Annual Adirondack Museum Show

Blue Mountain Lake, New York

by Betty Flood

Sales at the annual antiques show at the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake, New York, were brisk for most dealers but not all, which is typical for many of the shows in this economy. The Friday preview from 2 to 5 p.m. was viewed as a success for most dealers despite the rain and wind.

"It was pretty remarkable—we had some rain showers at two o'clock, but it shut off like a faucet," said show promoter Rod Lich, who with his partner Susan Parrett worked overtime in securing a fantastic group of dealers for the September 18-20 event. "I think, dealer-wise, this is even a better crew of dealers. They are professionals at the top of their business, more diversified. This year we have a print dealer, more country furniture, and some designer-oriented kinds of things."

With three more dealers joining the show, Lich said he was not going to make the show bigger. "It's going to be this size for the duration."

Parrett said diversification is the key word. "The other thing, I think, is the terminology. I think for our generation, the word antiques meant something, it meant history. I think for younger people, the word antiques turns them off. It's just like grandma's used furniture, and I think we need to be talking something else, whether it is a term of 'decorative art' or something else to attract them."

Judy Hudson and Norwood Barnes, who operate Bearwallow Mountain Traders in Hendersonville, North Carolina, brought more fishing items to the show this year, and it seemed to work for them. "We sold small accessories. For example, one woman bought five lamps—two antler-decorated ones, one made of wicker, one made from a cognac jug, and one with some bears on it." The lamps ran about $75 to $275 each.

Hudson and Barnes have written books on camp blankets and Beacon blankets, but this year they sold only one blanket. They did, however, sell several vintage suitcases, a checkerboard, and twig table.

"I think, personally, it is OK if people bring diverse items to the show, but I think the show should be billed, and their main focus should be on the Adirondack and rustic because of it being the only show in the country with that particular style," explained Hudson.

Robert Burger of Mount Vernon, Ohio, said the show was "medium" for him, but he bought a great painting. He said he sold a Penn Yan rowboat for $1350, some little bird carvings, four pairs of snowshoes ranging in price from $75 to $400, and a nice guide's paddle with blue paint for $395.

Burger had a spectacular Philip R. Goodwin hanging on the wall for $135,000. "It was a lot more representative of the outdoors and rustic America, and he was one of the finest early twentieth-century artists that ever painted," said Burger.

"We did fine," said Jeff Cherry of Cherry Gallery, Damariscotta, Maine. He said they sold a set of sassafras-pole rustic furniture for $4000, some paintings, two colorful canoe paddles, and several small accessories.

"This show is perceived as a rustic high-quality show with some other country furniture and Mission oak pieces. I was pretty happy with the show. I mean, this year's shows have been difficult for the majority of dealers. I think that is a fair assessment. What is great about this show is that even in these difficult times, there were a lot of people who came and actually spent the money," Cherry said.

Candy and Rick Pirozzoli of Sport Hill Antiques, Redding, Connecticut, said they did "exceptionally well" considering the economic climate today. They sold several chests of drawers with prices from $300 to $400, a nice workbench for $700, a standard oak drafting table for $300, a wicker table for $175, a baker's table for $225, a couple of hickory chairs, a folding snowshoe side table, and a pair of Adirondack chairs. They thought the crowd was "extremely pleasant," no "sour pusses."

Judi and Bob Fryer came up from Kentucky and did very well. "It was so worth our while that we are going to do the show again next year," said Judi. "We bought things cheap. We bought things for a year and a half for that show, Adirondack stuff," said Bob. "The things we sold the most of were the Kentucky things that we deal with frequently, like three little one-drawer nightstands. But some of the Adirondack stuff we bought in Kentucky didn't go. We bought several things from other dealers while we were up there and have brought them back to Kentucky, and they are selling."

The Fryers said that the items they sold were mainly between $250 and $700, with the $700 for an Adirondack bed that went to Massachusetts.

