What a Difference a Drape Can Make: Greater Boston, Tweaked

Wilmington, Massachusetts

by Jeanne Schinto

"I felt I needed to boost it, tweak it, give it a kick," promoter Marvin Getman said of the Greater Boston Antiques Festival, held as usual at the Shriner's Auditorium in Wilmington, Massachusetts, on January 16 and 17. "The last thing I want to do is rest on my laurels. I hear what's happening to other shows. It's a little scary."

No single change was huge, but taken together, they made a discernible difference to this twice-a-year 160-dealer show that features two types of spaces: with walls or without walls. New this time was the use of pipe-and-drape dividers between the dealers in the section without walls. "I think it added a nicer, cleaner look," said Getman.

There was some discussion among dealers about the color of the drapes. Getman's choices were electric blue, white, gray, or black. He chose black. Those who didn't like that choice said they thought it looked funereal. But given the number of people Getman was trying to please, any of the other colors would undoubtedly have been criticized too. (White? Too hospital. Electric blue? Too carnival. Gray? Too bland.) In any case, Getman was paying for the extra expense; the dealers weren't.

Jared Cilley and David Weidner of Dark Flowers Antiques were among the drapes' cheerleaders. Weidner said he thought the new look gave the show "more credibility." Cilley said, "They make things pop. It's overall a less distracting design. It's easier to concentrate."

As Cilley explained, "The drapes make you go up and down the aisles because you can't see across to the next one. It gives the show retail momentum," added the dealer, whose day job is at the jewelry store Small Pleasures on Boston's Newbury Street. "It pushes people along."

He agreed that momentum was a word indicating movement-perhaps right past one's booth. "It's up to the dealers to make the buyers stop by, enticing them with lighting and a good display," he said, quickly acknowledging that trying to predict what people would actually buy was entirely another facet of marketing science.

Getman's second improvement was to issue more free passes to dealers for distribution to their customers. "I've always had a VIP pass program. Dealers would order them and then would pay a discounted rate for each customer who used one." This time, every dealer was issued 15 passes, with the promise that they would be charged ($5 each) only after the first ten were used.

A few days after the show, Getman hadn't finished the tally but estimated that 300 to 400 passes were used over the weekend. "That cost me real money at the gate," he said. "But I probably got people in who wouldn't have come otherwise."

A third change was a different advertising plan for the show. "I'm broadening my advertising by using more television, including CNN and Fox News, where people who don't normally go to antiques shows might be watching," said Getman. The number of TV spots he bought was hefty: more than 300. At the same time, he turned down the volume on his radio campaign. "I continue to use NPR, because that's a special audience. I also kept [AM station] WBZ, to get the word out to the masses. But I'm definitely trying to mix it up."

These three new schemes may have been among the reasons for the weekend's impressive gate. Attendance didn't break any records, Getman said, but was up 20% over last January and was also 26% higher than October.

A fourth change occurred without Getman's intending it: he had 29 new dealers. "I didn't fill this show until the very end, which is very unusual for me," he said. New dealers ranged from Boston Rare Maps, Southampton, Massachusetts, to Pillars, Yarmouth, Maine, which specializes in decorative furniture, lighting, and accessories. Lunenberg, Massachusetts, based auctioneer Paul Royka was another newcomer. So was Debra Queen of South Dartmouth, Massachusetts, who is known for her garden antiques. "I saw a dozen people I hadn't seen in fifteen years. I was hoarse and still am," said Queen afterward.

Many dealers are, of course, tweaking their own operations. At this show, some who never before took walled booths here have begun opting for them. For example, Steele & Steele, based in Middletown, Rhode Island, tried a walled booth in October and had one again this time. Results? "All in all, we had a great show—nineteen sales," David Steele wrote in an e-mail. "For us mid-level dealers, that's pure honey. Kudos to Marvin for his marketing effort."

Who can say whether the sales were directly related to the dealers' new location? In any event, Steele said, "The papered walls were quite a plus. It made a huge difference in our presentation."

Jan and John Maggs Antiques, Conway, Massachusetts, took a spot in the walled-booth area for the first time. "We were very happy in our new space," John Maggs wrote. "We felt very comfortable with our new neighbors, several of whom were already friends. As for the show, our gross was more than double our best Wilmington."

Roger Pheulpin of Gloucester, Massachusetts, who sells jewelry, silver, and other smalls, was in his same unwalled location, wearing his signature tie and jacket. No change there, but he made sure he brought fresh

material. Between that and the "huge" gate, he had a very good show. "I was very pleased," he said. "[The customers] bought less expensive things, but they bought a lot of them."

Pheulpin, however, didn't draw any hopeful conclusions from his experience. "The fact I did well doesn't mean anything," he said. "It doesn't mean the next show won't be weak." He added in a Zen-koan sort of way, "It has nothing to do with anything anymore."

By way of caution, Pheulpin also noted the near-miss nature of his success—i.e., every potential sale for him was a cliffhanger. "People were hesitant to buy," he said. "People would look at something, go away, come back, and then eventually buy it. There were a lot of price buyers."

Pheulpin recognized that given the economy, many dealers simply aren't able to produce fresh material. "If you're selling less, then you're buying less. It's a vicious downward spiral. If you stop buying in this business, you're dead meat. But if you have limited resources," he paused, "you have to buy carefully. Customers are doing exactly the same thing."

Speaking of being careful, Getman is experimenting with rebranding this show. Some of his ads, including the television spots, tried out a new name: Boston Antiques & Design Show & Sale. "Rebranding can be tricky," he admitted. "I certainly don't want to lose the audience we have now. I have been thinking of ways to reach out to a new audience. It's not original. I'm seeing the word 'design' show up in other people's ads." He'll be giving his rebranding idea more consideration in the months ahead, he said. He'll also be polling his dealers.

For more information, contact New England Antique Shows at (781) 862-4039; Web site (www.neantiqueshows.com).

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