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Hartford, Connecticut

Gate Up at Spring Hartford, Some Report Strong Sales

by David Hewett

The 29th Annual Connecticut Spring Antiques Show in Hartford took place on March 23-24 in a new location. The show has been moved from the old brick State Armory in the center of Hartford, a stone's throw from the statehouse, to the newer Connecticut Expo Center on the outskirts of the city.

Show manager Linda Turner was forced to move the fall show from downtown to the Expo Center when the events of September 11 caused the closing of armories to functions other than military. Even though the emergency is over and the armory again available, Turner has indicated that her shows will probably not be moving back there.

"We just can't deal with the uncertainties of holding shows in an armory," Turner said. "Scheduling a show requires lots of advance planning and commitments, and when they can't guarantee that the armory will be available on a specific date, it becomes impossible to schedule."

The Expo Center location has a lot of pluses, including easy access from Interstate 91, wide aisles that mean easy pack-in-and-out conditions for the exhibitors and less crowding for would-be customers, and easily located bathrooms on the same floor as the show.

The only negatives we heard from exhibitors at preview were complaints about the poured concrete floor. Actually, showgoers have it harder than exhibitors when it comes to pounding the pavement. Three hours spent cruising the booths does strain the old pedal pushers a bit.

There was no lack of people hitting the floors during the show's run, though.

"The gate was way up from last year," Linda Turner said. "It was very satisfying. Most of the comments we heard from both dealers and customers were positive. I'm certain that some people miss the beauty of the old armory, and we'd like to have those skylights here, too, but that's a trade-off we have to take. Everything considered, I was very happy with the show."

Many exhibitors were equally pleased. Killingworth, Connecticut, dealer Lewis Scranton told Turner he had his best-ever Hartford show, she said. Merrimacport, Massachusetts, dealer Colette Donovan echoed Scranton's comments. Donovan told us, "This was my best Hartford ever. I sold a ton of smalls, a sofa, shelves, a table, and more."

Charles and Barbara Adams of South Yarmouth, Massachusetts, also had positive comments, with one exception. Barbara Adams said: "We did very well and had excellent sales. We had a good Saturday, but it surprised us when we sold well on Sunday, right into the afternoon. You can never plan on second-day sales, but they were strong. We sold a table, a churn, and many other pieces Sunday afternoon.

"The location is good, and we love the ease of pack-out. The only thing they should change is the quality of the food. Customers will hang around if they're offered decent food and can eat on the premises, but the food at the center didn't encourage that."

Janice Strauss of South Salem, New York, reported very strong sales throughout the show. "We sold a dining table, a Pembroke table, chairs, and other pieces. It was a fine show for us; we made money. The crowds were great. We haven't seen that many people through Hartford in years. For someone who has sold furniture for a long time, this setting works fine. We brought our own food, by the way."

When we mentioned Linda Turner's wish for skylights, Janice Strauss said, "To tell the truth, furniture dealers weren't that happy with the skylights at the armory. We used to have to cover the tops of pieces so they wouldn't warp in the direct sunlight and be on guard for veneer peeling."

For more information, call (207) 767-3967 or view the Web site (www.forbesandturner.com).