Cabin Fever Antiques Show with 30 dealers was a bright spot on a sea of cold, white powder for the one-day affair, February 12, at Mid-Vermont Christian Academy. The exhibitors for this annual show are, for the most part, the same year after year, so they all work diligently to have fresh inventory for returning customers.
It makes this show a combination of exhibition, sale and old home week †a place where old friends get reacquainted and, while they are at it, buy a few antiques for their homes, collections or inventories.
Richard Vandall, American Decorative Arts, Canaan, N.H., was selling a great variety, as he said, doing “very, very well, with a big assortment of merchandise.” His collection includes original Stevengraph prints, which were selling well, some early art pottery, Shaker-made objects and early “odds and ends.” While his sales total was among the higher figures for the show, his entire inventory fit in the back seat of his van.
Jim and Leslie Mansfield, Doggone Antiques, West Lebanon, N.H., offered a collection of Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century country furniture. Their sales, according to Jim Mansfield, were good, with some furniture and an assortment of compatible accessories.
Silver in many forms is the staple ingredient for Peter Wood Hill Antiques, Tom Copadis’s business. From Deering, N.H., Copadis has been a regular at this show for years, where his sales have included flatware and hollowware for an elegant dining room.
The Horse and the Bear, Norwich, Vt., had one of the first furniture sales of the day. An early cobbler’s bench, unusual because of its high work table, was sold in the first wave of customers.
Across the aisle, Tommy Thompson, Pembroke, N.H., was selling small antiques in good quantity. One early piece out the door was a miniature staircase used as a display for his small Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century toys.
Kenneth Reid, Andover, N.H., was satisfied with his efforts. His sales included a factory mill box, an early grain painted trunk and a great many smalls. “There was no one killer sale that put me over the top, but the steady sales made the day,” he said.
Michael Weinstein, West Pelham [Mass.] Antiques and Barbara Johnson, Enfield, N.H., shared an exhibit area with their compatible collections. Their sales were primarily from Weinstein’s collection, including an unusual and early cradle for twins that had been priced at $995.
Hopkinton, N.H., dealer Shirley Quinn offered an assortment of early textiles and small antiques. Stone Block Antiques, Vergennes, Vt., took an oversized area to showcase an assortment of furniture, including several pieces in original grain paint.
The Stahuras closed their shop for the day †Mill Brook Antiques in Reading, Vt. †in order to show at Quechee. Their collection included a set of arrow back Windsor side chairs, an early pie safe in original paint and a large collection of small antiques.
Their across-the-road neighbor, Jim Mulder of Liberty Hill Antiques, did the same, closing the shop to be in the show for the day. His centerpiece item was an early maple work bench, popular today as kitchen work centers or for the side of a recreation room often as a serving piece.
Antiques at 30B in Cambridge, N.Y., comprises two families, the Ferrisses and the Sherwoods. For the weekend, the shop must have been closed, as they were all exhibiting in Quechee in their separate spaces. The Ferrisses were selling art, and Sherwoods were offering furniture.
Partridge Hollow Antiques, Milton, Vt., had one of the firm’s best experiences at Cabin Fever. Selling primarily silver with some other early lighting and dishes, Dennis and Lynn Chrin said they were happy with their total sales for the day, a total that was their best ever in the show.
Because the show is brief, several dealers cited after-show sales generated by their exhibits. In each of three cases, the exhibitor received a call after the show with a conversation that began “Do you still have the [fill in the blank] that I saw at Cabin Fever?” Those sales made the show a success for the dealers.
Jim Dunn, the show manager, has been running this show for the last ten years since he purchased it from the Frasers. He also manages Bromley Mountain Antiques Show on the first Saturday of October. Cabin Fever Antiques Show repeats about the second weekend of February, but the exact date is determined by the host school, Mid-Vermont Christian Academy. For information, 802-885-3705.
