It's a tough economy, but if you have the money, whether you're in the market for stocks, real estate, or antiques, it's a buyer's market. Here's a great opportunity to exercise that fact ... and when you throw in free parking and free admission, it only makes the deal all the better. (The Dec. 4-7 show has free admission.)

Read on ...

Charlotte, NC—The Metrolina Tradeshow Expo continues its long-standing tradition of hosting one of the most extensive, exceptional monthly antique shows in the region with its new International Collectibles and Antiques Shows, beginning December 4-7, 2008.

With 98,000 square feet of shopping and more than 2,000 vendors, rare and unique treasures await show attendees at every turn, including high-end antiques, home décor items, vintage jewelry, silver, glass, pottery and ceramics, fine art, toys and memorabilia of all varieties.

Hundreds of experienced, professional antiquities dealers will travel from across the country to present the finest offerings in the Antique Village – 13 free-standing ‘storefronts’ presenting the finest quality crafts, antiques, unfinished and finished furniture, rugs and more.

These monthly shows will also feature the East coast’s largest flea market, with more than 3,000 outdoor exhibit spaces, offering one-of-a-kind items at unbelievable prices.

Guests will also find unique riches on Piccadilly Lane, where more than one hundred permanent vendors display their distinctive wares, including homemade and gourmet specialty foods and goods, as well as a variety of food and refreshment vendors to help fortify them as they shop.

Guests are also encouraged to bring their family antiques and personal treasures to the spring and fall ‘Classic’ shows, which will include professional antique appraisals and auctions similar to those found on the popular television series “Antiques Roadshow”.

Additionally, for the first time in Metrolina’s 30 years of operation, guests are offered free weekend admission, a $25 value, to the inaugural International Collectibles and Antiques Show, December 4-7, 2008, as part of the grand opening celebration weekend.

Show schedule:
December 4-7, 2008 – grand opening celebration weekend
January 1-4, 2009
February 5-8, 2009
March 5-8, 2009
April 1-5, 2009 – spring ‘Classic’ show
April 30-May 3, 2009
June 4-7, 2009
July 2-5, 2009
July 30-August 2, 2009
September 3-6, 2009
October 1-4, 2009
November 4-8, 2009 – fall ‘Classic’ show
December 3-6, 2009

Hours:
Monthly shows: Thursday-Friday: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Sunday: 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Classics: Wednesday-Saturday: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Sunday: 10:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.

Tickets:
FREE for December 4-7, 2008 grand opening celebration weekend

All other monthly shows, excluding ‘Classics’: children ages 12 and under – free admission; general admission - $4, seniors - $2 (Friday-Sunday); early shopper four-day pass available - $15 (Thursday-Sunday)

‘Classics’ admission: children ages 12 and under – free admission; general admission - $6, seniors - $3 (Friday-Sunday); early shopper four-day pass available - $20 (Thursday-Sunday); sneak preview, five-day event pass - $30 (Wednesday-Sunday)

Season pass for all 12 shows, including ‘Classics’ - $45

Parking:
Free parking for all shows

For additional information, visit www.icashows.com, or call 704.663.1500.

NAWCC Chapter 59 in San Diego announces that its annual "Southwest California Regional" in Del Mar, a massive, multi-dealer sale of antique and collectible watches and clocks, will be open to the public for one day only, Saturday, November 22, at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in Del Mar, California. SAN DIEGO, CA, November 06, 2008  -- The San Diego Chapter of the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors (NAWCC), Chapter 59, is pleased to announce that the Southwest California Regional will be opening its doors to the public for the first time ever. The Southwest California Regional is an annual sales event for collectors of antique and vintage watches and clocks. The public will be admitted Saturday, November 22, from 9 am to 3 pm. Saturday-only admission costs $10 at the door.

"This is a great opportunity for anybody who's interested in collectible clocks and watches to come get a preview of what's available to NAWCC members," says Mark Weaver, General Chairman of the Southwest California Regional. "You'll get unlimited access to all the dealer tables, resources, and bargains."

"If you're at the Fairgrounds for the Del Mar Antique Show, come check us out in the Wyland Center," Weaver says. "Especially if you're looking for antique and vintage watches and clocks - we'll have the place filled with them!"

"And, of course, we'd love you to join the NAWCC," Weaver adds. "We'll have plenty of applications on hand."

The Southwest California Regional is a three-day event, held November 20-22, 2008, at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in Del Mar, California. The Mart, which is the sales part of the event, attracts horological sellers and buyers from all over the world, all seeking treasures and making deals over more than 250 tables jam-packed with watches, clocks, spare parts, watchmaking and clockmaking tools, reference books, watch and clock accessories, and more.

Many antique dealers attend the Southwest California Regional to replenish their inventory of vintage clocks and watches, making it one of the few major events at which the average collector can discover true "wholesale" deals on collectible timepieces. And now, this once-private event is open to the public for one day only.

