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New York City

Stella's Pier Show Finds Buyers and Dealers in Upbeat Mood

by Ed Pfeiffer

This is a story about an antiques show that never would have happened except for the tragedies of September 11. It is hoped that the show is a sign that the worst days are past, that the antiques field, at least in New York City, is coming back to something approaching normal, and that better times are on the horizon.

Although it is a familiar tale, let's back up a bit to trace the show's origins. For some years, veteran show manager Irene Stella has been recognized for her impressive events held on the cavernous passenger liner piers along the Hudson River on Manhattan's West Side. Built as docking places for gigantic ocean liners like the QE2, they are long, high-ceilinged, big-windowed places ideally suited for aisles of antiques dealer spaces. The success of the Stella pier shows has demonstrated the point.

Five years ago, the Stella firm decided to stage pier shows in January, timed to coincide with Americana Week in New York City. Centered on the prestigious week-long Winter Antiques Show at the Seventh Regiment Armory and major Americana sales at Christie's and Sotheby's, the week is a national and international magnet for anyone seriously interested in high-end antiques or collectibles. Stella was already staging the Antiques at the Other Armory show in the 69th Regiment Armory at 26th and Lexington on the opening weekend of Americana Week. In 1998, they began bracketing Americana Week with the Antiques at the Other Armory show on the opening weekend and a new Americana at the Piers show a week later.

The situation changed a bit in 2000 when the Winter Antiques Show opened a week later than usual, and Stella, not able to move its dates on the piers, wound up with a separate but, in fact, quite successful freestanding event. Because of the availability of dates at the piers, the same thing happened in 2001. At that point, Irene Stella says, she decided not to do January pier shows linked to Americana Week but, instead, to do one in December. So a show was booked and promoted for Piers 88 and 90 in December 2001.

As it did to so many other planned events in Manhattan, the September terrorist attack changed all that. The New York City Office of Emergency Management's crisis center, located on the 23rd floor of a building across the street from the World Trade Center towers, was destroyed. The center was then moved to a hastily prepared base on Pier 92. Piers 88 and 90, just to the south, were cordoned off within a security zone, and Stella's December pier show was canceled.

At the urging of dealers, Irene Stella said, an alternate event was put on in November at the Garden State Convention and Exhibition Center in Somerset, New Jersey. While she feels the venue was an attractive and workable location, the show, understandably, did not fully replace the pier event.

The situation began to change for the better in late December when the piers were again made available for commercial use. Stella Show Management quickly booked the first available weekend, January 26 and 27, coincidentally the end of Americana Week. Even though the show was put together in record time, the result was, to say the least, a remarkably successful event.

Some 348 dealers signed up to participate, about 20 more than last January's pier show, Irene Stella reported. Attendance numbers also soared. On the first day, there were 6300 paid admissions. It was so many, according to Leanne Stella, the firm's president, that the pier management considered closing the doors in midafternoon for safety reasons. Fortunately, it was never quite necessary to do that. The next day the turnout was lighter in the morning but began building around noon and climbed through the rest of the day until the paid gate reached 3400. For the overall weekend, that meant a total paid attendance of some 9700, nearly doubling the comparable figure in 2001, Irene Stella reported.

Dealers were, of course, delighted with the turnout, especially because they had been cut off from the marketplace when many shows were canceled in late 2001. Their comments about the January pier show were uniformly very upbeat, and nearly all reported strong sales results.

Laura Haller of After Five Antiques, Mt. Kisco, New York, said traffic on Saturday had been so strong that people "could hardly move in the aisles." She had sold an Aesthetic style card table for $1500, a set of four Arts and Crafts chairs for $1500, and many smalls, including pillows, picture frames, and china.

Barbara Gerr of Absecon, New Jersey, who specializes in Roseville pottery, said she had taken orders for vases and umbrella stands, was "thrilled" with the show, and called it "fabulous."

Marilyn Hitchcock of Riverdale, New York, termed the weekend "great." She had sold six vintage handbags at prices from $100 to $300, a fur jacket for $340, and several Bakelite bracelets and pins.

Jeff Bridgman of Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, who specializes in American flags, had taken orders for seven of them in the $700 to $2300 price range and for a corner cupboard at $7500. He summed up the show as "excellent."

Karen Constant of Orient, New York, said that she and her husband, Douglas, were newcomers as antiques dealers, having started last July. The January pier event was their fourth show. Their space was near the front entrance of Pier 90, where she had seen long lines of people registering. Douglas Constant reported selling a gilt Federal églomisé mirror for $1950, a painted tole hatbox for $400, a glass lighting fixture in Spanish lace design for $200, and a pair of Dominy side chairs.

Joan Wenz of Smithtown, New York, reported strong sales of 20th-century furniture, including a pair of 1940's Ultrasuede upholstered chairs for $5000, a 1950's console table in a blonde wood finish for $1150, and a 48 inches diameter dining table with a glass top and wooden base for $1600.

Dealers Cathy and Frank Sykes of Dragonflies, Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, who are also longtime auctioneers and show managers, had what Cathy called "our best weekend ever." That included selling an unusual piece of American folk art stored in a Manchester, New Hampshire, attic for over 70 years. The piece was a circa 1910 electrified wooden flag in a waving design. It had been created for the Manchester police department by Edward Henry McQuade, a local electrician.

The 4é x 6 1/2é flag with 177 small lights was displayed until the 1930's in front of the police station and at parades and theatrical events. Cathy Sykes said that in the days when only about one third of America had electricity, the flag must have been a spectacular display. It sold in the $35,000 range.

Irene Stella also recounted a specific example of the very strong buying at the show. She said a trade buyer who stopped by the show office reported purchasing $8000 worth of pocketbooks to restock her shop's depleted inventory.

In addition to their immediate reactions to the weekend's sales results, many dealers said they were also delighted just to be there and felt the antiques field was recovering from the impact of the tragic September events. Karen Constant typified most dealers' comments when she said, "We are out of the doldrums."

Stella Show Mgmt. Co. stages about 21 antiques shows a year, including its well-known Triple Pier shows. For more information, call (212) 255-0020 or visit the Web site (www.stellashows.com).