Canfield, Ohio
The Hudson Antique Show held March 8 and 9 at the Canfield Fairgrounds Event Center (a.k.a. the Michael Kusalaba Event Center) in Canfield, Ohio, recorded the largest gate in the history of the show. Dealers and shoppers alike pulled show manager Steve Sherhag aside to state variations of “The show looks great” and “Best I’ve seen.” Numerous dealers enjoyed sales in the five-figure range.
So, was this show a success? I’ll say.
“We set an all-time attendance record this year with about 840 people coming through on Saturday and another 220 shoppers on Sunday,” Sherhag stated. “The second day of a show can be sketchy, but it ended up being really good for many of the dealers.”
Fifty-five dealers filled the spacious event center situated on the Canfield Fairgrounds in Mahoning County. A long line of eager shoppers had already formed Saturday at 9 a.m., an hour before the doors opened. Minutes before opening, Sherhag was walking the floor shouting, “Dealers to your booths. We are letting them in,” and in they came: a wave of humanity!
“Like every show, we had dealers that did outstanding, some did very well, and there are always a few that had a so-so show. I was one of those dealers,” Sherhag stated. “It happens, but for the most part sales were strong.”
Sherhag noted that one dealer sold 90 items on Saturday alone. “Smaller pieces, but they were very happy.” Another dealer let Sherhag know he sold $10,000 worth of items from his booth in the first hour. By the show’s end, a handful of dealers told Sherhag their sales were $20,000-plus.
“Walking around and looking at what the dealers brought, it was evident there was an uptick in the quality of the merchandise, which led to an uptick in the show being successful for both those selling and those looking to buy,” Sherhag noted.
One dealer said to me, “To be successful, a seller must focus on the three P’s—product, presentation, and personality. Nobody needs what we are selling to survive. So as a seller, if you have the item, display it well, and make a connection with every potential customer who walks into your booth, chances are way better that you might make a sale. I think the dealers who do this are the ones who are successful in this business.”
Sherhag is always striving to improve, and the dealer list this go-around included several first-timers. “I got lots of compliments from the dealers who had never done Hudson before, which is always wonderful to hear,” Sherhag pointed out.
The Hudson Antique Show was a staple event held in January in Hudson, Ohio, for many years. Sue Hall and Lynne Dingus were the show managers for a stretch, establishing the show as the one to herald in the new year. Steve Sherhag took over before COVID-19, but once that struck, the Hudson-area hotels Sherhag had been using to host the show put the kibosh on the event’s taking place within their walls.
Solution—the Canfield Fairgrounds Event Center had just opened up and was available. Wide aisles, loads of natural light, and the fact that Canfield, Ohio, is Sherhag’s hometown made it a no-brainer decision to bring the Hudson Antique Show here.
“I often get questions as to why I don’t change the show’s name since it is no longer in Hudson,” Sherhag stated. “There is history behind that name. People hear ‘Hudson Antique Show’ and remember the quality of the event and count on it being the same. It is my job to make sure it does, so no, the name is never going to change.”
What is changing somewhat is that the merchandise being offered is no longer exclusively country and Americana. “Two young men in their late twenties stopped me on Saturday and said they were interested in setting up next year, if there was an opening,” Sherhag stated. “The pair specializes in Native American and prehistoric artifacts. They told me they walked around the show, saw the quality of the merchandise in the dealers’ booths, and wanted to be a part of it all. I think the addition will be an interesting one for the show, and I hope it works out.”
Keeping the tradition alive while being open to growth coupled with the dedication of the show manager and the dealers who participate is the winning combination behind the continued success of the Hudson Antique Show.
For more information, call Steve Sherhag at (330) 207-2196 or visit the website (www.hudsonantiqueshow.com).
Comet Lake Antiques, Clinton, Ohio, a Hudson Antique Show staple, offered this grouping of chalkware banks. “I hope the same person buys them all,” dealer Mike Christy stated. “I think they are great together.” Each was priced at $125.
Measuring about 10" long, this polychrome-painted carved wood cornucopia is a late 19th-century Odd Fellows piece. It was priced at $3250 by Stephen-Douglas Antiques, Rockingham, Vermont, and Walpole, New Hampshire.
