GLEN RIDGE, NJ — Although the final figures are not tallied, the 70th Glen Ridge Antique Show is projected to have a 10 percent revenue increase over last year, according to Dorothy Waldt, the show manager. Last year, the show garnered about $20,000 for charitable causes, before expenses.
The fair this year had a festive air, too, she said, because of the anniversary. A lunchtime a la carte menu was tried for the first time with much success.
“There was a special dinner for Friday, too,” she said. “There was a tremendous response to the food.”
Seating, with a coffee table, was also provided in an area near the kitchen of the Congregational Church where the fair was held last week on Friday, when it snowed, and Saturday.
“It gave a nice home touch,” Waldt said. “And a lot of people were waiting for appraisals by John Nye.”
This was Waldt’s second year managing the show.
On the floor, some of the dealers said the antique market was soft, but still, some did alright business.
“It’s not the same as when I first started in 1996,” said Kathy Rothschild-Jansen, who has been selling at the Glen Ridge show since 1999.
“I was 15 when my mother took me along to buy an antique table and I was hooked,” she said.
Nearby was Robert Taylor. A man stopped, took off his wristwatch and asked Taylor to look it over. He did.
“You’re missing a piece on the face,” Taylor said. “That affects the value.”
He told the man to wear it and enjoy it. If it were in better shape, it might be worth $150.
Taylor said he did pretty well the first day of the show even though it snowed.
“But I’ve had four people asking me about how much something of theirs was worth.” he said
He said he tries to carry a little bit of everything.
“Young people aren’t interested in antiques,” he said. “A lot of newer homes don’t have dining rooms. People don’t entertain formally. China, crystal, stemware, silver — younger people don’t buy.”
He did have a solid brass Cloisonne umbrella stand. He said Cloisonne is metal wiring covered with metal. He said the piece he had was the best article in the Glen Ridge show.
Brooklyn dealer Ina Levy said that this was her first year in Glen Ridge and
business had been slow.
“It puts a damper on coming back, a bad first year,” she said. “Another dealer recommended the show.”
A potential customer, a woman, inspected a Victorian spice tower Levy had purchased in England. She asked how much?
“Three hundred and ninety dollars,” Levy said.
The woman said she loves her daughter but not that much.
“And there you go,” Levy said after the woman walked away. “It may not be the place for this kind of stuff. Or it’s not my day.”
Dave Cowell, the longest-returning dealer in the show, said the snow on Friday made sales spotty, but Saturday, he was three times busier.
“Antiques are an elective purchase,” he said. “People don’t do period homes. They’re mixing. The young people, their memory of home is 1980 and 1990. And they don’t entertain like we did. They gather in the kitchen. Even lighting has changed.”
He pointed to a small table lamp beside him.
“This is task lighting,” he said. “If you’re sewing or doing something. Now young people want their homes lit like a school. There’s so much lighting. All these things change what people are buying. They buy clocks as curiosities. They don’t need them.”
Cowan said he had also been approached by someone with an item they wanted him to inspect.
“A woman came in with a porringer,” he said. “She didn’t know what it was. No great value. Originally, they were used to hold liquids. Now they hold nuts. I told her not to put salted nuts in it. It would pit the surface.”
Debbie Turi, who in previous years had sold with her mother, said her mother had retired.
“Business is just fine,” Turi said. “The snow was a slow start but it picked up nicely.”
Turi said she has started promoting antique shows.
“The business needs someone with fresh ideas willing to work with dealers to make it work,” she said. “Dealers need to be more diverse with what is happening.”
She said she helps antique shows, including the Gen Ridge show, find dealers.
“It’s not easy,” she said. “The dealer pool is shrinking and aging out. And if they don’t make money, they’re not coming back.”
She said the Professional Show Managers Association is trying to get children interested in antiques. It is hoping for a new generation of antique buyers.
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