The Redo by Colleen, Belvidere, N.J., and Easton, Penn.
Review & Onsite Photos by Carly Timpson
PHILLIPSBURG, N.J. — Despite hot weather, the Warren County Antiques Show & Vintage Marketplace was the place to be on August 24 and 25. A long line of shoppers wove through the parking lot on Saturday morning, each eager to be among the first to assess the merchandise offered by 100 dealers in booths sprawled across the several buildings, pavilions and fields of the Warren County Fairgrounds. This year, the show welcomed several food vendors serving Portuguese barbecue, refreshing popsicles and kettle corn.
Following the show, co-manager Chris Beatty reported, “It’s our 18th year and there have been good years and not so good years. Melva (Sterlacci) and I have stuck with it because we love it! This year, attendance was off slightly, compared to last year. There were 100 antique dealers in attendance. The weather helps our show, and it turned out great this year. The dealers, attendees, workers and everyone involved in this show are very nice. It brings a great atmosphere to spend a day in the country. What drives us to do the show is the joy that is brought, customers finding the right treasure, vendors having the avenue to offer them… And just spending the day learning about history and collecting. The smiles are our best reward!”
One of the first booths guests found upon entering the show was that of Oxford Earthen Ware, Oxford, N.J. The urgency and excitement of the event was foretold by a small line forming with shoppers waiting to make purchases just a few minutes after the gates opened. Showgoers pored over earthenware crocks and jugs, quilts and mirrors and the proprietors were quick to busy themselves with fielding questions, wrapping objects and writing receipts.
Rae Tamashausky, Oxford Earthen Ware, Oxford, N.J.
Across the way was My Mother’s Stuff, Summit, N.J. Following the show, owner Nancy Percent, who said she has been exhibiting there “for years,” reported, “I honestly believe this is one of the best and most well-attended antique shows in New Jersey. It has become a yearly tradition for the vendors and customers alike. I saw so many familiar faces! As you know, my booth was right by the entrance, and my husband and I had so much fun watching people walk out with their purchases! Small furniture and country baskets, old wooden forks and ladders, beautiful paintings, flowers, you name it, we saw it! It is always a wonderfully diverse, high-quality antiques show, and this year, the picture-perfect weather was icing on the cake.”
Next to her was Mary Donnelly of Sussex County, N.J. Donnelly brought an assortment of items including sheet music, instruments — guitars, a violin, a banjo, etc. — flags, tools, books, holiday items and sports equipment.
Returning to the show for their second year, Frank and Ronni Stroessenreuther of Frank’s Rough Cut, Belvidere, N.J., brought their trailer camper, aesthetically stocked like a small boutique store, and filled the “campsite” with an assortment of vintage goods, including several embroidered works, chairs and baskets. Ronni said they had “A little bit of handmade, some vintage and we also carry candles from Easton Candle Co., which are made right over the river in Easton, Penn.”
Ronni and Frank Stroessenreuther are Frank’s Rough Cut. Their sprawling and eclectic stand was anchored by a trailer, artfully set-up as a traveling shop. Belvidere, N.J.
When Doris Blankley of Finders Keepers Antiques, Washington, N.J., was asked about her booth, she replied, “I have everything — actually, I have two of everything!” What’s everything? Sets of dishes, silverware, cookware, figurines, lamps, glass, irons and furniture. Blankley has been a dealer at the Warren County show for 12 years and keeps coming back.
Blankley’s booth neighbor was Deborah Butler of Hampton, N.J. This was Butler’s second year and she reported, “It’s a great show, so I’m back. They get so many people here and the crowd is huge.” To satisfy that huge crowd, she brought paintings, posters, decoys, Pyrex and other cookware, furniture and baskets.
Several first-timers reported having good shows and are already looking forward to next year’s show.
Sean Collison of Secaucus, N.J., brought books, flatware, magazines, games, collectibles, advertising and local ephemera. Though it was early in the day when we caught up with him, he said that people, both the organizers and the shoppers, were very nice. Joe Mevo, Ridgefield, N.J., works with a company that helps move people into independent living communities. The job includes helping them furnish their new homes, but sometimes not all of their well-loved items can fit in the space. Mevo said he buys these items and tries to find them a new home where they will be just as loved. Some of the examples he had with him were porcelain, wooden sculptures, paintings, dish sets and glassware.
