Consumers in the United States spent approximately $1.1 trillion buying Christmas gifts in 2023, with the average American spending over $1000 for gifts during the holidays. Those are big numbers.
An excellent gift should be personal, and that’s why I find the practice of giving gift cards, the most popular gift in America, distasteful.
Dealers, shop owners, and auctioneers should make a concerted effort to try and get a bigger market share of holiday spending because antiques as gifts make perfect sense. It’s a way to give something unique and special. Who wants something manufactured in an overseas factory when a piece of American history is available?
An antique given during the holidays to somebody new to the antiques ecosystem might give birth to a new collector, something the business desperately needs. It doesn’t have to be expensive. Go into any shop, and you’ll find plenty of affordable gifts that can sit under the tree or be stuffed in a stocking. Many of the objects may have originally been given as gifts when new. If flatware, pottery, porcelain, redware, a decoy, or a quilt were good enough to be given once, they’re still good enough to give as gifts today. It brings “regifting”—thank you, Seinfeld—to the next level.
Locally, the holidays bring plenty of craft fairs, and they are extremely well attended. The buyers attending are shopping for personalized and distinctive gifts—precisely what the antiques business offers in spades.
This business should rise to the occasion. Shops should have longer hours and events during the holiday shopping season. Auction previews should be extended. There are more people shopping during the holidays than any other time. We should make a concerted effort to capture new buyers.
Originally published in the December 2024 issue of Maine Antique Digest. © 2024 Maine Antique Digest
