“It’s a great fall day for an antiques show,” Colette Donovan, antiques dealer from Merrimacport, Mass., said as she made a purchase from Michael and Lucinda Seward at the Canterbury Shaker Village Antique Show on Sunday, September 18. This event, under the management of Nan Gurley, is sponsored by the New Hampshire Antiques Dealers Association, and only members of that group are invited to participate.
“It was unfortunate that we had to move the date of the show this year,” Nan said, “it was a week earlier than last year so as not to be on the same weekend as the large NASCAR races at the nearby track.” When the races are held, some of the roads are either closed or allow only one-way travel during certain hours, “making it almost impossible to get to the Shaker Village unless you know the real back roads,” Nan added. The move also conflicted with the Autumn Hartford Antiques Show, which took away some of the regulars at Canterbury.
Nevertheless, the show won the favor of those attending, about 400 strong, with tables laden with country objects, such as wooden bowls and plates, choppers, some jewelry, fabrics and cast iron pieces. There was a scattering of furniture, mostly all painted, some paintings and a few weathervanes and sculptures.
Three tents covered the 36 dealers in the show and of that number, about eight of them were exhibitors at the New Hampshire Antiques Show in August, the popular show sponsored by NHADA. One of them, Stephen-Douglas of Rockingham, Vt., reported a very good show in Canterbury. “We sold three pieces of furniture, many smalls, including four still banks and a couple of paintings, all of which added up to the best show of the three we have done at Shaker Village,” Stephen Corrigan said.
Joshua Steenburgh of Pike, N.H., also a dealer at the August show, said he was happy with the show, selling two pieces of furniture, including a four-drawer bird’s-eye maple dresser, lots of smalls and several signs. A white counter is still in the cards, and “people who came to the show seemed pleased with it and liked being there,” Joshua said.
“We have not figured out the show schedule for next year,” Gurley said, “and after I meet with the New Hampshire board, we will know if we are going to continue at the Shaker Village or seek a new location.”