This vintage candy press came from a store in Westfield, N.J., and the dealer purchased it from the store’s owner when it closed. CBGB Vintage Antiques, Scotch Plains, N.J.
CBGB Vintage Antiques, Scotch Plains, N.J., were also dealing for the first time. They said, “This morning’s been good. We’re very happy with the crowds!” About an hour into the show, they reported sales including a pair of wrought-iron planters, a Midcentury flower holder and some Murano glass mushrooms. Vintage clothing, jewelry, a pair of skis and an antique candy press from a local candy shop were also in their booth.
Susie from Vintage Goods to Go, Frenchtown, N.J., was also making her first appearance at the Warren County Antiques Show. While she focuses primarily on vintage clothing, she also offered an assortment of other vintage goods to help fill the space. What was selling the best? Art, tchotchkes, kitchen items and purses were hot items on Saturday morning.
Though it was Smalltown Antiques’ first show, they had no shortage of crowds or merchandise. Just a few hours into the first day, the Flanders, N.J., dealers reported numerous successful transactions. Their offerings included advertising signs and objects, breweriana, trade figures, stained glass panels, sculptures, glass bottles, sewing machines, instruments, lighting fixtures, stoneware, mirrors and so much more.
Kevin Lawrence, The Southern Gent, Easton, Penn.
Kevin Lawrence, who sells under the name The Southern Gent (Easton, Penn.), had one of the more aesthetically intriguing booths at the show, due in part to his botanical artistry and the lived-in feel of his setup. As he said himself, “I carry a very eclectic assortment of items. I’m not married to any one particular style or period, I simply buy things that I’d like to have in my own home, then style them in a way that customers can see how they might work in their own homes. My show stalls are set up with well curated vignettes and always feature really good lighting and backdrops, rugs and temporary walls, creating individual rooms and spaces.” He noted that the furniture in his booth is usually just for display, but it was “actually selling quite well.” In an email following the show, he reported, “I made several good sales. Some of my favorite items sold were an Eighteenth Century Queen Anne server, two Nineteenth Century Windsor chairs and a Nineteenth Century small occasional table. We also sold several pieces of antique pottery, some really nice antique silver pieces and dozens of our always popular fresh potted topiaries, as well as several bunches of our bespoke dried flowers.” It was his first time at Warren County Antiques Show, but he plans on returning.
Another stunning booth was that of The Redo by Colleen, Easton, Penn., and Belvidere, N.J. Set up outdoors under a large tent, the display combined Colleen Beviss’ love for antiques and interior design, with each item displayed stylishly to accentuate another. After the show, Beviss shared, “Saturday was a very good day for us, sales were way up from last year and everyone was so kind. Sunday was a slower day; I would say about the same as last year’s sales on Sunday.” She has been attending the show for three years now and considers it to be a “hidden gem with really great items and lovely dealers with a wealth of knowledge.” This year, she brought “a plethora of items, vintage leather trunks, furniture, crocks, ironstone, pictures, cement statues, vintage luggage — a little bit of everything!” Continuing, she added, “I always like to know the story behind the pieces I buy, they aren’t just items to me, they are a piece of history, so all of these pieces are very well-loved.”
These highly detailed World War I artillery shells were examples of what David Morua called “trench art.” Many had images of flowers or plants, which he said were symbolic, corresponding to different units. Mount Arlington, N.J.
Most dealers bring a variety of merchandise, but some stick to their specialty. One such dealer was David Morua, Mount Arlington, N.J. His field? World War I trench art. That is not to say there is no variety in his offerings. While etched artillery shells were his dominant stock, he had other militaria relating to WWI, including medals, knives and helmets. According to Morua, these 100-year-old repurposed artworks were symbolic, with “different flowers signifying different units.”
While visiting Jacque Greene’s booth, a shopper chimed in: “She has fun things at very reasonable prices!” Greene thanked the shopper and commented, “I do get repeat customers, so it’s a fun challenge for me to have what they might be looking for.” The Branchville, N.J., dealer has been doing the show for 12 years and stocked her booth with a diverse mix, including baskets, a sled, glassware, porcelain, vinyl records, silver, quilts and books.
