The Greenlawn-Centerport Historical Association was the beneficiary of the 29th Greenlawn Antiques Show at Harborfields High School February 23 and 24. With about 70 dealers exhibiting, the show gives strong support to the historical association’s activities.
The association, chartered in 1976, now owns two of the oldest buildings in town. Association President Russell Vollmer said the money raised supports the restoration and maintenance of their buildings, and contributes to other, primarily educational, programs.
Dealers at this year’s show were generally pleased with their sales as the attendance was above last year’s totals, and serious visitors were looking at the items on offer. Formerly from Long Island and now residing in Montpelier, Vt., George Johnson was very busy over the weekend with more than 40 transactions. Johnson said, “The sales were not the big, expensive things, but even so, we sold a lot of less expensive items, generally priced from about $25 to $40 each.”
Nancy Kaplan is The Frame Lady from Mount Sinai, N.Y., with a collection that is virtually just that †frames. There were wooden frames and metal; big frames and little frames; early frames, Nineteenth Century frames and some later Art Deco from the Twentieth Century. Kaplan has some other small antiques, but her business is frames, no doubt about it.
Jane and Gerry Enokson, J&G Antiques of Amityville, N.Y., were offering Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century furniture with original surfaces in most cases. There was a lift top blanket chest, also called a mule chest, in original faux grain paint with red underpaint in the front of their display. Next to it was a blue painted tall cupboard and several early mahogany pieces, Federal and Regency designs and periods.
An oak Hoosier kitchen cupboard was offered by Ira Levy of Brooklyn, N.Y. This exhibitor also had a Canterbury, or carousel, from a hardware store. This is an octagonal cupboard on swivel base, with about ten small drawers in each of the three rows across, on all four sides. It stood nearly 4 feet tall.
Another dealer with furniture from early American times was Stephanie Granberg. This Hicksville, N.Y., dealer sold several pieces of furniture, including a miniature blanket chest and an Eighteenth Century tea table.
There were two dealers from Maryland: Christopher Evans Antiques, Myersville, offering a collection of early American furniture, including a large corner cupboard, Pennsylvania in origin, made of tiger maple with other woods in the trimmings. Jean Herlihy Antiques, from Frederick, brought a collection of small antique decorator accessories. Her sales included an oil on canvas portrait of a woman.
Two dealers were sharing an oversize space in the show; Pork Barrel Antiques and Hands All Around, both from Port Jefferson, N.Y. The center piece of their display was a Connecticut tall case clock in faux grain paint to simulate mahogany. Made by R. Whiting of Winchester, Conn., about 1820, it featured wooden works and was priced at $3,850.
Rug dealers Farrah and Soheil “Sammy” Sasanian take an oversized space in the back of one of the various rooms of the high school. This gives them a very big area to show their extensive collection of antique Persian rugs. Soheil has an especially large collection of early tribal pieces and did sell several at the show. Since they are from the nearby Huntington Antiques Center, they also feel the show is good publicity for their shop.
Many dealers at the show are highly specialized. From East Quogue, N.Y., Nicholas DiBenedetto carries a good supply of early furniture and art, but he also had a large collection of Nineteenth Century cast iron doorstops in original paint.
Paula Cohen, Brooklyn, N.Y., has been collecting and trading in ironstone dishes and art pottery for many years. Setauket, N.Y., dealer and collector Pat Mears was offering her inventory of fine early linens.
The show is an all-volunteer operation with even the temporary walls erected by the historical association’s friends. Each year there is some minor variation on the dates for the show, to accommodate the school’s needs for its gymnasium and cafeteria.
Information about the association’s other programs and next year’s show can be found at www.gcha.info or, mornings only, 631-754-1180.
