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Fewer Dealers, Better Quality at the Downtown Show

by John Norris

All prices in Canadian funds

"Word is," said promoter Sam Halpern, "that the show is warmer and the quality of items better than last year." He was speaking on opening night of clients' comments about his Downtown Antiques Show, held November 18-20, 2005, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. The number of dealers was down to 33. The booths were much more spacious, stretched out like candy floss in three rooms, and the aisles wider, so patrons could shop at their leisure for more items without bumping into other people and without knocking over fragile items.

Missing were some Canadian Antiques Dealers Association dealers of formal furniture in walnut and mahogany, many of whom didn't sell well at last year's show. For example, Bob Starr of Town of York Antiques recently moved from Davenport Street in the affluent Yorkville area of Toronto, down the street to Avenue Road in the same store where June O'Neil had been for 20 years, selling pine Canadiana in refinished condition and European furniture bought mostly from wholesaler John McInnis of Cobourg, Ontario.

McInnis wasn't exhibiting at the Downtown show this year either. "I'm too busy with my business to do shows," he said in October.

Phillip and Jeanine Ross, dealers in folk art and regular exhibitors at the Bowmanville show, weren't exhibiting either. In their place was Quebec folk art dealer Lyle Elder. He'd shown for the first time at Bowmanville in April 2005. There he had a large display of circus animals and performers carved by a Quebec man. The display sold for $75,000.

Animals and birds figured prominently in the booth of Athelstan, Quebec, dealer Peter Baker, also a Bowmanville regular. For example, he offered a framed depiction of a pale yellow and white cat made of cardboard at $750. He also had a turtledove signed on the bottom of the base "M. Phillips, Green River, ON," at $450, and a flower basket in red, green, and white with a similarly painted bird perched on top by Quebec carver Edmond Chatigny at $1200. The renowned carver had displayed the piece in 1970 on his front yard. (The availability of Chatigny carvings on the market is becoming rarer and rarer.)

Baker also displayed a contemporary brown horse by Flesherton, Ontario, carver Pat Robertson for $450. Baker, however, thought the "museum-quality" medicine cabinet and shelf with carved birds, wolves, quilting, etc. were the best pieces of folk art in his booth. Ex-collection Patricia Price, the pair was $18,000.

Baker had sold perhaps the best piece of furniture in his booth, a Quebec buffet with raised panels in dark red and black, rat-tail hinges, base moulding replaced, to a dealer for an undisclosed price. A folky card table with marquetry top, rope-carved pedestal, and relief-carved birds was $3200. Surrounding the table was a set of six stencil-decorated chairs, circa 1860, at $2100 the set. Chair sets are becoming harder and harder to find on the market too.

Barry Ezrin of The Joinery, Moffat, Ontario, had a few rare items as well. This year his booth was much more spacious than the cramped corner space he'd occupied in 2004. Opening night he sold an Anson 1943 airplane propeller to a collector for $1400. To another collector he sold a long, double-lidded woodbox, circa 1840, in dark gray for just $595. The box had descended in the Winer family of Morriston, Ontario, whose ancestors were Pennsylvania Germans. The same collector also bought a wrought-iron wall sconce, circa 1950, for just $110, an American craft item.

In the opposite corner from the sconce, above a chest of drawers, hung "an unbelievable piece" of pottery, a Rockingham match safe of a dog's head, 1847-58, possibly Fenton, at $2500. At just $250 was Ezrin's dark green Ontario small dough box. Its only flaw was a dark streak on one side, left after Ezrin had removed a white streak of paint. The lid had a raised panel.

Many of Ezrin's prices were very reasonable. Items were priced to sell. So were the items in Michael Rowan's booth. The Green River, Ontario, dealer, who also exhibits at Bowmanville, had some native artifacts and two rare quilts among other smalls. A blue and white quilt dated 1842 but in "rough condition" was priced accordingly at just $250. "How often do you see an Ontario quilt dated that early?" asked Rowan. "Twenty-five years ago we would have fought over that." Apparently, he had bought the quilt simply for its very early date. Most quilts offered at shows date from the 1930's.

Aurora, Ontario, dealer Gary Dawson, who sells mostly English pottery and small formal furniture, brought back with him his metal umbrella tree, which hadn't sold at the 2004 Downtown show. Over the top in a half moon hung miniature oval paintings of American men and women and paper cutouts of silhouettes. "I tend to buy things that I just like and add my little markup," he commented.

This Downtown show was indeed a venue where patrons could take their time and

window-shop for several bargains. The market for Canadiana especially has been slow the past two years. The priced-to-sell items in some booths reflected the taxing times Ontario dealers are facing.

For further information, contact Sam Halpern at (416) 498-8613 or e-mail antiqueshows@ rogers.com.