Stephen Jenkins of Point Pleasant, N.J., has been exhibiting here for “at least five years” and he said, “it’s a good show, there’s good people and a good variety of merchandise.” Some of the variety he offered included a substantial collection of cast iron cookware from Griswold and Wagner, vintage phones, several boxes of assorted keys, wooden crates, glassware and tin containers and other vintage packaging. While we were speaking, he paused to write up a receipt for a customer who beelined toward an iridescent frilled glass plate.
Impressively, many of these crates and sacks retained their original decoration. Stephen Jenkins, Point Pleasant, N.J.
Plenty of dealers brought things for folks looking for novelty items and collectibles. Vic Lo Bue (Hasbrouck Heights, N.J.) and his booth neighbor Lucian Ciulla (Bergen County, N.J.) filled their spaces with collectibles from movie posters, John Deere toys and advertising products, collectible cars and trucks, dolls, novelty glassware, Precious Moments figurines, breweriana and plenty of iconic branded items such as a large Campbells soup can. Ciulla shared that he had been coming to the show for five years, saying, “It’s a good antiques show, I wish it happened more than once a year.”
VintageWhatnots, Milford, N.J., make most of their sales through online platforms like Etsy, but this is their second time setting up a booth at the Warren County show. They too filled their tables and shelves with novelty items and collectibles. Many small collectibles were in bins, including one bin entirely filled with Smurfs miniatures. Other merchandise included Trolls dolls, various products with film and television characters, vintage McDonald’s Happy Meal toys, children’s books, puzzles, soda advertising products and sheets of stickers. There were also some colorful kitchen items, as practical as they were fun. When asked about their experience at the show, they reported, “It’s our second year, we used to shop but now we set up a booth. Right now, people are drawn to holiday items, especially Halloween.”
Holiday items were also a prevalent theme in Tori Hill’s booth. The Chester, N.J., dealer appeared to have used the holidays as an organizational strategy in her booth, with Halloween and Christmas each having their own prominent space. Items from those categories sold well, but Hill reported that patriotic or Fourth of July-related objects were also getting attention. Non-holiday items in her booth included Staffordshire and Welsh porcelain, vegetable majolica and an assortment of small toys and figures.
Halloween, Christmas and patriotic items were apparent favorites in the booth of Tori Hill, Chester, N.J.
Postcard collectors could find their treasures in the neighboring booths of Wolf Creek Paper Antiques (Madison, N.J.) and Mountain Ice Antiques (Warwick, N.Y.). Michael and Benita Shor are Wolf Creek Paper Antiques. Like other dealers, they reported that items relating to Halloween were selling well at the show. Most of their postcards were carefully cataloged in labeled boxes to sift through, but a few selections were highlighted on upright racks. Each of these racks seemed to have a theme, including cats and dogs, pinup models and travel. Across the way, Mountain Ice Antiques was run by Stephen and Marcela Gross, who have been dealing at this show for 14 years. Along with them this year was their dog, Rosie who proved to be an excellent employee. Stephen shared, “It’s been great. People are coming out and they are spending money.” And what were they spending money on? “Postcards, bottles, Worlds Fair ephemera, breweriana…a little of everything actually!”
Glenn and Judy McKenzie were first time dealers, but they’re no strangers to the show. “We’ve been coming for years, though this is our first time setting up a booth. It’s been great this morning and we’ve seen a lot of people we know,” the Blairstown, N.J., dealers reported. Their booth was filled to the brim with a wide range of goods such as weathervanes, windchimes, paintings, Beanie Babies, decoys, license plates, glass, fireplace items, ceramics and furniture.
Next to the McKenzies was Katherine Hallenborg of Georgian Interiors, Summit, N.J. A five- or six-year veteran of the show, her booth included a variety of framed art including small folk art pieces, silhouettes, paintings and needlepoint samplers. She also had a smaller assortment of ceramic animals, a few cowbells, animal boot scrapers and door stops, dishes and other small items.
Needlepoint samplers, miniature portraits and silhouettes filled one of the tables in Katherine Hallenborg’s booth. Summit, N.J.
Jeff and Linda Rubens, of Princeton, N.J., are Stone & Wares. They specialize in country and primitive works such as crates, baskets and buckets, weathervanes, chairs and tools — they even had a few teddy bears. Jeff, who said they had been dealing at this show for five years, shared “The weather has been great — sales too!” Then, gesturing to his booth, he added, “We have a passion for all of this and we love to share it with others.”
The date of the 2025 show has not yet been announced. For more information, www.warrencountyantiqueshow.com or 908-343-5873.
