Showgoers were seen perusing the merchandise and filling shopping bags with their new acquisitions almost as soon as the event began.
Review & Onsite Photos by Carly Timpson
PARK RIDGE, N.J. — According to Days Of The Year, April 27 is World Design Day, World Pinhole Photography Day, Morse Code Day, National Pet Parents Day and National Gummi Bear Day. However, if you don’t observe any of these niche holidays, the East Coast Vintage Christmas Collectors (ECVCC) presented its second annual Vintage & Antique All-Holidays Show, bringing together collectors and enthusiasts to celebrate some of the more familiar holidays.
Show organizer Craig McManus said that there were close to 60 dealers set up and attendance was up 40 percent from last year. The show’s first year was hosted in the Marriott’s Grand Ballroom, but this year an increase in dealers led to a layout expansion to include the Junior Ballroom and the Main Salon Hall as well. When we checked in with him about an hour into the show, he shared, “It’s been busy! There were as many people at the door at 11 for regular buyers as we did in total last year. The word is getting out! People need an uplifting event with a lot of positive energy, and there’s nothing like this on the East Coast. It just strikes a chord of nostalgia for people.”
When we saw Mark Langdon, who helps McManus run the show, he was excited to tell us, “It’s definitely growing! There were 140 people at the dinner last night compared to 100 at the luncheon last year — and they’re buying! People just get happy when they see Christmas stuff. We had dealers come from as far as Germany, and some drove from Florida, Texas and Wisconsin.” After the show, he shared similar sentiments. “Overall, the show was better this year than last year for me. This is the second year of the show, and we’re growing with each show we have. This year we’ve added dealers, we added more buyers and we are learning a lot.”
Showrunner and dealer Craig McManus, Ho-Ho-Kus, N.J.
While the Marriott Park Ridge decked its halls (and two ballrooms) for the Sunday show, guests were also invited to gather the day before, Saturday, April 26, for a series of educational talks as well as a cocktail party and dinner that evening. Langdon noted, “One of the nice things about the show, which we tried to do a little differently from other shows, is make it a fun weekend for our collectors. Saturday afternoon, if you purchased a two-day ticket, included four lectures.” Those lectures were: “The 100th Anniversary of the NOMA Electric Corporation” by McManus, “Mid-Century American Glass Ornaments” by James Angus, “Collecting Vintage and Antique Halloween” by Stuart Schneider and “European Fantasy Ornaments” by Mario Pecunia.
Upon entering the Main Hall, visitors would hear the jingles of Christmas music, setting the mood to help shoppers forget it was a pleasant spring day. Though the ECVCC presents the show, as its name suggests, all holidays were celebrated. Whether one was a collector of vintage Christmas lights, Valentines cards, Halloween decorations, Easter bunnies or Fourth of July banners, there was festive merchandise galore to be found.
Langdon, who was a vendor at the show, shared, “I sold a vast spectrum of items from $20 items up to hundred dollars for an item. Buyers this year were a little more careful with their spending. People who could afford it seemed to buy exactly what they wanted. Other people scoped the room before making a purchase. I had a very nice sale, which was a celluloid photo book with children and holly.” The Southbury, Conn., dealer also commented on the Saturday talks, cocktail hour and dinner, saying that he “Got a chance to catch up with quite a few old friends. Also got to meet quite a few new friends this year as people came in the doors on Sunday to purchase… Overall, I feel it was a tremendous show. The dealers that I talk to, and some of the sellers as well, all seemed to have a great time.”
Cory Adams told us these Victorian German Sunday toys were given that name because children would only be allowed to play with them on Sundays. Tampa, Fla.
It was certainly a great time for Cory Adams, who was attending for the first time because he could not make it last year and reported having a busy day. The Tampa, Fla., dealer shared, “The show was wonderful. I mostly sold a lot of glass Christmas ornaments, early Halloween pieces and early Christmas candy containers. I met a few new people at the show but saw over 75 people that I have known throughout the years. I really liked this show because it focuses on holiday just like the Golden Glow of Christmas Past conventions and the Midwest antique holiday show in Ohio.”
Following the show, Beth Snyder of Bethany, Conn., emailed her thoughts to Antiques and The Arts Weekly: “The show was good for us. We sold a wide range of items at numerous price points. In addition to solid sales, I measure a show by the quality of items being offered and the promotion…being well advertised and dealer friendly are important, and this show is top notch by every measure. Being a very specialized show, there are always regular customers, and since holiday antiques are so popular now, there are usually newbies as well. One thing I noticed was a number of enthusiastic younger buyers, which is important in the antiques business. I love doing holiday shows and in a short two years, Craig is establishing this as a ‘must go to’ for collectors and ‘must do’ for dealers.”
