Fredericksburg, Virginia
The Big Flea Antiques events have been a fixture within the mid-Atlantic antiques scene since 1976. Over the ensuing half century, the names, configurations, and venues have changed from time to time, but D’Amore Promotions, Virginia Beach, Virginia, has developed a show formula and enjoys brand recognition that has captured a large and loyal following. The firm is now headed by Marthia Sides-Shaw, daughter of its founder, Joan Sides.
For 26 years, one of D’Amore’s premier events, commonly known as The DC Big Flea, enjoyed a permanent location at the Dulles Expo Center complex in Chantilly, Virginia. Following the July 2025 Big Flea, that facility was sold and has been reconfigured as a large IKEA store.
On August 15 and 16, The Big Flea Antiques Market—Fredericksburg debuted at the Fredericksburg Convention Center in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The move is not to imply that this is a replacement for the Chantilly event. Rather, it seems to be D’Amore Promotions’ understanding that their product is more about “what it is” and not “where it is.” Although the Fredericksburg location is slightly smaller than the Chantilly complex, 208 exhibitors in their engaging booths greeted the long line of shoppers, who queued up an hour before the doors opened. Exact attendance figures are not available, but the floor was crowded throughout the day.
M.A.D. covered the final DC Big Flea event at the Dulles location in July 2025. In this M.A.D. reporter’s opinion, exhibitors at the Fredericksburg event leaned more heavily on a solid market for traditional antiques, fine art, and collectibles than last year. That said, exhibitors offered something for everyone at price points that seemed reasonable. Collapsible trolleys and canvas totes filled with purchases moved steadily to the parking lot.
In conversation during the event, Sides-Shaw allowed that while the search for a long-term permanent venue has not been resolved, she is pleased with the facilities, and a Big Flea event will return to the Fredericksburg Convention Center in 2027.
For additional information, contact D’Amore Promotions at (757) 430-4735, [email protected], or check the website (www.thebigfleamarket.com).
Pam Weldon and Robert “Bobby” Potts trade as Liberty Park Antiques, Bowling Green, Virginia. Their booth contained a variety of antiques and collectibles, many of which were related in some way to The Big Flea’s host city, Fredericksburg. This rare surviving “BASE BALL” poster advertises a 1953 game between the Quantico Marines and the Fredericksburg All Stars. This game was an annual event sponsored by the local American Legion post. The poster was priced at $3800.
Jonathan Katz is from Philadelphia and specializes in Art Nouveau and Art Deco items. This group of earthenware items includes a small Monk pattern pitcher from Foley, marked $195; the blue rabbit plates are by Dedham Pottery, marked $190; the creamer and matching cup and saucer are part of a luncheon set by Mettlach Collection, marked $125; and the tall green example is Foley Intarsio and priced at $400.
Here is an early 19th-century mid-Atlantic regional map of Virginia (including what is now West Virginia), Maryland, and Delaware, created by American cartographer, Henry Schenck Tanner (1786-1858). This edition of the map is dated “1840” and was offered by Jerry N. Showalter, Bookseller, Ivy, Virginia, for $2500.
This late 19th-century chest was displayed in the booth of Bill Sheets, who trades as B&B Antiques, Annapolis, Maryland. The chest retains its heavy iron handles and remnants of its original, red-painted accents, including an identifying ribbon device on the lid with the name “W. Hines.” It was priced at $150. The pair of cast-iron ornamental shelf brackets was tagged $35.
Lara Rudd of Lara Joyce Antiques, Westfield, New Jersey, offered this case of assorted small desk ornaments ranging in price from $35 to $185. Included were examples of Mauchlin ware, snuffboxes, a Tunbridge ware letter opener, a slide-top box, and a Tartanware dish.
Tracy and John Garcia of Alexandria, Virginia, trade as Upland Hounds Vintage and specialize in mid-century items. Here they offer an equestrian-themed arrangement of drinking paraphernalia. The six Tom Collins glasses in a chrome carrier were priced at $120; the four small shot glasses were $38; and the spouted cocktail shaker was $55.
Here is a five-tube Art Deco-era table radio. The General Electric Model GD-63 was offered by Maryland dealer James Riley of JA’s Vintage Radios. The 1939 radio in the Waterfall design features three different wood-grain patterns. The radio is in working order and was priced at $425.
Steve Higgins of Herndon, Virginia, when not at a show, can only be reached through Facebook Marketplace as “recyclesunshine.” Everything in Steve’s booth was priced to sell. These utensils, with undamaged Bakelite handles, were priced
at $1 each.
