Jan and John Maggs Antiques
Conway, Massachusetts
Newsletter -- October 28, 2005
One of many quiet country roads in England on which we traveled in our quest for exciting new stock for our November opening.
Tough work, but someone has to do it!
Since last month's newsletter . . . . . . .
On Monday, October 10, the day after Rhinebeck, we set off on a two-week trip to Europe. Following the usual agenda for our April and October trips, we planned to spend a week or so in England, buying at fairs and from the circle of dealers with whom we've established relations, then travel to the Continent for a few days of vacation. After booking our England connections, we purchased airline tickets and reserved six nights in the Hotel Brouwer in Amsterdam, a 17th century house on the Singel that has been restored and now offers bed and breakfast at a very reasonable price.
As things evolved, buying in England was much more difficult than usual. The word from England is no different from the US: sales of antiques are very slow, yet good merchandise is scarce, and what there is is often quite expensive. One furniture dealer who is in a very active shop on the Welsh border told us that in the entire month of September he had sold absolutely nothing. An experienced London jewelry dealer from whom we've been buying for years told us that her only good shows these days are in Miami and Las Vegas!
Nonetheless, we doggedly pursued old and new sources for the kinds of antiques that we love and that our customers have come to expect from us. In the end, because our buying in England was so limited, we spent much of our planned Amsterdam vacation in shops and markets, searching out new sources -- a change in plans, though not exactly a hardship! We're happy to say that we enjoyed great success, and as we write on the eve of our return to the US, we're feeling very good about the trip.
We invite you to judge for yourselves, as our bounty will be on display in our shop on November 12th and 13th. You'll find complete details below.
UPCOMING SHOWS
November 12 & 13, 2005
* * * * * * * * * *
November 18 & 19, 2005
Wethersfield, CT Antiques Show
* * * * * * * * * *
November 26 & 27, 2005
Pound Ridge Historical Society Antiques Show
To see a complete listing of our show schedule for 2005, click here.
In this issue we begin a two-part sequel to the story of the restoration of our home in Conway. We invite you to compare before and after photos of the exterior of the house and barns in: Our Conway Home -- then and now: Part I: exteriors.
Tales of the Trade
What's in a name? Click here for an interesting tale of name transmogrification.
The back page
Click here for this month's Back Page.
Links
Click to visit the Jan and John Maggs Antiques website.
Click for directions to our shop.
Click for links to all past issues of this Newsletter.
Click for 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