"We'd love to see a lot of people take advantage of this opportunity," Weaver says. "This is the first time we've ever opened the Mart up to the public. And Saturday - it's the last day of the Mart, so dealers would rather sell stuff than pack it back up. It's traditionally been a good day for bargains."

"Come on down!" Weaver says, with a wide, welcoming smile.

The Southwest California Regional will also have a display of antique and vintage watches and clocks.

For more information about the Southwest California Regional, visit http://www.nawcc59.org/regional.html.

About NAWCC Chapter 59
The NAWCC is a non-profit organization, and Chapter 59 is the San Diego chapter of the NAWCC. It produces and manages the annual Southwest California Regional every November with its co-host, Chapter 136. Chapter 59 members come from all over San Diego County. Visit NAWCC Chapter 59's website at http://www.nawcc59.org to learn about monthly meeting times and member benefits.

HADA Fall 2008 Show Cancelled

The Mayor has this morning cancelled all events in the George R. Brown Convention Center. Therefore, the Houston Antiques Dealers Association (HADA) has regretfully had to cancel our September 2008 Antiques Show and Sale. This is due to the recent Hurricane Ike, which left most of the Houston area without power. We greatly apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

For nostalgia lovers young and old, the D.C. Big Flea promises two days of treasure hunting Sept. 20 & 21, 2008.

The D.C. Big Flea is held at the Dulles Expo Center.

Whether your area of interest is general store collectibles, vintage advertising, folk art, vintage toys or anything old, if you're in the area, it's worth checking out.

Hours for the show are: Saturday Sept. 20th 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Sunday September 21st  11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.. Admission is $8, good for both days. The address: Dulles Exposition and Convention Center, 4368 Chantilly Shopping Center Chantilly, VA 20151.

Only 10 minutes from the Dulles Airport.

Well, folks, Labor Day is two weeks away. That means, of course, the end of summer. Kids head back to school and we can look forward to cooler weather, shorter days, and autumn colors sool following.

Labor Day also means antique shows. The York Antiques Show runs from Aug. 29-31, there are many holiday antiques fairs, shows, markets and fleas also running through the Labor Day holiday weekend all over the country...not to mention all the auction opportunities.

But let's not forget about the collectibles dedicated to this century-old holiday itself! Robert Reed wrote this week's Antique Trader cover story on Labor Day collectibles.

Visit www.antiquetrader.com and check it out! (Or you can click on the cover image below.) And don't forget to check out the story "An antique collection can save the day when times get hard" — it's a MUST read.

Just gone to the press - yesterday, that is... Here's what you can expect for the 4-16 issue...

After two long weeks away from my beloved AT blog, I am finally back in the office and ready to get back down to regular posting. I'm tired from a 5-hour layover in the hotbox of Chicago's O'Hare airport, and beat from 5 days of straight running at the show, bu otherwise fine, thanks...

First, however, I have to decompress for about 5 minutes from the Atlantique City show, and then put together an entire paper before the end of the day. This should be fun, but I will definitely put some stuff up today hopefully, but for sure tomorrow. My co-blogger and web editor Karen (who has done a fabulous job in my absence, I might add) will hopefully continue to post as well, keeping us the most prolific and fast-moving blog in the biz.

It's good to be back.

Howdy folks. We made it through Day One of the March 2008 Atlantique City Antiques Show and, if I may speak for the staff and crew of Atlantique City - and I reckon that I can - Day one was pretty fantastic.

By the 9 a.m. early opening we had at least 2000 people lined up outside the door, many of them grabbing copies of Antique Trader and our various publications at the show, and the trafic flow was steady all day. While official numbers aren't available yet, I'd say we had at least 5,000 people come through the convention center and they seemed interesting. Quality is high, and uniform, and we heard some good comments from dealers.

The appraisal event went very well, too, highlighted by a superb Judy Garland dress, straight off the MGM lot, that ended up in - of all places - Milwaukee, WI. We have to wait and see if the pics cvame out, but I'll post them if I will.

At the end of the day we also hosted a gathering to fete Ellen Schroy and thank her for all her hard work - 28 years worth - on the Warman's Price Guide. Nice stuff, and Ellen is a great lady. She'll be missed on Warman's, but it's a good opportunity for Trader to get her byline in the paper, as we did with the 4/9 issue.

Sunday is usually a bit slower at shows, but there can be some serious buying going on, so we're keeping our fingers crossed for our dealers and ourselves, for a good day today, a smooth load-out tonight, and a nice easy flight home tomorrow morning. Last October we got delayed in Philly for 12 hours. Yuck.

Looking forward to getting home, getting back to work and regular blogging, and seeing my family. I love the East Coast, and have a lot of good memories from these shows and my childhood summers spent here, but I want to get back to Stevens Point, WI - wide open spaces, nice people and great beer - and get back in the swing of day-to-day life and work.

See you there.

Howdy!