Greg Redding of Fairfax, Virginia, is not a dealer. He set up at The Big Flea event as a way to clear out a relative’s estate. Among the items offered were several display cases of tintypes, ambrotypes, and daguerreotypes. This case contained examples ranging from $25 to $110.
Mia Lavorata is from Myersville, Maryland, and introduces herself as the proprietress of Nineteen O’three: For The Edwardian Traveler. Here she has a display of authentic apothecary containers offering, among other things, pain relief, ointments, and digestive aides. The little boxes ranged in price from $20 to $40.
These four stoneware jugs were offered by Marc Calciano, an auctioneer and appraiser from Philadelphia. The two larger examples display a tobacco-spit glaze. From right to left: a two-gallon jug with stopper, $125; a four-gallon example with a cork, $145; a three-gallon specimen, $145; and a large two-handle jug without a capacity mark, $690.
These seven-spindle comb-back American Windsor side chairs were offered by Charlie Miller of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The chairs feature bamboo-turned legs with a modified box stretcher. The plank seats are shaped and have a deeply scored perimeter outline. The chairs were priced at $150 each.
Katherine Hallenborg of Summit, New Jersey, trades as Georgian Interiors. She offered a circa 1840 sampler by Margaret B. Wright. The needlework has rows of the alphabet in double capital letters, a large house, and what appears to be two crowns above pairs of initials. It was priced at $395. The circa 1830 reverse-painted silhouette depicts a detailed scene of a young girl presenting a bouquet of flowers to a finely dressed woman. It was priced at $595. The small watercolor portrait dates circa 1840 and was priced at $195.
Joan and Harry Kravets trade as Somerset Antiques, Leesburg, Virginia. They offered this pair of chairs by American industrial designer Arthur Umanoff (1923-1985). Umanoff’s preferred mediums were wrought iron paired with natural materials. These chairs feature a wrought-iron frame with scrolled arms, a solid leather seat, and a leather basket-weave back. The Kravets priced the chairs at $2800.
This dissimilar grouping was in the booth of Robert Callen Antiques, Lexington, Virginia. The cast-iron book press was tagged $210; the round bentwood boxes, with lids and bail handles, were $175 and $225, priced by size; the pairs of Indian clubs were also priced by size at $85 and $65, and the single example was
tagged $25.
The business card of Don Menez of Alexandria, Virginia, reads “He wHo hAs tHe wEiRd cRUSTy cOoL sTuFF / ‘Put it on a shelf and look at it.’” Here are four examples of his weird stuff in need of a shelf: the Elvis mannequin with a feather boa was $150; a “U.S. Department of the Interior” Indian reservation boundary sign, $260; a tobacco sign, $225; and a pair of red and white clown shoes, $265.
Valerie M. Daniel is a loyal M.A.D. reader and trades as Annecy Alley Antiques, Woodbridge, Virginia. Here are four miniatures that include two bureaus, a red and black cabinet, and a slant-top teacher or clerk’s desk. Clockwise: the desk was tagged $85; the three-drawer bureau, $79; the two-drawer bureau, $145; and the cabinet, $85.
This traveling apothecary/medicine chest is likely English and a true marvel of ingenious craftsmanship. The cube-shaped case opens to reveal an internal drop front that provides a writing surface and three finely dovetailed storage drawers. The side wings and interior are fitted with partitions for bottles. The upper drawer is fitted with compartments containing small, lidded metal containers, as well as some open storage slots to house the balance scales and weights. John Forster of Barometer Fair: Antique Barometers, Sarasota, Florida, priced the case at $1650.
Patrick Hastings of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, occupied a double booth packed with fine art. One of his offerings was this 19th-century painting by John Frederick Herring Jr. (English, 1815/20-1907). Herring is known for his sporting and animal paintings. This oil on canvas measures 17" x 29" (sight size) and depicts a stable yard with draft horses being harnessed. The painting is not dated, but it is cleverly signed on the stable wall, mid-margin left. The painting was priced at $7950.
Jane Masterson is from Mineral, Virginia, and offered nine sets of two-piece molds for making lead toys. Most are soldiers in various postures. A large two-Zeppelin mold and a smaller three-soldier mold are shown here. Masterson hoped to sell the entire group of nine for $400 but could have been persuaded to sell an individual set for $25 to $50, depending on the complexity of the design.
Originally published in the November 2026 issue of Maine Antique Digest. © 2026 Maine Antique Digest
