Simsbury, Connecticut

New School Gymnasium Means Growth for Simsbury Show

by Ed Pfeiffer

Many local antiques shows are held in high school buildings, usually in the gymnasium, cafeteria, or a combination of the two. Generally, that's a very workable arrangement. At relatively low cost, it provides the show with parking space, heat, light, security, and, in many cases, facilities for food service, but it has one big limitation. The space in most schools is somewhat limited, so the show can't grow by adding new dealers because there's no room to accommodate them.

For many years, that was the situation for the Simsbury Antiques Show, which held its 23rd annual event in Simsbury, Connecticut, over the weekend of November 11 and 12, 2000. Until six years ago, the show had been sponsored by the Simsbury Jaycees, but when that group's membership declined, the Jaycees withdrew and the Simsbury Historical Society became the sponsor.

Dawn Bobryk, the historical society's president, has been the show's cochair since then, joined four years ago by Kevin Gray. Last year's event had gone well, with about 50 dealers participating and about 1700 people attending, Bobryk said. This year, however, the situation had changed in a very positive way, offering a significant opportunity for growth. A new gymnasium had been added to the Henry James Junior High School where the show is held, providing room to add at least 20 more dealers.

About ten dealers had decided not to come back to Simsbury, for various reasons unrelated to the show, so about 30 new ones were needed, Dawn Bobryk explained. That was no problem, she said, as the show had a waiting list of interested exhibitors, in part because the society had actively recruited them, visiting other antiques shows to identify dealers who might be prospects to come to Simsbury. In particular, they sought specialized dealers who would add variety and interest to the Simsbury event.

As an example of that kind of dealer, Bobryk cited Frederick Balling of The Fishing Room, West Cornwall, Connecticut, who came to the Simsbury show for the first time in 1999, exhibiting outdoor sporting collectibles with an emphasis on vintage fishing equipment. In the end, there were 71 dealers in 83 spaces, with some taking more than one booth and others sharing a space.

The larger number of dealers did, of course, create new challenges for Bobryk and Gray. The first one came as the dealers arrived during the Friday evening setup time. It was a chilly and rainy night, and the parking lot behind the school had rather limited lighting. The scene was reminiscent of World War II photos of beachhead landings in the Pacific with tanks, trucks, and troops moving in, usually with a military policeman at the center directing traffic.

This time, however, the vehicles were mostly vans, station wagons, and rented trucks, and the "troops" were antiques dealers. At the center of the scene was Dawn Bobryk in a bright pink rain slicker, directing traffic with all the aplomb of a Manhattan cop at the intersection of 42nd Street and Broadway. Kevin Gray was near the school's doorway, guiding a line of dealers carrying smaller items or pushing hand trucks or dollies loaded with cartons, furniture, and other larger antiques covered with plastic tarps to protect them from the rain.

Bobryk and Gray, however, were not alone in their duties. During an interview, as she took a brief break to warm up inside the school, Dawn Bobryk said there were about 100 society volunteers helping to stage the show. "It's a great community event," she said. "There are all kinds of people working here, including a lawyer and a probate court judge who are out there somewhere in the rain, helping in the parking lot."

The scene was much calmer by the time the show opened on Saturday morning. The rain had ended, and the weather gradually improved as the weekend went on. As the crowd began arriving, many dealers soon began to report strong sales.

After about three hours, Neuma and Hank Reeve of The Buggy Whip Factory, Southfield, Massachusetts, had several early sales of furniture, including a circa 1795 buffet, $2195; a chimney cupboard, $1595; and a set of six 1920's hoop-back chairs, $395. Jamie Heuschkel of Hirsh Antiques, Pleasant Valley, Connecticut, said he had sold an early 1900's 3é wide cast-iron gate with pediments and a sunburst decoration, $225; an ironstone platter, $68; a circa 1820 side chair, $50; and a 17 inches diameter wooden bowl, $85.

David and Susan Ryan of Harwinton, Connecticut, also had good early results, including a red blanket chest at $350, woodworking tools, sewing items, and kitchenware. Dave and Arla Lundberg of Manchester, Connecticut, said their sales list included a spool cabinet at $425, a chest at $350, and smalls, such as a wooden mirror and a finger lamp. Grand View Antiques, Bolton, Connecticut, had moved an American mahogany lowboy at $775, a Staffordshire dog, and a set of 12 wine glasses.

Other dealers also expressed satisfaction with the show but for reasons not based primarily on immediate sales results. Ali Moosavi, who had a very large display of fine Oriental rugs in the $1000 to $10,000 price range, said he had "interest but no sales." He explained that he had been doing the Simsbury show for 12 years, considered it good "public relations," and expected from past experience to see follow-up traffic in his store in nearby Avon.

Frederick Balling had similar comments about how he evaluated the show. Although he said his sales had been "moderate," he felt his exhibit was educational and visitors learned about his specialty, collectible fishing equipment. He said the category provoked nostalgia and that people learned about the craftsmanship of vintage fishing equipment, which he said was "made better than it had to be."

Barbara Beaver of Malden Bridge, New York, a decorator whose display included large upholstered pieces, said she also expected her results to come more from leads and follow-up contacts than from on-site sales.

Although the traffic on Sunday was somewhat lighter, dealers continued to report strong sales. About 30 dealers were at Simsbury for the first time, and most expressed satisfaction with their participation. Perhaps the most enthusiastic were Penny and Steve Driggers, who were, in fact, doing their first antiques show. They have been collectors of stoneware and other objects for many years, they said. When they moved to Avon, Connecticut, a few months ago, after a six-year stint in Hawaii, they decided to venture into the antiques business. Over the past summer they bought inventory at antiques auctions in upstate New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire.

At the Simsbury show they seemed quite happy, in fact a bit surprised, at their strong sales. They sold a butter churn, $95; a laptop coffee grinder, $85; a shoemaker's rack, $150; a portable step used to reach the upper part of the looms in a Lowell, Massachusetts, textile mill, $395; and an 8 inches long cast-iron salute cannon, $85. They also wrote up several two-gallon stoneware jugs, including a circa 1870 Cowden & Wilcox, $450; a Haxstun & Company with floral decoration, $295; and an E. & L.P. Norton with floral designs, $350.

By Sunday afternoon, the cochairs seemed to be relaxing. Bobryk walked the show floor, greeting people she knew. Gray had bought a deacon's bench from Grand View Antiques, Bolton, Connecticut, placed it against the wall along one of the side aisles, and invited acquaintances who passed by to sit with him and talk. He also said the author of this story could use it as the show's "press box."

In a phone interview a week or so after the show, Bobryk estimated the attendance for the weekend in the 2000 range, up about 300 from the previous year. She said she was "thrilled" with the expanded show. As the society's largest fund-raising event, it had netted about $25,000, she reported. Nevertheless, the society shows no signs of resting on this year's success. In addition to the winter indoor show, Gray and Bobryk said they are exploring the possibility of a 100-dealer, one-day outdoor show, tentatively scheduled for May. They are currently negotiating with a corporation in a local business park as a site for the event.

For information on Simsbury Historical Society membership, programs, or events, including its annual antiques show, contact Dawn Bobryk at (860) 658-2500.