Just outside of the Mill Building this tent housed a few additional dealers.

Review & Onsite Photos by Kiersten Busch

SCHOHARIE, N.Y. — Rain was pouring down on the morning of May 31, the opening day of Spring Antiques in Schoharie, a biannual two-day country-based antiques show hosted by the Schoharie Colonial Heritage Association (SCHA) in support of the Schoharie Valley Railroad Museum and the 1743 Palatine House Museum. The wet weather, however, did not stop the SCHA’s loyal supporters from showing up and shelling out, with a heavy stream of attendees popping umbrellas and donning rain boots to travel between the various tents and buildings on the grounds of the Schoharie Valley Railroad Museum Complex, the Spring show’s temporary new venue.

“Usually, the show is in March or April, but because [Schoharie Central School, the usual venue] is under construction, we had to relocate here,” said Jim Kerr, of Cavern View Antiques in Howes Cave, N.Y., who, with his wife Mara, were helping show organizer Ruth Ann Wilkinson over the weekend. Although a lack of air conditioning was a running joke throughout the morning, the change of venue was not all that bad; it’s the location of Fall Antiques in Schoharie, so many returning dealers and attendees were already familiar with the Complex’s layout for the show.

The majority of dealers were located in the John Fain Lumber Mill & Storage Building, while additional participants found a home for the weekend in tents set up directly outside of the Mill Building. The John Fain Weigh Station & Coal Business Office was also open for attendees to peruse through, as was the Original Borden’s Creamery Building, where show manager Ruth Anne Wilkinson was overseeing the “Country Kitchen” all day, serving up hot food for dealers and showgoers alike, in addition to her various other managerial duties.

One of the seven attractions at the Schoharie Valley Railroad Museum Complex, the John Fain Lumber Mill & Storage Building housed the majority of this year’s dealers.

Walking up the front steps of the Mill Building, you’d be immediately greeted by the booth of Nancy Toomer of Niskayuna, N.Y. Operating under the name House of Rose Antiques, Toomer has been participating in the spring Schoharie show for 27 years, although she mostly does estate sales otherwise. “This was the very first show I ever did. I remember carrying a trunk up the stairs over there, to our booth in the attic,” she said, gesturing to the set of stairs leading upwards where Jim Brooks of Catnap Books had part of his offerings on display. At the time, House of Rose Antiques was a mother-daughter business, with Nancy and her mother, Rose, continuing the legacy of her antique-loving father. Now, Toomer continues the tradition herself, offering an array of glass, china, vintage toys, jewelry, artwork and tools: “my very favorite are tools,” she said with a smile. However, Toomer was particularly excited to show off a few Victorian punch cards that she had on offer, including one that read “With Joy We Greet You,” which a customer was getting ready to purchase, along with a set of pencil figure drawings.

The Kerrs acted as the guiding force within the Mill Building and they reported doing well despite the rain. “Everyone has been anxious and ready,” Jim said happily of the attendees. So far, so good, he seemed to think, as he added, “We’ve already sold all the great things in the booth. It has been busy. It helped that we had three good house calls before this.” Though the Kerrs brought a lot of country items — with a focus on tables and stools of all shapes and sizes — to the show, their specialty is actually white ironstone, which had its own display in the far-left corner of their booth.

In addition to helping show manager Ruth Anne Wilkinson, Jim and Mara Kerr also operated a booth in the Mill Building, offering a plethora of country items and primitives, along with their signature white ironstone, pictured in the back left corner. Cavern View Antiques, Howes Cave, N.Y.

After the show, Jim shared with us, “We had a successful show with our blended offerings of Nineteenth Century ceramics (including our usual selection of antique white ironstone china), country furniture and accessories, glassware, silverplate and general vintage antiques. We did hear from some of our customers that it was the first time for them coming to the show. And, we enjoyed seeing and chatting with our many repeat customers!”

Across the way from the Kerrs was Mark Wheaton, who has been attending both iterations of the Schoharie show since 1977. Wheaton came with a selection of country and decorative items; he’s also fond of folk art and brings it along with him to shows when he can, but explained that, in this day and age, it’s getting more difficult to find. When asked what his favorite item in the booth was, after a minute, Wheaton decided on a decorative iron piece from the Eighteenth or early Nineteenth Century that featured a repeating heart design, which he said was his “most decorative piece.”

Just before Wheaton’s and the Kerrs’ booths, a small anteroom housed a cozy bedroom display full of primitives, set up in a joint effort by Fred and Pat Heisler of Tavern Antiques, Smithville Flats, N.Y., and Mary Jane Breedlove of Ballston Lake, N.Y. Longtime friends, the Heislers and Breedlove have been showing together at Schoharie for “years and years,” Breedlove said. Besides their camaraderie, the consistent customers keep them coming back: “We do well, we sell well. It’s a good country show; the venue is beautiful,” Breedlove explained. She was happy to report that a circa 1830s painting of a gentleman had sold just after the show’s commencement that morning. Besides her primitives, Breedlove was also excited to offer a selection of textiles and linens, which she doesn’t usually have on hand.

Maureen Poulin, A Feathered Nest Antiques, Esperance, N.Y., specializes in vintage Christmas, but her favorite item was this institutional table, most likely from a science lab, which is acting as a shelf for the various boxes, trinkets and advertisement on top of it in this photo.

