Country Home Antiquing Festival at Music Valley February 14‱6 was a big success for all the participants, visitors, dealers Jenkins Management and the magazine, Country Home .
The magazine approached Jenkins last spring to put its mark on many of the Jenkins antiques show. The agreement was finalized shortly before this week of Nashville shows so the magazine’s activities were limited but still apparent. There was an attractive display in the center, extra publicity both in local media and in the magazine and its affiliates, and there was a better audience for the show than in the last five or more years, according to show manager Jon Jenkins.
Jenkins was especially pleased with dealer reaction to the announcements about the affiliation with Country Home . He said the facility, an enormous tent “was filled to capacity on that site and that was in no small measure due to Country Home’ s support. The site could not accommodate a tent any larger than what we had, so for the first time in several years we had a dealer waiting list for space.”
Dealers were equally pleased with their collective results for the week. Sales were very good and that was an indication of the buyers’ reactions. As Colleen Frese said, “the people came there to buy and that’s what they did.” She is a dealer from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, exhibiting with Barbara Connors from Fairfax, Iowa under the trade name of Simply Iowa. They had a good number of transactions including several pieces of furniture and many small accessories.
Formerly from Tennessee and now in Northport, Maine, the Gardiners, owners of Liberty Tree Antiques, were pleased with their results. Vera said she had a big corner cupboard find a new home along with other early country antiques. Her shopping has changed now that she lives in New England but the style of her antiques collection has not.
Mike White, Loudonville Folk Art of Loudonville, N.Y., was very complimentary of the promoters and Country Home saying, “they did an outstanding job with the tent and bringing in the crowd.” Mary deBuhr has been doing the show solo for a number of years and with other dealers before that. Her sales were very good including seven pieces of furniture and enough smalls to keep her too busy to leave her exhibit.
Removed from a house in Maine that was about to be demolished was the original pantry with its walls, cupboards and work shelf. Edd and Karin Oberg, Richmond House Antiques in Ashford, Conn., did the removal and offered it in their Music Valley space. They sold it with delivery back to Maine and installation by Edd into the new owner’s home included.
Debbie and John Schlichter, Mustard House Antiques of Greenfield, Ohio, sold their centerpiece, a cherry Sheraton period chest of drawers, which had been priced at $2,900. This was their big sale but there were many sales of other items as well.
The interesting response from many dealers was that furniture was selling very well, which most had said was contrary to how sales have been over the last many months. Expressed by many dealers was the opinion that customers were there to buy and that is what they did.
Country Home Antiquing Festival at Music Valley will happen again October 31⁎ovember 2, which is a minor change in the show’s date pattern. For the upcoming shows the closing will be on Sunday rather than Saturday, the pattern for many years. This is to attract a younger audience, giving them the full weekend to get to the show rather than just Saturday.
For more information, www.musicvalleyantiquesmarket.com or call Jenkins Management at 317-598-0012.
