Green Mountain Antiques Show was on solid ground July 25′6 in spite of competition from many other popular New England area antiques shows that weekend with a full house of dealers and strong buying from a large audience. The show was first organized in 1996 by four antiques dealer couples as a charity event, raising money for a variety of organizations in central Vermont. The Dunns from Springfield, Stahuras from Reading, the Frasers from Chester and the Pills from Grafton were all sharing the workload to produce the show in late July at the high school in Chester. It was moved to Union Arena, the Woodstock ice rink, in 2003 where it has been thriving ever since with a full house of exhibitors, a big audience and very good sales of early Americana and decorative arts from the Seventeenth through Nineteenth Centuries.
The show this year brought out a great abundance of small antiques. For example, there were great hooked rugs on the walls of nearly half the exhibits. Lana Smith from Louisville, Ky., was showing a bright floral piece, roughly 2 by 4 feet, hanging from the walls that would qualify as folk art, as well as a floor covering. Another Louisville dealer, Robert Walker, had a life-size Scottie dog depicted on his wall hung hooked piece.
Kathy Schoemer and Michael and Lucinda Seward were sharing one exhibit area with a large geometric floral-designed piece as their principal backdrop. They had several more also mounted for sale. A setting hen was the subject of a small hooked mat offered by Period Antiques from Scottsburg, Ind. Dealers Tom and Rose Cheap had an excellent collection of American primitives as well.
Antiques at 30B is one shop in Cambridge, N.Y., shared by two dealers at this show. The Sherwoods are collectors of folk art and early home furnishings that have some cute or curious twist. For example, in their display a sign from a painting contractor was surrounded by a kaleidoscope of paint brushes. The Ferrises had a collection of painted furniture and boxes sitting beneath a barn gable vent.
Sales were generally good for the weekend. Henry T. Callan, a Sandwich, Mass., collector and dealer, sold a sampler that was originally from East Corinth, Vt., and more specifically from the home that was this reporter’s for much of the Twentieth Century. Easter Hill Antiques is the name of the East Corinth house, but the sampler was from about 1810, somewhat before my time. The buyer has been building a collection of Vermont samplers and considered this a great addition to his collection.
Stoneblock Antiques, Vergennes, Vt., was selling big and little antiques. The owner, Greg Hamilton, said “the show was moving several pieces of furniture and a good deal of smalls.”
Robert Walker Antiques, the Kentucky dealer, has been faithful to the show for several years, reporting that this year he sold several quilts, a still life painting, some Chinese Export dishes and a good Kazak rug. While it was not the best he has ever done at Green Mountain, he said, “the sales total and the cross section of merchandise were putting it at perhaps the second highest total I have had.”
More furniture sold here than has been seen at most shows in the last six months, according to a group of dealers in discussion Sunday morning. Marilyn Bierylo, Falcon’s Roost Antiques of Grantham, N.H., said she sold the valuable corner cupboard in her collection. Nancy Stahura, Mill Brook Antiques and one of the show organizers, sold a painted shelf and an apothecary along with some small antiques. Easter Hill Antiques, Sharon Conn., sold several rugs and valuable smalls.
Gordon Converse was there from Strathmore, Penn., with several remarkable clocks and a collection of early Pennsylvania furniture. Branford House Antiques, Brandon, Vt., specializes in early office machines †mechanical, not electric †which, when they are sold, are in working order. Halliday House came to the show from Napa Valley, Calif., with folk art, outsider art and some things that were just plain fun, such as the Ferro Wheel gambling device.
Jim and Elizabeth Dunn, also part of the show organization, offered some of their Staffordshire Bocage figurines. The other organizers of the show, Bob and Mary Fraser, were there with a large room setting from their shop. The Pills were unable to attend this year.
The show takes place only once a year, but it is a companion to the Dunns’ other shows, Bromley Mountain Antiques Show on the weekend of October 3 and Cabin Fever Antiques Show in February. For information, 802-885-3705.
