Newark International Antiques and Collectors Fair was again a huge success December 6‷, with the ten buildings at capacity and tents and fields overflowing with antiques for thousands of visitors. The show is conducted six times each year, attracting an international audience to examine and buy the mostly English antiques, but in recent years there has also been a great deal of Continental and Asian objects showcased.
The Newark show grounds have been hosting the show for more than 20 years, usually on the first Thursday and Friday of each even numbered month. The site, about 100 miles north of London, is not especially noteworthy, except that it is convenient for drive-up access.
Recently, there had been a reduction in the numbers of Americans coming to buy for their collections or inventories, but not this December. There was no decrease in the number of attendees and sales remained steady, according to dmg’s show manager Alan Yourston. “We were very pleased with the results for this fair and dealers were generally telling me that they were pleased with the sales,” he said. He added, “The currency exchange booth said its numbers were good, too, perhaps because the dollar was gaining some strength against the pound in early December.” Yourston considered that a good indication of sales activity.
The show has a variety of onsite shippers for customers who cannot carry away their purchases. Among the largest in this business is Robinsons, whose representative Tony Thomas said the firm had a good month, especially with the US-bound antiques.
For example, Lyme (N.H.) Creamery Antiques owner Marcia Armstrong purchased several staddle stones, which are mushroom-shaped pedestals originally used to elevate grain bins to protect harvests from vermin. She also found a Georgian hanging corner cupboard, a Jacobean blanket chest and a large collection of small antiques.
Furniture sales were generally described as good. An Irish dealer in one of the aluminum-framed tents, which are permanently set up at the show grounds and called “marquees,” said he sold well and mostly to the foreign trade, both Europeans and Americans.
The Finishing Touch is a dealer from Hexham in Northumberland in the far north of England, very near Scotland. The firm’s inventory is furniture that has been restored to a fresh finish and then displayed in another marquee, which is shared with Hexham Antiques.
The show was somewhat affected by bad weather, although there are more than 1,000 dealers in enclosed spaces, some even heated. The English climate, even this far north, rarely has temperatures below freezing, but there is rain, so the inside spaces create an environment that encourages visitors to come in and shop. The George Stevenson Building is just about the size of an American football field and, for the show, can accommodate several hundred dealers. The promoter has given the space to dealers who generally will be at all six shows, thus in permanent spaces. This gives the buyers a way to find their regular sellers for their favorite specialty, such as brass candle sticks, porcelain or furniture.
Philip Dowding-Young, Lion House Antiques of Suffolk, has had the same space for several years offering furniture. His favorite piece at the most recent show was a Georgian architect’s desk and drafting table priced at about $7,500. Dowding-Young had several years ago kept a shop open in High Point, N.C.
At the back of the show grounds are several older buildings, including the Sheldon Building and the Crocker Building. Peter Scott from Bath was in the Sheldon Building, primarily dealing in early Staffordshire dishes. Not only does he exhibit at Newark, but he also comes to America for the Brimfield markets three times a year. His sales have not diminished. He said, “We’re still making a living at it.”
Among the dealers in these sites, there was one who had only silhouettes; another with Tartan ware and several who carry wooden boxes, such as tea caddies and lap desks. Specializing in some finite category of antiques is a frequently seen trend at Newark.
“The show has a worldwide popularity with sellers and buyers. We have inquiries all year from overseas buyers,” stated Yourston. He added, “We have been trying to assist them with money exchanges and onsite shippers and it seems to work for us. We also have a special lounge for the foreign visitors where they can sit, relax and regroup with tea or coffee.”
Show promoter dmg world media has a total of 22 fairs a year in the United Kingdom at four different locations. Newark is six times, with the next dates February 7-8 and April 3-4. For information, www.dmgantiquefairs.com or 011 44 163 670 2326.
