If a prize were given to the Antiques Week in New Hampshire show that had the most geographical diversity, by percentage, among its exhibitors, there is no doubt who’d get the trophy. With exhibitors from 15 states—Connecticut, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia—among the total of 32 dealers, the Start of Manchester Antiques Show, held at the Event Center at C.R. Sparks in Bedford, opposite Mid-Week in Manchester, August 9 and 10, would take the honor.

Although Connecticut led with most dealers (five), the show retained its decidedly Nashville feel, especially in the first aisle where it was like "Home in Indiana" week. Country, country, and more country. Paint, good and not so good, and more paint. Tina and John Bruno of Flamingo Promotions advertised the show as the "first formal show of antiques week," probably not to split straws with the Deerfield show, which was really the first show of that week, but their show was high country and low country, with buckets, boxes, and baskets, cupboards and chests, dry sinks, and spool cabinets.

The show still has a tricky layout, following the twists and turns of walled booths in five major aisles, which do not connect to each other and cannot be seen in any overview. The show program helps, with a layout sketch, but even so, we almost missed a booth in a corner. There was an H2 booth, a C2 booth, and then just a 2 booth.

The quality seemed stronger than last year, and the lighting was better as well.

A decent opening line was there at noon, but, of course, exhibitors from most of the other shows could not attend either because they were selling, setting up, or taking down at their own shows. First in line were two Texas dealers (collectors primarily, they said) who have been coming to the New Hampshire shows for about ten years. They make the trip a vacation as well.

Continued roadwork on the major road, Route 3, meant that a temporary new approach to the Event Center was created, as cars exited from a bridge and the busy interstate. A large sign was posted along this new ramp, but if you were moving fast or looking in another direction, you passed the sign and then had to turn around, go back, and try again.

Selling was mixed. Century House, Alfred, New York, told M.A.D. they’d had a very good show. Dealers Roxanne and Michael Argenbright of America Revisited, Cincinnati, Ohio, did not have a good show. They told M.A.D. they’d sold a basket, a few quilts, and some stone fruit, no furniture at all. They said they did not recognize many patrons and thought the show did not have a good turnout. Although they had kind words for the Brunos, they said they would not return next year to exhibit at this or any other show (they’d done the pickers show before, but this was their first Flamingo Promotions show) and instead just shop. The Argenbrights added that this was their first year as "full-timers," and their Web site was up and running. "We had more sales from it while we were away than from the two-day show," said Roxanne.

Dealer Thomas Cheap of Period Antiques, Scottsburg, Indiana, said that the selling of smalls was good but "we did not sell one stick of furniture."

There is no doubt that profit margins for all the dealers at all the shows are running smaller than in the past. Factor in the high cost of gas, the cost of lodging (last-minute bookers faced $100/159 per night choices versus $79/89 per night for advance booking by seniors), food, booth rents, etc., and the cost of doing business is going up and up.