During the show, McManus also remarked on the number of younger attendees. “There’s a lot of younger people coming in and that gives me hope — they really are the future of collecting and keeping the trade alive.” His booth was well stocked with NOMA Twinkle Lites, a Christmas edition of Harper’s Weekly, a lit faux tree and, of course, copies of his most recent book, The History of The Christmas Figural Light Bulb (ChannelCraig, 2024).
Though Philadelphia-are dealers Lisa Breish and Anne Bedics sold mostly Halloween items, they gave attention to some of the less-represented holidays, such as Independence Day.
Christmas may have been the dominant holiday celebrated at this show. However, Halloween came in a close second place with several dealers stating that was their primary focus, or that some of their best sales were Halloween-related.
One such booth was run by Philadelphia-are dealers Lisa Breish and Anne Bedics. Bedics shared, “Halloween is my specialty, specifically late Nineteenth Century to about the mid 1940s.” Some of the items she stocked included masks, chocolate molds and cookie cutters, jack-o-lanterns, glass bottles, buttons and pins, patterned crepe paper and plenty more spooky decorations. Bedics added, “It’s a nice show, with a good variety of merchandise. It’s good for experienced collectors and new ones.”
Sharon and Joe Happle, who run Sign of the Tymes at The Lafayette Mill Antique Center in Lafayette, N.J., also reported strong Halloween sales, among others: “We sold an early 1900’s Halloween ghost bobble-body papier-mâché figure, which is rare, and three great Christmas items. One was a rose-colored Santa head lantern in a larger size with original paper insert and a 20-inch-long coat Santa candy container with stuffed hat and original leather pouch and basket of toys. Our best piece was an 1890s 16-inch split coat chenille trimmed Belsnickel candy container in original paint. It had come from an old-time collector who kept it in great condition. It went to a new customer for us who said they heard people say it was the best Belsnickel at the Show. I think they are right and now it is theirs.” As many of the dealers are also collectors themselves, the Happles made sure to acquire a few pieces from other sellers. “All in all, we were very pleased with results. We even bought two good Halloween items — one for our collection and one for resale.”
It was Judy Warner’s first-ever show as a dealer, but her artfully arranged booth gave nothing away! Hamilton, N.J.
Many may be able to relate to Judy Warner, of Hamilton, N.J., who shared, “I started collecting because it made me happy…and then it became a full-fledged addiction!” As such, this was Warner’s first-ever show as a dealer, though she had us fooled. Her reported sales included “ceramics, all of my Disney ornaments, some pins, corsages, a lot of ornaments, vintage craft picks and more.”
Ceramics were also hot in the booth of Ed and Kathy Dannels from Lebanon, Penn. Kathy shared, “Its our second year and it’s a good show. Everything we brought is special, but we have some unusual lamps and light bulbs. I have nice Lefton ceramics, including some cute girls that I sold already. Those are really popular right now. Midcentury Modern is also really popular, especially with younger people, so that area of the market is hot.”
Another show newbie was David Arsenault. The New York City seller said his first-ever show was “great” and that he had seen a lot of people he knew already from the Golden Glow, as well as meeting new people. And what was he observing? “Kitsch. People are drawn to Midcentury kitsch. It’s a big thing right now.”
Judy Clineff of Topsfield, Mass., shared “It’s a lot of fun. The whole weekend has been good, and I’ve been very happy. I’ve sold a lot of unique pieces including a clockwork dancing couple and a paper mold Santa. People are drawn to the unusual.”
The plates in the back were from Stephen and Mary Ann Gring’s personal collection. Gring’s Antiques, Ocean City, N.J.
Gring’s Antiques of Ocean City, N.J., is run by Stephen and Mary Ann Gring. During the show, Mary Ann told us she was seeing a lot of interest in her glass figural ornaments. She also had a selection of holiday-themed plates from her personal collection, some nice pull toys, candy tins and a great set of sleigh bells. “The show was very good for us; we increased our revenue by over $200 from last year’s show. We sold glass German figural ornaments, a large string of antique sleigh bells on original strap and a ruby top pitcher dated ‘Christmas, 1900.’”
“We plan to follow the same format next year as it worked very well. After that, we are considering moving to a larger venue like an indoor building at a New Jersey fairground. Ideally, I’d like to find a place where all the dealers can be in one large room, but for now we’re enjoying the Marriott very much,” McManus reported.
The ECVCC All-Holidays Show will return to the Marriott Park Ridge April 11-12, 2026. For information, eastcoastvintagechristmas@gmail.com or join the East Coast Vintage Christmas Collector’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/groups/ecvcc).