“I’m usually the manager at Black Sheep Antique Center — but not today!” joked Maureen Poulin, who is also the owner of her own personal business, A Feathered Nest Antiques. With a specialty in primitives and vintage Christmas — “but more feminine and whimsical,” she added with a smile — the Esperance, N.Y.-based dealer has been attending the show for 24 years. “I’m like five minutes away from here,” she explained, “and I like the people who run it!” Although eager to talk about her precious Christmas items, of which there were many, Poulin chose an institutional table that was most likely from a science lab as her favorite item in the booth. “It has all these ink wells on it. The top was refinished, but the bottom is original.” After we mused over its beauty, Poulin joked, “I hope it sells!”

At the other end of the Mill Building, Catnap Books had a display that would catch any readers’ eye; books of all genres were stacked high on multiple shelves, and historic memorabilia and ephemera were categorized neatly in bins. Owner Jim Brooks explained that while at Schoharie he usually brings more antique and historical books, he also sells general stock in his shop, located in Cobleskill, N.Y. “I’ve been doing the spring show for about 30 years,” he said. “It’s a good show to do, and it’s usually well attended. There’s a lot of local history around here, and a lot of people who care about that usually come through.” Speaking of local history, Brooks had a selection of Schoharie and Mohawk Valley, N.Y., history books on offer, displayed neatly on the center table in his booth; he also had a signed Tasha Tudor book.

Jack-of-all-trades Tom Gage (left), Great Barrington, Mass., finalizing the sale of some early powder horns (pictured on glass-top box), a sword and a carved cup that this customer had put aside earlier in the morning.

Traveling from Great Barrington, Mass., was Tom Gage, who has attended the spring show as a dealer for around 10 years. He expressed his satisfaction with the change in venue, saying, “I like this venue better than the school.” For Gage, the atmosphere and setting of the Mill Building made him even more excited to be there. A self-proclaimed jack-of-all-trades, Gage was offering spurs, glass, antique swords, watches, bird and fish decoys, knives and antique powder horns: “I just sold one for a lot of money,” he said happily. He admits that the knowledgeable customers keep him coming back to Schoharie every year, like the one he was making a sale with as we ended our conversation. The gentleman in question was purchasing a few early carved powder horns, a carved cup and a Civil War-era sword from Gage.

Walking out of the back of the Mill Building — and popping that trusty umbrella — a large tent was set up to host a few additional dealers. However, there was also a row of individual tents for those with slightly bigger collections. At the very end of this small row was Freight House Antiques & Vintage, a first-time dealer at Schoharie. “We’re doing well, despite the rain. It’s been decent with the crowd,” owner Donald Champney told us. Self-proclaimed generalists, the Epsom, N.H.-based business deals in “very interesting things,” joked Champney. This included two typewriters from The Oliver Typewriter Company, one made in the 1920s and the other from the 1930s. What made them so unique? Champney had us press down on the keys, demonstrating that the arms connected to the keys came down from the sides of the typewriter, instead of the middle. “They’re a good eye catcher,” he said.

A collection of fishing traps from Chris Wilkinson, Cobleskill, N.Y.

Next, we moved from the small tents to the larger, main one, where approximately eight or nine additional dealers were weathering out the storm. This included Chris Wilkinson from Cobleskill, N.Y., who brought an array of antique fish traps, iron tools and a colorful display of fishing lures, suspended in the air so that customers were able to see every detail on each example. Across the way from Wilkinson was Treasure Hunters, run by Dave Ryan. Along with some vintage tin toys, the Schenectady, N.Y.-based dealer offered vintage motor oil cans and a “Yellow Taxi” light and driver’s cap, among other eclectic items.

This “Bee” met another “bee” — The “Auntique” Bee of Amsterdam, N.Y., which is run by longtime dealer Betsy Martin. “I’m really surprised to see so many people, despite the weather,” she observed. “I suppose people are just tired of sitting at home!” Although cold and huddled up in a blanket, Martin was chipper as anything, and happy to speak about her experience and offerings. She mostly does shows, participating in five to six in the New York State area per year. Her collection? “It’s eclectic,” she shared. “If it’s different, I’ll buy it and try to sell it.” “Eclectic” really was the name of the game, as Martin’s booth had a dollhouse on display next to a Christmas pine arrangement with red cardinal decorations, which sat behind a porcelain tea set and some Staffordshire plates; there were also handheld American flags scattered throughout the booth. “I got my free dessert, so it must be 10 years,” Martin joked about how long she’d been coming to the Spring show, referencing Ruth Anne Wilkinson’s time-honored tradition of offering dealers a free slice of pie if they’d showed for 10 years or more.

Inside the main tent, antiques weren’t the only thing on offer. Van-Dale Farms, Central Bridge, N.Y., was serving up fresh, bottled honey, honeycombs and “honeystix” candies, for those who wanted a sweet treat while browsing. They also offered a variety of beeswax candles. Located right inside the back entrance to the tent, many attendees — and dealers! — stopped to ask questions, taste samples and grab information about the farm’s various products.

Located in Central Bridge, N.Y., Van-Dale Farms was serving up fresh jarred honey, honeycomb and homemade “honeystix” flavored candies; they were proud to share that they had won Best Honey Product at this year’s Empire State Entrepreneur Expo.

At the end of the weekend, show manager Ruth Anne Wilkinson reported: “Dealers for the most part were pleased with their business. And the ‘Country Kitchen,’ with its homemade food menu, had good sales each day as always.”

Jim Kerr added, “Both the venue change and time of year for the show this time did have some impact on the number of dealers able to participate and folks attending. Despite the rain, most of Saturday and the ever-changing sun/rain weather on Sunday, attendance was good for the weekend overall.”

The SCHA’s Fall Antiques in Schoharie show and sale will take place from September 27-28 at the same location. For more information, www.schoharieheritage.org.