After a long week of vacation last week - agonizing, as you can imagine, spending so much time with my lovely wife and daughter in Phoenix and Las Vegas - I got into Atlantic City last Wednesday night. Travel was 13 hours from Vegas, with a few nighmarish waits in TSA lines at all airports.

It's time for good antiques and the Atlantique City Antiques Show.

We have spent two exhausting days getting the show ready, but as I write this morning, the show floor at the Atlantic City Convention Center looks beautfiul, there is a crowd of 2000 people waiting outside the door and we are hoping for a good show. We know it looks good, and quality is ubiquitous. Now we are waiting for the buyers.

The weather here is a bit chilly and overcast, which means good weather for antique buying, and the attitude seems to be optimistic, which is half the battle when there are such problems with the economy. I don't, however, have to tell any Trader readers that.

What I can tell you is that I'm excited for the opening of this show, proud of the hard work we've done and ready to see this thing come off a success.

If any of you out there are coming today or tomorrow, or go this weekend and read this later, give me a holler and let me know what you think.

I'll post more later today, hopeufully with some pics, but no promises...

From Sandy … not Noah or Karen!

Postcard collecting is alive and well

That was the feeling I got when I attended the 30th annual Michiana Regional Postcard Show on March 15 in South Bend, Ind. The doors opened at 9 a.m., and by the time I got there about 10:15, the aisles were already crowded with shoppers. It sometimes took quite a while before a dealer could break away from customers to chat with me.

To find out more about the show, postcard collecting and Postcard Collector magazine visit www.postcardcollector.com

Interesting little twist out of NYC, courtesy of Here Be Old Things.

A guy bought a box of photos, with a bunch of Diana Arbus photos in there. A dealer paid him $3500 for them. They're expected to auction for multiple hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Name of the game? Dishonest dealer? You decide.

This is breaking news inside the building where I work, and where the Warman's title is based, edited and published. I have it on good authority that Warman's and longtime writer, appraiser, antique-lover and all around cool lady, Ellen Schroy, have decided part ways. I understand an official announcement will be forthcoming.



I want to say on a personal note, and as a fan of Ellen's prolific body of work over the decade - almost three of them - that she is one of the most knowledgable and personable folks in the business. Most of all, she's honest with her opinion, which is invaluable. It was my pleasure to work with her on the Atlantique City Antiques Show last October, and it will be a pleasure again to emcee the appraisal event this coming March 29 and 30. We will be able to properly fete Ellen at the show. Get her to sign those books if you got them.



Ellen is a class act. I hope I will be able to tempt her to write some things for Trader in the months to come. As many have said to me about her, Ellen has forgotten more about antiques than I'll ever know.

This is not good news by any stretch, either for dealers or buyers.

This was one of three shows that anchored Philadelphia Antiques Week, with The Philadelphia Antiques Show as the centerpiece.

The piece pasted in below is something I wrote this morning, and which you've probably read about either on the Bee or on our digital front page here.

Nonetheless, here it is again. There will be more to come once I get the official press release from Promoter Barry Cohen and, hopefully, hear from a few others in the business as to what this does or does not mean.

I do know that Antiques Week in Philly has hard a hard time adjusting to the movement of the big show, which cause quite a stir in itself, and much speculation. I, however, am a terrible mind reader and choose not to comment on motives, or lack thereof.

Philly takes another black eye

Antiques Philadelphia, April 12-15, cancelled

Noah Fleisher, editor

Philadelphia Antiques Week, anchored by The Philadelphia Antiques Show, April 12-15, has taken another hit in the wake of an announcement by promoters Barry Cohen and Jim Burk that Antiques Philadelphia: Spring Show at East Falls, scheduled for April 11-13, has been canceled.

The show was formerly called Antiques at Philadelphia’s Navy Pier, showcasing itself for two successful years in a cruise terminal at the Naval Business Center.

The show moved its venue when The Philadelphia Antiques Show announced that it was changing its longtime venue at the 33rd Street Armory downtown – due to construction – to the cruise terminal at the Navy Yard.

Cohen and Burk secured the new location for the show, attracted the Philadelphia Ballet as a charity beneficiary, and made plans to continue. Dealer support, however, was difficult to secure in an untested venue and, the pair said in a press release, the move by the Philadelphia Show – which has been the subject of great scrutiny by local Philadelphia media and in the antiques press – had, “financially (undercut) Cohen's relationship with the management of his venue.”

“Not enough (dealers) were willing to risk the move to an untried facility," Cohen said.

For information, 703-914-1268 or www.b4rtime.com .

Here's a first look at our March 19 issue, a special for the Atlantique City Antiques Show, which is owned by Trader's parent company, F+W Publications.

It'll be a glossy front with an extra 5,000 copies distributed at AC on March 29-30, 2008 at the Altantic City Convention Center.

I'll be there. If you are around and want to say hi, please do...

Here's your weekly sneak peak at the upcoming Trader, that literally just went to press.