by Victoria Lewkow

It was a case of "the show must go on" this year for the Richmond Academy of Medicine Auxiliary's annual antiques show, held on March 4-7.

For the past 14 of its 37 years, this high-end charity show has been housed at the Science Museum of Virginia, one of the show's major beneficiaries, along with Camp RAMA, a camp for developmentally disabled children. But sometime around April 1998, the museum began major renovations that put that site off-limits for the next two years.

Not to worry, thought the RAMA show committee (of which the author is a member). The Stuart C. Siegel Center at Virginia Commonwealth University was under construction and set to be completed by September 1998, in plenty of time for the March 4th opening of the show—at least that's what the building contractor promised.

Those of us who have had houses built can guess the denouement of this plot. September came and went, and the building was not completed. October and November passed, and the sound of hammers and drills could still be heard at the construction site. By early December, show chairman Pat Zimmerman heard rumblings through the grapevine that the center might not be ready until sometime in the spring. By Christmas, the building manager confirmed her worst fears: the Siegel Center would not be completed in time for the show.

After much scrambling, Zimmerman and her committee managed to procure a new site at the state fairgrounds, provided that the antiques show would be willing to share adjoining space with an Indian powwow that was booked for the same weekend. Undaunted by the possibility of drums beating in the background, the committee decided to take the space and proceed with their plans. As it turned out, the powwow canceled at the last minute, and with the help of portable walls, wallpaper, and hard work, the committee managed to turn the simple concrete space at the fairgrounds into a series of display booths to showcase some wonderful objects.

Despite the seeming "all's well that end's well" turn of events, the 41 dealers, many of whom have exhibited at the show for years, were still concerned about the effect on crowds and sales brought about by the last-minute change in venue, as well as the move to a March date (originally changed to accommodate the Siegel Center) from the show's traditional first weekend in February. The February date has always coincided with the Williamsburg Antiques Forum, bringing many collectors and antiques aficionados to Richmond, an easy hour's drive from Colonial Williamsburg.

Initially, it was hard to tell about turnout, particularly at the show's opening night champagne gala, since it always draws heavily from the faithful in the medical community who strongly support this show. In fact, the gala literally teems with physicians, so much so that to yell "Is there a doctor in the house?" in this crowd is to risk a stampede of physicians from every possible medical specialty. Gala sales can also be modest because many customers prefer to stake out their treasures and give themselves time to think about a possible purchase.

On Friday, the first full day of the show, crowds were a bit thin. But the outlook improved on Saturday despite some balmy spring-like temperatures. The venerable Wendell Garrett may have been partially responsible for this improvement, as he was the guest speaker at the show's Collectors' Forum and was, as always, extremely well received. Sunday, however, brought a sharp drop in temperatures with a brisk wind chill, so by early afternoon the aisles were crowded with prospective customers. Money began to change hands, and by this time most dealers felt that even if the crowds were slightly down overall, sales were at least comparable to last year and, in some cases, positively splendid.

As first-time exhibitors, Rob Hunter and Ginny Lascara, both former curators at Colonial Williamsburg and now fellow business associates in Period Designs, Yorktown, Virginia, were delighted with sales of nearly $25,000 in prints, maps, and 17th- and 18th-century English ceramics. Hunter and Lascara came into the show at the last minute, after getting involved with layout for the show's loan exhibit featuring Mark Catesby prints.

Other dealers who boasted brisk sales were William Jenkins of Hayes, Virginia, and Patricia Sadler of Gerald Murphy Antiques, Woodbury, Connecticut. Jenkins, who specializes in what he terms an eclectic mix, sold a 17th-century court cupboard, an 18th-century desk, two 18th-century oil paintings, some Delftware, and other things. Sadler, who deals primarily in English furniture and accessories, counted among her sales an 18th-century settee, a Regency rent table, and an 18th-century American candlestand.

At the other end of the spectrum were a handful of dealers whose sales were slow and, in the case of one dealer exhibiting paintings, nonexistent as of Sunday afternoon. Some of these dealers, such as Sandra Crowther of Lynchburg, Virginia, attributed the sluggish sales to the change of date and venue; others, such as Steve Sherwood of Sherwood Antiques, Macon, Georgia, to being new to the show and not yet establishing a base of repeat customers.

Show veterans Joe Matthews and John Shank of Shepherdstown, West Virginia, however, were stumped by their poor sales in what has reliably been, in their 20 years of exhibiting, one of their best shows. "Anytime you move a show, it's dangerous," said Matthews.

Next year, the committee hopes to return to its February date to coincide with the Williamsburg Antiques Forum, but with the Science Museum still a "no go," another venue is possible. Despite the risk, almost all dealers said they'd return, given an invitation. Said Ron Klinger of The Leather Bucket, Inc. in Philadelphia, "I only do about eight shows a year now, and if I cut back to four, which I'm thinking about doing, I'll keep this one. The committee is wonderful, and the Richmond customers really appreciate fine antiques."