The Bedford Antiques Show
November 13th, 2016
Bedford, New York
Debbie Turi’s Bedford Antiques Show was “a darling show with good quality,” remarked an attendee early on the first morning of the weekend show, held November 12 and 13, 2016, at Historical Hall on the Old Post Road in Bedford, New York.
Nineteen dealers set up shop on both levels of the white clapboard house, which was built in 1806 and moved to its present location in 1837 by 20 yoke of oxen, as well as in a heated tent on the side of the building. Situated across the street from the town green and next to the Old Burying Ground, the charming structure is owned and rented out by the Bedford Historical Society.
The show was held at Bedford Historical Hall, next to the town’s Old Burying Ground (1681-1885) and across the street from the town green.
Here’s a view of the show from the balcony.
The show opened on a picture-perfect autumn day. Crisp air and leaves crunching underfoot greeted show guests as they made the short walk from a neighboring parking lot to the hall. Once inside, the airy and inti-mate interior was an appropriate backdrop for the dealers’ objects.
Richard A. LaVigne of Knollwood Antiques, Thorndike, Massachusetts, brought his good taste and good cheer, filling his space with eclectic furniture and decorative accessories. Francis Crespo of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, brought lots of folk art, including paintings, carved wooden animals, whirligigs, and a tobacco trade sign figure. Jaffe & Thurston, Wawarsing, New York, brought a range of artworks and a breadth of knowledge, which they enjoyed sharing with their customers. Jamie Shenkman of Jamie’s Antiques, Croton-on-Hudson, New York, displayed trays of her collectible jewelry, including French jet bead necklaces, Bakelite bracelets, and silver and turquoise rings. Michele Fox of Weston, Connecticut, brought campaign handkerchiefs, her signature red, white, and blue banners and flags, French bed linens, Hermès scarves, a set of 12 turkey plates, and a case filled with Tiffany silver jewelry and accessories.
“The mood was bleak (due to the election), but overall Bedford went fairly well,” said Turi in a telephone interview after the weekend. “The gate was down, but not by much, and business was done both days, especially late in the day.”
On the right is a late 19th-century American folk art weathervane with propeller. Francis Crespo of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, priced it at $395. Behind it, the whirligig with two blacksmiths, found in Massachusetts, was tagged $575.
The pair of carved mini ducks was $110 from Two Sisters, Cockeysville, Maryland. The frog decoy cost $175, and the black swan, $165.
In fact, the show stayed open both days after 5 p.m. to accommodate buyers, and Turi and her sister delivered purchases to waiting cars outside the hall after sundown, said one dealer.
Holding an antiques show in a venue with no dedicated parking nor room for a café is a challenge, Turi admitted. “It’s very tight quarters.”
She takes care of her dealers, providing them with breakfast and lunch from the hall’s recently redone kitchen during setup and the run of the show. The venue is so well liked, she is working on securing dates for a spring show there, Turi said.
Richard LaVigne said he sold two-thirds of what he brought to the show. Besides a campaign chaise, he sold a pair of English cast stone stools in the form of tree stumps, a 19th-century French portrait of a young boy in a cobalt-blue lacquer frame, a pair of Delft table lamps, and some smalls to designers from Connecticut and New York. “I did my homework,” he explained. “It’s all about demographics today and knowing what people want to buy.”
Turi is always looking for new ventures, she added, and has signed on to manage the dealers and advertising for the Glen Ridge Antiques Show, now in its 71st year. The show is to be held February 3 and 4, 2017, at the Glen Ridge Congregational Church in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, near Bloomfield and Montclair, a 30-minute drive from midtown Manhattan. It is an all-volunteer show with dinner served Friday night and lunch on Friday and Saturday. “It’s an old-time church show,” Turi said, with capacity for 35 dealers.
The pictures and captions illustrate the show in Bedford. For more information, call (973) 464-9793 or visit the websites (www.dturiantiqueshows.com) and (www.glenridgeantiques.com).
Top to bottom, left to right: Baker & Co. Antiques, Delmar, New York, offered the “Let Us Be / Thankful” hooked rug from Maine at $750; the wall sconce with snuffers at $195; the painted pine scrub box at $295; the pine cribbage board at $265; the walnut cribbage board with yellow paint at $235; the “Dressed Turkeys” trade sign at $295; the Parcheesi game board at $395; the maple sugar mold with hearts at $275; and the double-sided game board at $375.
This 3' x 5' antique Sarouk rug from Iran, circa 1930, was priced at $800 from Soheil Oriental Rugs, New York City. It has rust, blue, beige, and light blue in its design.
Black Swan Antiques, Washington, Connecticut, asked $1600 for this 20th-century American pine console table, 37" high x 84½" wide x 19½" deep.
Jamie Shenkman of Jamie’s Antiques, Croton-on-Hudson, New York, displayed this tray of necklaces that included some French jet beads and lapis lazuli. Prices ranged from $50 to $250.
Originally published in the January 2017 issue of Maine Antique Digest. © 2016 Maine Antique Digest
