U.S. Antique Shows announces free admission to the November 2015 NYC Pier Antique Show

Posted on June 25, 2015 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.

Sunday afternoon outside my booth at the Pier Antique Show this past March

U.S. Antique Shows, the promoters of the NYC Pier Antique Show and the all-important Original Miami Beach Antique Show announced free admission to the NYC Pier Antique Show this November 14-15. It’s an interesting experiment. Attendance will surely increase, but not necessarily with the right people. Here’s the way I see it. On the one hand, there’s a possibility that someone who attends the show will make a purchase, even if they hadn’t intended to in the first place. That’s the good part. On the other hand most of the additional attendees will be there to have a good time or get a free appraisal. It’s better than a museum. You can touch the items and ask questions of real experts. Excuse me if I sound a little cynical, but I didn’t pay good money to exhibit at the show and spend my time giving free appraisals to non-clients. Antique shows are a business. Dealers need the limited time to make sales to bona fide clients. If the dealers don’t sell enough to cover their time and expense, they won’t be back.

The aisles were jammed at the Palm Beach Jewelry, Art & Antiques Show.

The Palm Beach Show Group essentially does the same thing, but with a twist. They charge admission to their shows, but they give away so many complimentary tickets that most people don’t pay. Attendance is usually quite strong in Palm Beach and some of the additional attendees turn into buyers. I’m hopeful the experiment at the Pier will be a success. I applaud U.S. Antique Shows for at least trying a ballsy move to revitalize the show.

Attendance was good at the Pier Show at the opening last March

U.S. Antique Shows is also involved with a project called Antique Young Guns USA, a special program to encourage young professionals to enter the antique marketplace. Goodness knows we need more young people involved.

Click here to check my website for the latest items and to look around. There’s lots more coming in in the next couple of weeks, including two important Daum Nancy Blackbird vases, two large Tiffany Favrile Jack-in-the-Pulpit vases, two Gallé Magnolia vases and lots more. Keep checking my site, as I will be updating it daily. 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.

The NYC Pier Antique Show opens tomorrow, Saturday, March 28, 2014

Posted on March 27, 2015 by Philip Chasen

We just arrived

Yesterday was the first day of setup for those willing to pay a little extra. Only a few dealers did, so the Pier was mostly empty, except for the union workers arranging the show. We only had a few hours in the afternoon, but without having to compete with other dealers, we were able to get a lot done in a short period of time. We’ll finish the job today and be ready for the mob that’s expected tomorrow, Saturday. The show will open to the public at 10 AM and continue until Sunday, at 6 PM. It’s short and sweet — no waiting for the results. Either you did well or not. Tune in on Monday for the results!

We made a lot of progress by the end of the day

We’ll next head to Chicago in a couple of weeks for the Garden, Antique & Design Show at the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, IL, (a north suburb of Chicago), April 17-19, 2015. We’re down to only two shows in the greater Chicago area, so don’t wait for the Merchandise Mart or the Navy Pier. They don’t exist anymore. Come and visit us in Glencoe or you’ll be out of luck until we return to Winnetka in the fall.

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 NYC Pier Antique Show, November 22-23, 2014

Posted on November 24, 2014 by Philip Chasen

Part of the very large crowd at the Saturday morning opening

The NYC Pier Antique Show ended its two-day run yesterday, November 23, 2014. Attendance was strong on Saturday, with a very big opening crowd that went all the way out the door. Sales started off nicely, but then fizzled out as the day went on. Several clients promised to come back on Sunday. Business must have been good as I personally saw many visitors walking out with purchases.

We sold this wonderful Tiffany Favrile vase at the show

There was no comparing the Sunday start to the Saturday start. Only a handful of people came. There’s no reason any show should open at 10 AM on Sunday. It took until 1 or 2 PM until a decent crowd showed up. An 11 AM start would benefit everyone, especially the dealers who can use an additional hour of rest. We made a few sales on Sunday, but not equal to the level of interest and questions. Not one single client from Saturday (and I thought some of them were really serious) came back on Sunday. Very disappointing. 🙁

My lovely daughter, Lauren, helped me at the show

Overall my show was successful, but far from exemplary. I’m grateful for the business we did, but disappointed it wasn’t a barn-burner (which it easily could have been). In asking around, I received the following comments. From Alan & Adele Grodsky, Cooper City, FL, dealers in lamps and glass, “We did OK, better than the last few shows.” George Sorensen, Minneapolis, MN, dealing in art glass, said “My show was average.” Mark & Marie Kaplan of M&M Antiques, Long Beach, NY, general-line dealers, were quite pleased. “Our show was excellent. Most of our business was on Saturday.” Not as pleased was Virgil Rogers, New York, NY, of Only Authentics, dealing in vintage handbags, “It was a mediocre Pier show. I sold an amount equal to the average Pier show. Expensive items were not selling.” Lastly, Robin Greenwald, Cleveland, OH, of Greenwald Antiques, general-line dealers, told me “We were only able to convert 10% of our serious interest into sales, but jewelry sold well. Overall our show was pretty good.”

I’ll be spending the next two months looking for treasures to bring to Florida for our southern circuit. I’m flying out today to buy a French glass collection, which I’ll have home tomorrow night, if all goes well. The Florida shows begin with the Miami National Antiques Show on January 24, 2015.

