MidWeek Antiques Show Moves Back to Manchester

August 9th, 2016

MidWeek in Manchester Antiques Show, Manchester, New Hampshire

One of the first things that show promoter Frank Gaglio of Barn Star Productions said to us as we entered the JFK Memorial Coliseum in Manchester, New Hampshire, on August 9, the setup date for the MidWeek in Manchester Antiques Show and, coincidentally, my husband’s birthday, was, “I am glad our show is back in Manchester. Isn’t that great?”

The second thing Gaglio said was “Happy Birthday, Herb.”

For the past three years, Gaglio held this two-day show at the Douglas Everett Arena in nearby Concord because his earlier venues in Manchester for the previous 19 years met fates that made them unacceptable.

The Wayfarer Inn near Macy’s, across the river in Bedford, had the longest run—16 years. It was torn down, as was Macy’s, and there is now just a huge space with all the old buildings gone and a few new ones coming up. A former furniture store near the I-293 expressway became another business with another owner after several years of Gaglio’s show being there.

The Manchester area has always presented a “venue” challenge for all of the Antiques Week in New Hampshire shows except for the New Hampshire Antiques Show, the “grandfather of them all,” a stalwart antiques event venue constant in the center of town, on Elm Street, no matter which hotel chain has owned the property (currently the Radisson).

Willow Springs Perennial Antiques, Rexford, New York, asked $25,000 for this 28" x 26" prancing horse weathervane covered with gold leaf.

As Gaglio summarized for us, “After the third year in Concord, we realized that MidWeek needed to be back in the action corridor, closer to Manchester. Though our show in Concord was very successful, positioning MidWeek in a more accessible location would be to our dealers’ advantage. Location, location, location. And customer convenience. We love our new facility.

“Being in a new building always presents a learning curve, and the JFK Memorial Coliseum was no different. The air-conditioning was not sufficient for this building, and so we have already made the corrections for next year’s show,” Gaglio replied. He said he had some other surprises but no hints yet.

Antiques Week in New Hampshire remains our favorite antiques event of the year, and we think lots of collectors and dealers agree. Attendees come from across the country—from California to Texas, from Florida to Maine. The mix of buyers and sellers cannot be beat.

This is the only Florida sampler they have ever had, according to Bill and Joyce Subjack of Neverbird Antiques. It is signed by Julia Fogarty (1855-1907) and was priced at $20,000.

One of our favorite pieces was this Murphy bed with all the accessories. It was $9500 from Perkins & Menson Antiques, Ashby, Massachusetts.

Gaglio had many exhibitors from Canada, and they seemed to enjoy the opportunity to exhibit in a major U.S. show. It was good for selling and maybe for buying, despite the Canadian dollar’s weakness against the U.S. dollar. One dealer said if he finds something Canadian, the sellers may not know a lot about the Canadian antiques market, and thus the price is right.

Pennsylvania dealers were well represented; their eye for eye-catching pieces is well known.

Some dealers, such as Colleen Boland Alpers of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, showing at MidWeek for her ninth year, sold many pieces. Six items in her booth boasted sold tags by 1:30 p.m. The show opened at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, August 10, and ran till 6 p.m. that day (Thursday’s hours were from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.). Among her early sales were a trade sign, a backpack, an early lamp, and a three-candle chandelier.

Another happy dealer was Mark Keily of Dayton, Ohio, who sold a highboy—yes, brown furniture sold—and Early American Antiques, Canfield, Ohio, sold a red, white, and blue coverlet, so even textiles sold. (It’s interesting to note that some of the top sellers were from the Midwest.)

The huge tramp art piece, 70" x 34" x 16", was offered at $6500 by Keily Fine Arts, Dayton, Ohio, and sold after we took this picture. Mark Keily found the piece in Ohio and had used it in his office at home.

Gaglio added that a lot of furniture in general was selling, including a hutch table, a sawbuck table, a game board table, and a Federal one-drawer stand, as were accessories, such as wallpaper boxes, painted baskets, signs, game boards, and jewelry.

There was a wide variety of merchandise, well displayed and usually with detailed price tags giving information about the piece itself, not just a dollar sign. I do not know about you, but I respond more to information about age, where found, the materials used, and as much provenance as possible, rather than only a price.

Gaglio thought his exhibitors worked hard at being “realistic and responsible” when presenting their material at Mid-Week, especially in regard to pricing. We would add that they were also creative in their booth displays. Walled booths and lots of space across the aisles made for easy shopping. Many booths resembled the rooms in homes where the local historical society has house tours.

One of the most serendipitous moments occurred when we left. We paused to take some water from one of many coolers that Gaglio always has at shows, and a young lady waiting next to us smiled. I said hello. One thing led to another, and I asked where she was from: Cape Town, South Africa, a great city I have visited many times.

This folk art ship model won first prize in 1927 at the Wisconsin State Fair, according to dealer Tom Rawson of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, who priced it at $3850. Above it, the painting of a Green Bay, Wisconsin, barge was $895.

Matthew Ehresman of Wadsworth, Ohio, exhibited lots of desirable pieces, including the 48" x 32" x 20" dry sink, right ($2500); the 46" x 41" x 18" Connecticut Queen Anne blanket chest with original brasses at center ($3600); the wall hanging of hearts ($1250); and the 22" x 27" x 20" sawbuck table ($1600).

What was she doing in Manchester, New Hampshire, at an antiques show? I asked. Well, Natalie was with Rory Hayford, and Rory was there with his mother, Kathy Hayford, who was a friend of Frank Sykes, a Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, auctioneer. Sykes was delivering a purchase to one of the exhibitors.

But how did a guy from Wolfeboro meet a girl from Cape Town? Teaching English in Korea.

Where do they live now? In Beijing.

Where next? Stay tuned.

For more information, contact Barn Star Productions at (845) 876-0616 or visit the website (www.barnstar.com).

Depend on Dennis and Valerie Bakoledis of Rhinebeck, New York, to always show top quality items such as this Chippendale maple tall chest, priced at $3800.

Veteran dealers Lee Hanes and Joy Ruskin Hanes of Old Lyme, Connecticut, always have a great booth filled with fine examples of formal furniture and accessories. Their hutch table sold, and the “instant ancestors,” as described on the price tag, could be yours for $3850.

Originally published in the October 2016 issue of Maine Antique Digest. © 2016 Maine Antique Digest