This formal 18th-century portrait of an unknown Virginia Colonist was thought to possibly depict a member of the Byrd or Mercer family. The portrait’s historical provenance is included in a 1960s review done by the Frick Museum, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The review suggests that the portrait was the work of John Hesselius (1728-1778), a portrait painter who worked mostly in Virginia and Maryland. The portrait was tagged $2650 by Peninsula Village Antiques, Peninsula, Ohio. The portrait hangs above an early Mennonite blanket chest priced at $485.
I double dog dare anyone to attempt to pick just one item to report on in the dealer space of Greg K. Kramer & Co., Robesonia, Pennsylvania. Not possible. This continuous-arm Windsor chair from New York City, a gorgeous example of the chairs produced in New York City in the late 18th century, was priced at $3500.
This three-gallon Ohio crock, decorated with bold cobalt tulips and impressed “L H Worbs” (for Laban H. Worbs, 1816-1904), was offered by Zach Christy of WhatAGuy Antiques for $995.
Ernie Slucher had this lovely Coshocton, Ohio, miniature blanket chest priced at $2200. The mid-1800s piece has a wonderful smoke-decorated surface, a single drawer, and a cutout base.
Found in the booth of Swala’s Antiques, Washington, Pennsylvania, this pack basket with an “O” and a “U” painted in red on the front was tagged $550, while the six-gallon stoneware beauty, probably from Greensboro, Greene County, Pennsylvania, could be had for $3600.
The eye-catching grain-painted finish on this Pennsylvania two-piece corner cupboard found in the dealer space of Greg K. Kramer & Co. was a real winner. It was priced at $10,500.
Found in White Cloud, Michigan, and having stayed in the same collection since the 1950s, this pie safe has punched-tin designs that are echoed in its interesting mustard paint decoration. Comet Lake Antiques priced the pie safe at $2500.
First-timer David Lewis of Farmhowz Vintage Furniture & Décor, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, went big. Really big. “We specialize in larger items—store counters, display cases, hardware storage items—things like that, but I also look for advertising pieces, items for the garden, anything I find interesting,” Lewis stated. The 12'6" long counter shown here had already found a new owner. Other items still available included the small, curved-glass oak showcase priced at $675; the hard-to-find tower showcase, 48" x 48", with a $2185 price tag; and a revolving parts bin with multiple drawers with porcelain knobs priced at $2450.
No wonder this lovely corner cupboard, with a decorative bonnet that includes a finial and rosettes, a triple-arched 12-pane glass door, and a cutout base, found a new home within the first hour of the show’s opening. It was sold by Josh Farrin of Randolph, Maine.
The outer wall of the dealer space of Heller Washam Antiques, Portland, Maine, featured this set of four pierced-tin firemen’s parade lanterns priced at $2800. These Americana items from between 1790 and 1825 have a lovely patina and retain their original handles.
Fanciful and artistically rendered, this carved, polychrome-painted folk-art cane was tagged $3200 by Heller Washam Antiques. The carvings include snakes, crowns, lizards, foliate motifs, and the initials “P.A.V.P.D.L.”
John Kolar of Hershey, Pennsylvania, pointed out these two 19th-century cookie cutters in his dealer space. The figures of Columbia and Uncle Sam are 23½" x 7¼" and could be had for $4000 for the pair.
Making a pie? Need to crimp your crust? Karl Pass had this assortment of beauties, any of which would do an admirable job. The crimpers were priced from $295 for the crimper with the twisted handle to $85 for a simpler straight-handled example. The 19th-century wrought-iron spatula displayed above the crimpers is stamped “J.L. Mettler” and had a $295 price tag.
Sold by Meander Auctions, Whipple, Ohio, was this blue-painted box stenciled on the front “Imperial Granum / The Great / Medicinal Food.” The top is stenciled “Walker Gibson / Albany, N.Y.,” and one side is marked “Imperial / Granum / The Great / Medicinal / Food / Six Dozen / Small-Tins.”
Kay Puchstein of Frankfort, Ohio, always puts together a stellar booth display. “I know nothing about her, but I love her,” Puchstein noted of the girl in this 6' tall oil on canvas. “It is dated 1876 and has a fabulous frame,” she added. The painting was tagged $3250. The Steiff camel on wheels was $975, and the child’s glider, painted red with black and gold stenciling and with a horse mounted up front, could be had for $895.
Bradford Craig White American Antiques, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, offered this outstanding New York candle mold with a wooden frame in original red paint for $3450. It is signed “J. Walker” and has no repairs or replacements.
Originally published in the June 2025 issue of Maine Antique Digest. © 2025 Maine Antique Digest
