Miles down a narrow country road with naught but acres of fields and farms as far as the eye can see, the Fairhaven Antiques Festival comes up all of a sudden, as one crests a modest ridge. There it is †a traffic jam †vans and cars, box trucks and pickups, all moving very slowly down the one street of this small village.
Both sides of the street were clogged with antiques, collectibles, tents and people during the festival’s June 3‵ edition in the midcountry alternative to Brimfield and all the other Eastern antiques shows and markets.
Every lawn and porch was filled with early paintings and pottery, porcelain from England, primitive paintings and furniture predominantly from late Georgian to early Victorian periods, American pieces from 1750 through 1875.
The show was begun in 1975 by many of the antiques dealers who formed Fairhaven Antiques Dealers Association and settled on the first weekend of June for an antiques street fair with great homemade ice cream and pies, church luncheons and antiques offered at that time by more than 20 dealers.
Dealer Harriet Schmitt returned to town soon after to open her own shop and has been running the show ever since its second year.
At the southern end of the village sits a small open area where a few tents were erected for the association members. Exhibitors have been coming from many far areas to show their collections, to sell and buy and, as Tom Heisey, a dealer from Newark, Ohio, said, “have a great time hanging out with friends.”
Heisey exhibited in the backyard of David Goode’s home, a well-known dealer at shows featuring American antiques and folk art. Heisey paid for the space and to have a tent erected to show an assortment of primitive American art and small household antiques. Goode uses his home as his shop, allowing objects to be both his home décor and merchandise. Goode also is very involved in the show’s management, offering food service out of his home and parking in the backyard, about a half-acre or more.
“We have no way to count how many come to the festival, for there is no admission charged anywhere here,” according to Goode. “We had about 80 dealers in the association’s tents: dealers who paid some rent, but not much, as the show is more for the fun, and we do sell very well.”
Brian Penniston, Queen Street Antiques Mall of Tappahannock, Va., was in one of the association tents with a collection of fine English porcelain, early furniture and many small accessories. By his own admission, he was spending as much time out of the tent shopping among the other exhibiting dealers as he was selling. He did have help though, so the selling continued while he shopped.
Dealers from Massachusetts included John Marshall of Northampton with a collection of wooden boxes paint decorated in faux grain paint designs. Paul DeCoste came in from West Newbury with early Eighteenth Century furniture. There was a collection of ladder back chairs in early paint with rush seats and sausage turned posts, a small chest of drawers and a chair table.
Pennsylvania was well represented, with Brad Selinger from East Berlin offering an assortment of early American stoneware. A watercolor commemorating Lafayette’s Landing, probably from the silver anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, found in a period frame, was offered by Bob Conrad of Yeagertown, Penn.
Bill Kelly, Limington, Maine, exhibited a very early apple peeler that he thought was from the Eighteenth Century. Even the gears were wooden cogs on this ancient piece.
Texas was represented by the Buckinghams from Burleson and Jean and Roy Doty of Beaumont. They were using the same front yard, with similar early country-style antiques, albeit with a Texas flair.
Cincinnati is a dayhop away, dealer Roxanne Argenbright said, as she was driving home in the evening after the show. Her offerings were early furniture found in Ohio at Cowan’s Auctions, where she has a day job There was also a collection of early useful objects, such as hooked rugs, art, stoneware and even some things just for the look †decoys and textiles.
Also from the area were Barry and Cheryl Powell from Washington Court House, Ohio, about an hour’s drive. Their collection comes primarily from homes in that farming community, north, settled around the time of the American Revolution, and filled with antiques in both English and primitive design, but most locally made. They primarily collect objects in as-found condition, not restored or refinished, the preferred condition for most collecting buyers.
The show has been robust for all these many years, primarily by word of mouth as its advertising budget is scant. For more information, contact Harriet Schmitt at 513-796-5621. Look for this show at the end of the road, Route 227, the first weekend of June next year.
