Date: Fri 28-May-1999

Publication: Ant

Author: CAROLL

Quick Words:

Wenham-Inaugural-Jackman

Full Text:

Successful Inaugural Wenham Show

(with 26 cuts)

By Bob Jackman

SOUTH HAMILTON, MASS. -- On May 7 and 8 the Wenham Museum hosted its first

annual antiques show. Thirty-eight dealers presented fine quality antiques in

room settings. The Friday evening preview party was attended by over 250

enthusiasts. Saturday's attendance was smaller, and sales were variable. The

show was presented in the gymnasium of the Pingree School.

The preview crowd arrived promptly at 6:30 and lingered for half an hour

beyond the scheduled 9 pm closing. This was definitely the new "in" place to

be seen, and there was a strong turnout of local business and professional

leaders. Wenham is centrally located in the Gold Coast area of the North

Shore, and the people who attended the preview were precisely the people

exhibitors had hoped to see.

Previewers split their time between socializing and buying. Several items sold

as they were being photographed. One of these was a circa 1950 drum with skin

heads. One head was painted with the words "The Rainbow Revelers, Scranton,

Penn.," and with a landscape scene spanned by a rainbow. A local collector

purchased the drum as a display prop for his Newburyport restaurant.

Dealer Alan Goodrich of Erwinna, Pennsylvania, explained, "Drums painted on

one side were used by jazz bands or combos, and drums painted on both sides

were used by marching bands. I have had five or six over the years.

Occasionally they have dancers, but usually they had nature scenes like

forests, waterfalls, or canoes."

Dealers were encouraged by the success of the preview and the high quality of

the show. At the conclusion of the preview, exhibitor Mary Carden Quinn

suggested "This could be the start of something big."

Any first-time show is a mutual exploration on the part of exhibitors,

promoters, sponsors, and the public. Planning aims toward a good match, but

when the show opens everyone is on a steep learning curve. This show featured

many strong booths with country antiques and folk art, but the public most

aggressively bought jewelry, formal furniture, and paintings.

On the day before Mother's Day, Portebello Square of Towson, Maryland, had the

good fortune to be the only jewelry dealer at the show. Reflecting on the show

Drauga Gilmore said, "We feel good about the show. It was a great party, and

it will only get better as it grows and becomes well known. We sold estate and

antique jewelry, and earrings were a popular item. We had one customer who

drove from Brookline, Massachusetts, so some people did travel a distance for

the show. I hope to see the show repeated."

Kevin Clark Antiques presented formal antiques with a strong English

representation. Kevin volunteered, "Given it was a first-time show and a

one-day show, we did very well. We sold four major pieces of furniture and a

bunch of smalls. We also met a number of new clients who expressed an interest

in visiting our Salem shop."

Painting exhibitor Donna Kmetz was highly pleased. "I had the best show I ever

had. I was really happy. We sold four oils, three watercolors, one Oriental

rug, and other accessories. These were primarily retail sales. The sponsoring

organization was wonderful. They were there both days, and they were actively

shopping the show."

One of the most successful country exhibitors was Lynne Weaver of Wenham. She

commented, "I had an excellent show. I sold a set of six Pennsylvania painted

chairs, a Nineteenth Century cast-iron garden urn, other cast-iron garden

furniture, and three tables. As co-chairman of the event, I found the preview

very exciting. It was a great turnout, and people were having great fun. For

the museum, the preview party was hugely successful."

Dealers were enthusiastic about this inaugural show. Exhibitor Barrett Menson

stated, "I was happy with the show. A lot of educated people were showing

interest. It was a wonderful facility, and the promoters and museum did a

wonderful job."

The show was promoted by Bob Lutz and Ellen Katona of Lincolnville Beach,

Maine. While living in New Jersey in 1981, this couple began promoting

Pennsylvania and New Jersey antique shows. After moving to Maine in 1985, they

continued with those Mid-Atlantic shows. The Wenham Museum show is the only

antique show that the couple promotes in New England.

Wenham Museum executive director Emily Stearns was very pleased with the

artistic and financial success of the show. She enthused, "I think the show is

wonderful. Everybody loves it! It's really beautiful. We had an ambitious goal

of raising $25,000 with our inaugural show, and between the preview party

tickets and raffle I'm sure we have surpassed that goal."

She continued, "This is a wonderful match for our audience, and our community.

We're glad to have gotten over the first-year hump and this is a lovely new

way to accomplish the museum's educational mission."

In addition to the immediate financial success of the inaugural show, this

show also created an identity as a high quality show. History indicates that

quality shows can develop momentum quickly. The show has the potential to

become one of the most select shows in Eastern Massachusetts.