Jan and John Maggs Antiques
Newsletter -- July 16, 2008
Volume 5, number 6
Since last month's newsletter . . . .
Farmington, with a new corporate partner, Country Home Magazine, yielded a few pleasant surprises. We arrived at the 8:00 a.m. opening time to find, as usual, only a handful of buyers. To our continuing amazement, although Early Buying ended several years ago, most shoppers still arrive at 10:00, the old general opening time. This is fine by us; it's far easier to shop when the field is empty. We were on our way home by 10:00, with three exceptional buys.
We were pleased to see a few upscale dealers at Farmington for the first time. When we asked one why he had come, his response was, "My big shows have been so disappointing, I thought I'd give this a try." We asked if it seemed to be a good decision, and his answer was guardedly optimistic. [Update: When we spoke with this same dealer at Brimfield last week, the report was quite different - one sale on Saturday ($110), none on Sunday.]
The week after Farmington we indulged a long-time fantasy. Since we've been exhibiting at Rhinebeck, each time we cross the Rhinecliff Bridge, which gets us from Rhinebeck to our hotel, we've been moved by the beauty of the Hudson River and fascinated by the railroad tracks that run along the river's eastern shore. Wouldn't it be fun, we thought, to take the train to Montreal? Last month we did just that, and this month's newsletter contains the first group of photographs we took during our trip. We hope you'll use the link below to join us on our Amtrak ride along the Hudson River and Lake Champlain.
We shopped July Brimfield, as usual, with some success. High temperatures and humidity significantly reduced the number of both sellers and buyers. Most sellers were less than ecstatic about their sales, but this tends to be the case at Brimfield in the summertime.
On the Saturday of Brimfield week we headed to Vermont for the Hildene show, which alternates annually with the Dorset show. We had a very good show, although most of our sales were to other exhibitors. The numbers of dealers and buyers was disappointing, but we enjoyed a beautiful Saturday in the Vermont hills.
SHOP HOURS
Our shop is open on most weekends of the year, but because we exhibit at a number of antiques shows, we are sometimes away. Click here to see our schedule for the next few weeks. If you would prefer to visit during the week, we will happily open our doors at any time. In either instance, a call ahead is advised.
UPCOMING SHOWS
July 26
Rhinebeck, NY
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August 1 & 2
Little Compton, RI
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August 23 & 24
Vermont Antiques Dealers' Show
Manchester, VT
Click here for our complete show schedule for 2008.
Featured Inventory
English and Continental furniture
American Furniture
Smalls
Jewelry - three period rings
Paintings by American artists
Paintings by European artists
Browse our current stock by clicking on any of these thumbnails.
This Month's Feature
When we arrived home from last month's train trip to Montreal, we found that we had taken nearly 500 pictures. A few of the best can be seen by clicking the link below.
Our Sojourn in Montreal - The Hudson River and Lake Champlain
Tales of the Trade
How we discovered Cafe Tamayo in Saugerties, NY, and why it's one of our favorite reataurants anywhere.
Pippin's Page
The Back Page
Was it the weather, the economy, the cost of a gallon of gasoline, or a combination of the three? This month's Brimfield seemed to us the lightest we can recall, with most fields only about half filled. Click to see Wide open spaces at Brimfield.
Click to visit the Jan and John Maggs Antiques website.
Links
Click for directions to our shop.
Click for links to all past issues of this Newsletter.
For additional links to businesses and places of interest, visit our Links Page.
Thanks for taking the time to read our little monthly. As always, we encourage you to e-mail any comments that might make the newsletter more useful to you. Just click the mailbox, or write to jmaggs@jmaggs.com.
And we thank you for being a customer.
John and Jan