Glen Ridge 70th annual antique show approaches

GLEN RIDGE, NJ — The 70th annual Glen Ridge Antique Show will be on display at the Glen Ridge Congregational Church on Friday, Feb. 5, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturday, Feb. 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. An admission fee will be charged.
Betsie Delorm, the dealer manager, said in an email that about 27 dealers will be present. Ten were not at the show last year, but some of these dealers will be returning after an absence.

“Our longest-running dealer is David Cowell, of Lovely Living Antiques, who has been with us since 1984,” Delorm said. “
Other dealers who have been coming to the show for a length of time include Linda Cowan, since 1995; Ed and Donna Ledoux, since 1996; Kathy Jansen and Ken Jakupko, since 2000; and Debbie Turi and C. J. Brown, 2003 and 2006, respectively.

“We have a very loyal group,” Delorm said, “but we have lost a few over the years because they retired.”
She said popular items this year are jewelry, small furniture pieces and art works.

Dorothy Waldt, the show manager, said this year an effort will be made to collect email addresses. Last year, Waldt’s first year as manager, the Postal Service misplaced the announcements the show organizers had mailed. As a consequence, attendance suffered because of the publicity debacle. Waldt said emailing the announcements would be cheaper.

The antique show organizers ordinarily mail 3,000 announcements. Waldt said people are reluctant to provide an email addresses because they do not want unnecessary emails. Waldt said the addresses would only be used to announce the annual show.

“It’s very unscientific how people hear about us,” she said in a telephone interview. “Last year, people heard about us from what the newspapers said about the mailings. And from TV. We’re not going to abuse anyone’s email address.”
To encourage people to leave their email address, Waldt said there will be a raffle.

“We’re getting an item donated from an antique show dealer,” she said. “If someone submits their email address, they are entered into the raffle.”

But Waldt acknowledged that not everyone has an email address. She said no one would be prohibited from entering the raffle.

Waldt said the Glen Ridge Antique Show is the longest-running antique show in Northern New Jersey.
“The Ridgewood show closed last year,” she said. “And we’re one of the oldest in the country. We’ve done the research.”
Because it is the 70th annual show, a special meal will be served and the environment will be more festive, Waldt said. The appraisals will be done by Nye and Co., which is located in Bloomfield. Its founder, John Nye, regularly appears on “Antiques Roadshow,” according to a press release.

Waldt said popular items this year appear to be jewelry and items for the home. She said furniture is hard to transport, but the Glen Ridge show is known for attracting furniture dealers.

Regarding items for the home, Waldt said many interiors now have a minimalistic design.
“That makes interesting items really ‘pop’ in a house,” she said. “You see that trend.”

The show benefits by its locale, she said, so a visitor can expect to see historical items on display.
“Other areas are modern,” Waldt said. “But Glen Ridge, because of its historic nature, has that edge.”