Bill and Donna Hiatt of West Virginia said they sold two beautiful painted cupboards, a small hanging one for $600 and a standing cupboard with a blind door and shelves for $2200. They also sold two hooked rugs, one featuring two does chasing a buck for $500 and the other featuring a pony for $300.

While many dealers said they would prefer a preview on Friday and the sale to the public only on Saturday, the Hiatts said they did all right on Sunday.

Henry Paul of American Vernacular Antiques, Lititz, Pennsylvania, said the crowd was light on Sunday (640 paid admissions, according to the museum), but he liked it because the people did buy. He said he liked the show on two days because he travels 450 miles to get there. He sold two quilts, a twig corner shelf, a folk art bird for $190, two game boards for $425 the pair, an unusual fireplace trammel with two dogs chasing a fox for $250, two mushroom gathering boxes for $165 the pair, a 4½' long bottle-cap alligator, and four decoys ranging from $150 to $250.

Bill Quinn of Alna, Maine, had the time of his life when he bought a red-painted double grain box with the words "White Corn Hominy" and "Cracked Wheat" on it. He sold it, priced at $2250, and he thinks it changed hands again. Quinn also sold an early 19th-century totem pole out of Michigan for $1500 and a tall chimney cupboard for $1250. Other sales included three early handmade and hand-painted fishing plugs for $650 and three oil paintings, one of a beautiful open field, circa 1910, for $300, and the other two, folky oils on canvas, for $495 the pair.

Steve White sold a beautiful painting, Morning on Upper Saranac Lake, for "well above twenty thousand dollars." The Skaneateles, New York, dealer also sold an oil on canvas hunting scene of three men looking at a deer for $1950, a sled bench for $850, a Colfax, Indiana, hickory chair for $800, and an unmarked settee for $1100.

Jon Magoun of South Paris, Maine, said he didn't do as well as last year, but he did sell a full-body standing moose that went to a special cabin near Saranac Lake for $5500. Always honest, Magoun said he didn't have the same quality merchandise as last year. "It was a lot of average stuff, like three Indian blankets, a nice paddle [$400]…and eight pack baskets [$175 to $475]."

One thing Magoun did say was that he thought the advertising was "poor," and he was not alone. Several dealers who did not want to go on record said the photo on the preview invitation, which was also on the card for the show, was "silly, ridiculous, and why use an English piece of stoneware for an American rustic show?"

Show promoter Rod Lich said he thought the museum spent about the same amount as last year. "What changed, though, was that there were several dealers from last year who took ads in a special show section, and that is where the dealers were advertising to the wholesalers, and we don't need to advertise to the wholesalers. They said, 'Let's go more retail,' so as you know, we took a full-page ad in the Newtown Bee, but we dropped the show section. That money was spent on other things like glossy types of fishing ads, ads on the public radio stations, and places like that."

These were minor complaints for a wonderful quality show that brought in 2034 buyers plus about 100 people for the preview party, which had absolutely delicious food that was served by the museum staff.

-New Date

Rod Lich and the museum staff examined questionnaires that were passed out to the dealers asking their opinions on various things such as date, etc. Shortly after the show closed, it was announced the show will change dates next year.

"At the request of museum trustees, exhibiting dealers, and customers at the 2009 antiques show, it has been decided to move the 2010 date for this unique show to the height of the season.

"For the first time, the Adirondack Museum Antiques Show will be before Labor Day. Put the weekend of August 13-15 on your calendar to be part of the foremost sale in the nation of vintage rustic," read a press release from Lich.

Lich advised dealers and collectors to think ahead. "Holding the show in season does present one dilemma for those who travel to the area: lodging." Make your reservations now; go to (www.visitadirondacks.com). The nearest towns are Blue Mountain Lake, Long Lake, and Indian Lake. For additional information about reservations, attending the preview party, or visiting the museum, go to (www.adkmuseum.org) or call (518) 352-7311.

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