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Despite Threatening Weather, Farmington Attendance Grows

by Ed Pfeiffer

For the 495 exhibitors and the Jenkins family who managed the Farmington Antiques Weekend on August 31 and September 1 in Farmington, Connecticut, the weather was a threat but never a real enemy. On the day before the show it cleared just in time for the dealers to set up. Two days later the rain held off until just after they checked out.

When the three-hour early buying started at 7 a.m. on Saturday morning, there were ugly, threatening dark clouds overhead and an unseasonable and uncomfortable chill in the air, but show manager Jon Jenkins said there were 1100 visitors during that time, up from about 1070 last fall.

By midday, interviews with a cross-section of exhibitors found that early buying had been light. About half of them said they had no sales up to that time. There were, as always, exceptions. For example, faring much better was Roger Maxwell of 1853 Antiques, Middleburgh, New York, who said he had sold two high-end seven-piece wrought-iron sets, one by Salterini, the other by Woodard.

During the morning, Betty Schatzberg of Riverside, Connecticut, had buyers for a candlestick ($450), a 19 inches Spode serving plate ($165), several sterling picture frames ($50 each), and a floor lamp ($600). Chuck Morgan of Quelle Surprise! Antiques, Gloucester, Massachusetts, reported start-up sales of a Shaker feather basket used in pillow making ($425), a French carved wooden altar angel ($500), a French enameled cast-iron wall fountain ($600), and a cast-iron leaded glass window set ($200).

By about noon, the sky turned to blue with puffy white clouds, and, as if on signal, a growing crowd began to fill the aisles. They had lots to see, including a wide variety of furniture, with emphasis on 20th-century oak, and many categories of interesting specialized collectibles.

The weather continued to cooperate on Sunday, serving up pleasant, seasonable fall skies and climate. Jon Jenkins reported total attendance for the weekend at 11,000, up about 3% from last year. He said that was the biggest gate of the four Farmington shows Jenkins Management of Fishers, Indiana, has handled since it bought the event from the McInnis family in late 2000.

As the weekend neared its finish on Sunday afternoon, most dealers reported what they generally considered good sales. Nearly all noted, however, that their evaluations of results were against the backdrop of a poor economic climate, which has had a negative overall impact on the antiques and collectibles field.

Seeming very well satisfied with his results was John Zevetchin of Z's Antiques, Tolland, Connecticut, who had a large display focused on oak furniture. He ticked off a long list of transactions, among them two Hoosier kitchens at $2000 each, four stacked bookcases at $800 each, two dining tables, both over $1200, and a chair at $1600.

Ken Ware of Ware House Antiques, Boylston, Massachusetts, also seemed understandably comfortable with his results. He had sold a set of eight Hitchcock chairs for $2400, a cobbler's bench for $1200, a barn lantern for $400, and many smalls.

Steve and Lorraine German of Mad River Antiques, North Granby, Connecticut, are newcomers to the antiques business and were doing their first Farmington weekend. They reported moving two yellowware bowls at $150 each, a hand-turned mid-19th-century wood dough bowl at $235, a late 19th-century bucket bench in old green finish at $125, and a 19th-century chopping board at $125.

Carl Peterson of Sherman Alden Antiques, Holyoke, Massachusetts, had several sales to early buyers, including a set of four stenciled Windsor chairs ($500) and a grain-painted Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, blanket chest ($950). During the rest of the weekend he had also written up a black rod-back armchair for $210 and a yellowware milk dish for $75.

Tom and Beth Snyder of Country Christmas, Bethany, Connecticut, found buyers for a chintz quilt ($300), a folky wool blanket ($150), three candy containers priced in the $20 to $50 range, a 39-star American flag ($300), and other smalls.

In a conversation during the weekend, show manager Jon Jenkins was asked about changes to the show the Jenkinses had made or were planning. He said that there had been only a few recent ones, directed primarily to logistics. For example, at the request of dealers, Jenkins Management has taken steps to streamline the on-site check-in process for exhibitors and is satisfied with the results. But, Jenkins added, in general they felt the weekends were already working well, and, on the theory that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," they were not planning additional significant changes.

They were, he said, continuing to promote the Farmington weekends with strong advertising, mailings to their 4000-name list, and visits to other shows. During the past year, he said, members of the Jenkins team had attended about 100 shows to contact dealers and encourage them to attend Farmington or the other Jenkins events as exhibitors or buyers. There were 495 dealers this year compared to 483 last year. They came from 21 states, and two were from Canada, one from Britain, and one from Belgium.

Jenkins also had some interesting observations about the sales that dealers achieve at shows. He said he usually found that when dealers report their results, they seem to divide into three groups of about equal size. Typically, about a third report very good sales, about the same number report moderate results, and the rest express disappointment.

Jenkins suggested that the ones who did best were generally those who had the strongest commitment as dealers. They had shopped extensively at auctions and shows and from private sources and had invested in upper-end merchandise. As a result, he said, they could set prices with profitable markups. They also created attractive displays, he said. They worked to become knowledgeable about what they were offering or expert in the category in which they specialized. As a result, they were able to provide visitors with interesting, authoritative, and educational information about what they had for sale.

Generally less successful, Jenkins observed, were those dealers whose involvement in the business was more casual. For them, selling antiques or collectibles was often a sideline interest or even, in some cases, almost a hobby.

For more information, call (317) 598-0012 or visit the Web site (www.farmington-antiques.com).