The NYC Pier Antique Show opens this Saturday, November 22, 2014

Posted on November 20, 2014 by Philip Chasen

The NYC Pier Antique Show will open to the public this coming Saturday, November 22, at 10 AM, and close the next day, Sunday, November 23, at 6 PM. This is the second year that U.S. Antique Shows will manage it, having bought the show from Stella Show Management. It promises to be a good one, with 25 additional dealers.

We’ll have this beautiful Tiffany 18″ Tyler Scroll table lamp at the show

This will be our last show of the year, so we hope to make it a good one by bringing some fantastic new items. One is a Tiffany Studios 18″ Tyler Scroll table lamp. It’s one of 25, mostly Tiffany Studios, lamps we’ll have on display at the show.

Museum-quality Daum Nancy vase with applied cabochon-center daisies

Our French glass selection will be large, with some outstanding examples of Daum and Gallé glass.

After the Pier show, we’ll be buying treasures for our important Florida shows in January and February. I’m already flying out of town today to buy an outstanding French glass collection.

Tune in Monday for the results of the NYC Pier Antique Show!

The NYC Pier Antique Show opens this Saturday, November 23, 2013

Posted on November 21, 2013 by Philip Chasen

The NYC Pier Antique Show will open to the public this coming Saturday, November 23, at 10 AM, and close the next day, Sunday, November 24, at 6 PM. U.S. Antique Shows recently purchased the show from Stella Show Management. New show promoters typically don’t buy shows to watch them fail, so they spend more money and make changes, mostly for the good. For example, I know the new promoters were able to sign some high-end dealers who usually don’t exhibit at this show. That will raise the quality. I also know they’ve spent more money on advertising, such as a full page ad in last weekend’s New York Times — mucho dinero. Sometimes a new promoter will start a show on a virtuous cycle that feeds on success and gets better with time. A case in point is the Baltimore Summer Antiques Show. It was owned and managed well for many years by Frank Farbenbloom. After he sold the show to the Palm Beach Show Group, the show only got better, with more and better exhibitors, more attendees, and better sales — a win-win situation. Now it’s the must-go-to show of the summer.

Rare Tiffany Studios 3-light lily lamp with decorated shades

This will be our last show of the year, so we hope to make it a good one by bringing some fantastic new items. One is a Tiffany Studios 3-light lily lamp with rare green pulled feather shades. It’s one of 25, mostly Tiffany Studios, lamps we’ll have on display at the show.

Fine Tiffany Favrile vase with applied handles, just in

Another is a rare Tiffany Favrile decorated vase with applied handles, part of our fine selection of Tiffany Studios vases.

Big, important, 13¾” Daum birch tree scenic vase, just in

Our French glass selection will be large, with some outstanding examples of Daum and Gallé glass.

After the Pier show, we’ll be buying up a storm for the important Florida shows in January and February. We just added a wonderful show to our winter schedule, the Grove Park Inn Arts & Crafts Conference, February 21 – 23, 2014. We last exhibited there a few years ago and couldn’t do it again because of scheduling conflicts. This year there were no conflicts, so we’re happy to return. It will immediately follow the important Palm Beach Antiques Show.

Tune in Monday for the NYC Pier Antique Show results!

Fantastic Tiffany Favrile blue decorated vase, just in

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 results of the NYC Pier Antiques Show, March 16-17, 2013

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Philip Chasen

The lines went out the door 10 minutes before opening on Saturday morning

The NYC Pier Antique Show ended yesterday, March 17, 2013, after running for the weekend. Attendance was noticeably lighter than in November, at least partially due to the St. Patrick’s Day parade on Saturday and a mini-marathon on Sunday morning. Parking was limited and difficult. One client told me he circled around for an hour before he could find a garage.

There were a few people by my booth on Saturday afternoon

Personally, my show went poorly. Many of my good clients either didn’t attend or didn’t buy much or anything. Sometimes you’re the dog and sometimes you’re the hydrant. In asking around to more than a handful of dealers, the best I heard was “almost as good as November’s Pier”. Most of the responses were “fair” to “decent” to “OK”. No one I spoke to was enthusiastic about his or her results. It’s hard to predict. My last several shows at the Pier were good to excellent. This comes after a wonderful show in Miami Beach, to which one dealer told me “we’re not in Miami anymore”.

My booth looked great, but it didn’t help this time

Now about the rumors wildly circulating on the show floor. It appears that the Pier Show will probably be sold to US Antique Shows, the promoters of the Original Miami Beach Antique Show. They recently purchased the Miami National Antiques Show and Sale and appear to be shopping for other good shows. My guess is that it’s a done deal and the official announcement will come soon. There’s other important show news from elsewhere in the country that I’ll let you know as soon as it’s official.

Now we’re looking forward to our shows in April in Chicago, one of our favorite cities. Business in Chicago is consistently good. We have very loyal clients there, many of whom are now personal friends.

Wonderful Tiffany Favrile red Tel-El-Amarna vase

I recently listed over 15 new items, including several Tiffany lamps and vases, as well as two fine Grueby vases. Click here to view the Tiffany lamps for sale. We always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on our website and at every show.

Fine Galle Plum blownout vase, recently purchased

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.

This superb Galle fuchsia blownout vase has great color and just arrived

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.

Philip Chasen Antiques

The blog for chasenantiques.com

Tag Archives: NYC Pier Antique Show