 5 PM, so we got on a very long line to get on another flight. While on line, we heard our names being called for our original flight (on which we were upgraded to first class). By the time we reached a representative, we had to take a 6:50 PM flight, which was delayed to 7:30 PM. We had to sit near the back of the plane, in cramped seats. By the time we got to our hotel room in Chicago, four hours late, we were frazzled and exhausted.

Gorgeous, no?

Wednesday should have been a normal show setup day. It was anything but. We had to set up our booth, in a tent, in a raging storm. At one point, lightning was in the area, so we evacuated the tent until the threat passed. Other times, the rain was so torrential, it pounded on the tent. Water dripped into some booths from leaks. Luckily, our booth stayed dry.

If history is any indication, this show will be a success, as both of our previous stressful shows ended well. The Chicago Botanic Garden Antiques and Garden Fair is beautiful and high class. Do yourself a favor and visit this outstanding show and see our booth in the Rose Garden tent. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

The Chicago Botanic Garden Antiques and Garden Fair opens to the public on Friday, at 10 AM. It continues until Sunday, April 21st, at 5 PM. It’s located at the Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Road, in the beautiful village of Glencoe.