The Original Round Top Antiques Fair drew big crowds to this small Texas village for its April 1‴ events, which encompassed The Big Red Barn and Carmine Dance Hall antiques shows.
Franks Promotions, managed by Susan and Bo Franks, filled the Big Red Barn and its accompanying two tents in Round Top and the nearby Dance Hall in Carmine with early American and European antiques. After months of strong promotions to build the audience, visitors came in great numbers at the Wednesday morning opening of the popular show.
Busloads of shoppers from Houston and Dallas arrived, as well as visitors that flew from distant states and even several vanloads of tourists from China and Japan. The early morning crowds filled the front lots with cars, for more than 1,200 people waiting for the 9 am opening.
Thomas Hoke of Thomas Hoke Antiques Warehouse in Salisbury, N.C., was pleased with his weeklong efforts. Sales included five chests of drawers, Nineteenth Century painted furniture and many small antiques. “Susan Franks worked very hard to make the show even more than it was; she has built the gate up, fixed the facilities, added the air conditioned tents and made other good improvements to the show,” he said. His inventory is collected at estate sales in the states and also on his shopping trips to England at least twice a year.
A Queen Anne chest on stand was offered at $18,500 by Tom Farkas of Chagrin Falls, Ohio. He said it was walnut veneer on deal wood and in excellent original condition. His collection included many other early English hardwood plank and hardwood veneer pieces, targeting the market he has found at Round Top.
From Little Rock, Ark., Marshall Clements Antiques was offering an Eastern European gypsy cabinet, as they called it. About 6 feet tall, the top was mirrored doors in a cupboard over a work shelf, with more storage in drawers underneath; the surface was polychrome, painted in bright red, light red and white with painted chains of flowers and bright applied decorations; all for a price of $1,950.
David Drummond, Lititz, Penn., offered a dreamy bedroom suite with painted furniture in soft colors. Iron wall sconces, an upholstered wing chair in pastel stripes and an old maple work bench completed the scene.
Bearsville, N.Y., dealer Mario Pollo offered an exhibit of early Nineteenth Century furniture and great folk art. The center of his booth was filled with a tiger maple server from the late Federal period, a faux tiger maple stand and several other painted pieces. His walls had early folk art paintings and a Parcheesi game board.
Alex Acevedo was holding fort in two spaces, one in the Big Red Barn and another in a tent just outside the barn’s side entrance. Through his New York City business, Alexander Gallery, he has exhibited at some shows each year, but this was a first time for him in Texas. His inventory was, as he said, “some folk art and Americana I pulled from my warehouse for this show.” That was unusual, for his business most often comprises fine art, but it seemed to work for him as his sales were sufficient to consider a return in the future.
Bill and Kay Puchstein seem to be at more shows than just about anyone. During the March 28 weekend, they had a show in Central Florida, closing at 4 pm Sunday. They drove the 1,200 miles and were setting up their exhibit here Tuesday morning, which included a large assortment of early American pieces of furniture. Among their sales were a table, a set of chairs, a large blue cupboard and many small antiques.
Christopher English, West Palm Beach, Fla., was selling so well he had to keep rearranging his exhibit. He even sold his booth rug.
Louise Hargon was in the same position. When moving into the barn on Monday, she had some tables set on top of other tables and had to remove a few pieces in order to have room to move about the booth. By Thursday morning, this Baton Rouge, La., dealer’s furniture sales were so good that the removed pieces were brought back.
“A Welsh dresser, several chests of drawers, a couple of tables and a lot of lamps and smalls sold,” according to Craig Roth. He and his wife Michelle of St Francisville, La., are the owners of Avondale Antiques and have been exhibiting for several years. “Round Top has been good to us and we have signed up for the fall already.”
The show has dealers from all over the country. Mary Nyholm-Vidano and Cynthia Brooks are Boulder, Colo., residents who have been in the show for many years. Blue Dog Antiques, Stafford Springs, Conn., came because sales have been worth the effort. The dealers of Richmond House Antiques, Ashford, Conn., and Bob Daigle of Seekonk, Mass., drove together in a big box truck to do the show with early painted furniture and Nineteenth Century furniture as their combined collection.
Carmine Dance Hall seems as though it is a different show, with its location a few miles away, but it is where all the Round Top Antiques festivities began more than 40 years ago. About 20 dealers still prefer the small club setting for their selling venue.
Kentucky Sandpiper of Russellville, Ky., was in the dance hall with folk art and Americana. George’s Antiques, Atlanta, Ga., sells small antique iron and early lighting there. H. Karl Scharold from Houston specializes in early miniature furniture, especially for child’s play, rather than salesman’s samples.
Clifton House Antiques deals primarily in early English silver. Owner Jean Leach was particularly pleased with a letter box made of tortoiseshell with silver decoration, circa 1850, and priced at $3,000.
Dealers were generally pleased with the results of Franks’ efforts. Susan said, “We will continue with the strong promotion efforts so the public and dealers know what we have to offer here in Round Top. Look for us at Brimfield and other shows this summer, for we’re having too much fun to slow down.”
A summer antiques show at the barn only is planned for June 27′8, and the fall edition of the antiques fair will take place September 30⁏ctober 3. For information, www.roundtoptexasantiques.com or 512-237-4747.
