Scott Antiques Market at its first show of the year, January 10‱3, was overflowing with antiques and shoppers at the Atlanta Expo Center. This market that takes place every second weekend of the month throughout the year draws visitors not only from its hometown of Atlanta but also from throughout the South and even some shoppers from distant parts of the country. At the latest show there were sales to visitors who made the weekend visit for other events in the city, including the Falcons football game and the Gift Mart, which was conducted the same week.
Filling the 3,000 spaces were about 2,000 exhibitors offering antiques from throughout the world. Continental and European antiques were there in great quantity, with Americana also available. The show is vast, and there are many dealers offering later merchandise in vintage and Twentieth Century styles as well.
At this recent show, the new policy of no early buying was believed by many to be a spark for new enthusiasm with the buyers. This change meant no shoppers could gain entrance until all of the dealers had unloaded at 1 pm on Thursday.
Gail Canady, Amelia Island, Fla., has been exhibiting at the market every month for more than 20 years with her collection of early furniture. She specializes in Southern hardwood pieces, and this month she chose to bring a North Carolina walnut corner cupboard, circa 1830‴0, which was displayed in the front corner of her space. Next to it was a large mahogany sideboard, which she said was also Southern. Her sales included several small tables and a library-style desk.
Buyers at the show come from everywhere, including other countries. Ray Tomlinson is from Yorkshire, England. He comes to work with another exhibiting dealer and he also shops. This month, by Sunday he had spent a great deal for antiques he planned to take to England for resale, many of which had originated in the United Kingdom. One purchase he had been eyeing since the opening on Thursday afternoon was a pair of globes, one terrestrial, the other celestial, offered by Litchfield, Conn., dealer American Stars. The globes were about 10 inches in diameter, in fair condition with original stands and, according to the maker’s title block, made in 1803. The terrestrial globe’s label further stated that it was made based upon “the journey of the late Captain Cook.”
Pedro Pablo Martinez travels from Buenos Aires, Argentina, each winter for a variety of shows, with Scott Antiques Market prominent on the list. His collection includes fine art from artists throughout the world, small sculptures and jewelry.
Sonny Ideker, bookseller from Atlanta, was exhibiting in the North Building. The sales were both early esoteric English language volumes and some in other languages.
Early firearms, most using black powder, were the inventory for Axe Antiques. Bob Axelrod, the firm’s owner from Charlotte, N.C., has been a frequent exhibitor with antique firearms and some other early weapons.
English and Continental furniture is popular at this monthly event, so much so that many of the exhibitors shop overseas frequently enough to have large inventories. Stephen Postans, Sarasota, Fla., was showing his collection in the portico of the North Building. He frequently returns to his home country of England and also to the continent for more additions to his inventory. Athens Classical Antiques, Athens, Ga., shops in Europe and in the United States for early hardwood furniture and some smalls as well.
Chandlers International Auctions and Estate Sales, Winston-Salem, N.C., shop everywhere the owners travel in order to gather a large inventory of early furniture and smalls. This month their collection included a pair of matching corner cupboards in mahogany, a pair of early Sheraton sofas and a Duncan Phyfe-style banquet table. The Chandlers also conducted an onsite auction on Thursday evening in front of the North Building with an expanded collection of early furniture.
Elsie Maloy trades as A Victorian Cowgirl, from Cleveland, Ga. Her inventory was quickly depleted this weekend from the stock of late Nineteenth Century painted furniture. Susan Goldsweig, Yonkers, N.Y., was selling folk art and Outsider art. Randy Manula, owner of the Style Shop from New Hartford, Conn., sold a good supply of the jewelry he carried.
The variety of things to be found at the Scott Show is seen in its roster of dealers †Historical Americana is an Atlanta-area dealer in early flags and pennants; White Rose Linens from Harriman, Tenn., sells early linens for the dining table and some for the bedroom; Andrew Ford Art and Antiques, Sarasota, Fla., specializes in fine art he finds in Florida and some other sources; Melissa Henley, Charleston, S.C., makes a living from small antiques, including silver and early fine dishes. Small antique boxes used for tea and other keepsakes made from exotic hardwoods, such as mahogany and rosewood, are the specialty of the Box Show in Atlanta.
Don Scott remarked that he has seen an increase in “&⁹oung people shopping at the show in recent months. They come here looking for something to take away, even if they haven’t decided what they want before they arrive.” His point was the shoppers are back, coming to his show ready to find something to buy, whether it is a sofa, a table or some small antique accessory.
This show, one of the largest in the nation, is conducted the second weekend of every month, starting Thursday at 1 pm until 6 pm; Friday and Saturday, 9 am to 6 pm; and Sunday, 10 am to 4 pm. For information, www.scottantiquemarket.com or 740-569-9700. During the shows, the number at the Atlanta Expo Centers is 404-361-2000.
