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Lake George, New York

New Show Holds Promise

by Betty Flood

When you do a first-time antiques show, it is always considered iffy. But when you base your prospective buyers on the "world's largest garage sale" just ten miles away in Warrensburg, New York, you are really taking a chance. And that's exactly what Marie Slywka, a longtime antiques dealer, and her friend of 30 years, Claudia Spitzer, decided to do. The end result was mixed but not for lack of trying.

The show was held October 1-3, 2004, at the Lake George Forum, a mini-convention center located on Route 9, the major highway through the village of Lake George, New York. The Forum is a clean, well-lit venue with accessible parking, and it was a pleasure to see a show with a variety of nicely displayed real antique merchandise instead of reproductions that sell for museum prices.

Despite problems with the extremely long show hours and attendance that looked sparse, partially due to the large aisles and the size of the building, most of the 67 dealers will be back for the 2005 show, which will have shorter hours.

Mike Albanese, who hails from Kendall, New York, and specializes in U.S. military, starting with the Civil War, plus American Indian items, loved the facility and the staff. "I did well and will definitely go back. Shortening the hours will make a big difference, and I would look forward to a centralized credit card service." He sold an 1860-70 tomahawk pipe for $1300, a Sioux war club for $575, and several arrowheads and other smalls.

Paul Norton of Hartco Trunks, Hartford, Connecticut, said he "barely squeaked by but did acceptable." He said he combined the show with a buying trip in the region, so he did "OK." He did have some recommendations for the promoters, such as having show cards out two to three months ahead of time. "I think the show was part of the climate before the election, but the managers were just fine. They ran a fantastic show. I'll be back next year," Norton said.

Eugene "Smitty" Smith of Limerick, New York, said the food was excellent and he would like to come back. "I bought phenomenally well. It's a great venue, but I don't think it should coincide with the garage sale."

Mark Humpal of Cornish, New Hampshire, said he had at least three buyers who had gone to the garage sale early Saturday morning and then came to the show. "We all agonized over the low attendance, but there were some serious buyers. It was also great to see such quality merchandise," he said.

His sales included art and American Indian items, and he plans to come back. "The motels were great, the restaurants beautiful, and I had a good time. There were a lot of people in town."

The famous garage sale reportedly brings in about 100,000 people, and accommodations are booked well in advance. A few people who came down from north of Warrensburg complained that it took them an hour just to drive through the village because of the sale, but most folks who came to the antiques show said they had no problems.

The need for more signs, particularly on Interstate 87, the Adirondack Northway, which runs from Albany, New York, to Montreal, Quebec, would also be helpful, and the promoters are already working on that. They have also purchased several street banners for Lake George, the nearby towns of Queensbury and Glens Falls, and, of course, the road from Warrensburg, because this year's show will be the same dates as the garage sale.

Gordon La Croix, a dealer at Poor Richard's Antiques, Glens Falls, New York, said he would return and thought the show brought several people into the shop in the weeks following the show. "It was great advertising for us, despite doing only fair." He sold an oak dresser, a rattan chaise, a sled, and a pair of Bradley & Hubbard andirons.

Furniture sold rather well if it had middle-of-the-range prices. Ron Corey of Corey's Collectibles, Corning, New York, sold an oak wardrobe for $500, an oak highboy for $300, and several smaller items. "They need more road signs because people just whiz by on that road," Corey said. But he loved the booth space and signed on to come back.

The booth of Michael Pacitti of Mullica Hill, New Jersey, was filled with wonderful art and looked like a museum. "It was a first-year show, and we didn't do so hot, but we did take in some restoration. It was very well run, the layout was great, and the promoters could not do enough for you," said Pacitti.

Jeff Rosenthal of Niagara Frontier Antiques, Williamsville, New York, said any first-time show is a risky enterprise; however, he did make some nice sales. "There were two pieces of stoneware, a lot of smalls, but it was like all the other shows this summer: the retail people were not buying, so the dealers were not buying. It was a tough election year, and the stock market was down from last October. There are not a lot of good-paying jobs."

The talk about the effect the "world's largest garage sale" had on the show was echoed by Joseph Liszka of Ludlow, Massachusetts. "There is no crossover between, I don't think." But he did sell a $700 Hummel and a telescope and made arrangements for a house call. "I came back the next week and bought several Hummels and will definitely come back next year. It's a great layout, the unloading and loading was wonderful, but we need more signs, and I think if we had MasterCard/Visa at the front desk it would help people who wanted to make larger purchases but didn't have the money with them. One of my customers even went to the ATM just to purchase an item. The credit cards would help."

Chris and Dennis Morreale of Corinth, New York, did have their own credit card machine and said it was very widely used. "We pay about four percent, but it was definitely worth it, especially for the higher-priced items. Specializing in English tints, American colored glass, sterling silver, and vintage jewelry, plus steel engravings and prints from the old masters, we sold very well." They signed up for 2005.

James S. Dolph of JSD Antiques, Durham, New Hampshire, said he did not lose any money but had expectations of more people. "I expect they will improve because it was a lovely looking show and a first-class facility. There was superb local marketing, but you need lots of cards in motels and in the mail. If you had banners in town and at the garage sale you could bring in at least ten percent of that crowd."

Dolph said he sold to dealers mainly on the floor. He specializes in Oriental and European antiques. "I think I could have sold some higher-priced items if we had a MasterCard/Visa checkout, particularly in a vacation spot like Lake George and the Adirondacks."

The promoters passed out comment sheets and are taking notes of the many suggestions. The next show will be held Saturday and Sunday, October 1 and 2, but the hours will be a lot shorter. There will be a preview on Friday evening, September 30. The street banners have been ordered, and a five-figure advertising budget has been earmarked for the 2005 show.

For more information, call (518) 668-5096 or (518) 668-5787.