Jan and John Maggs Antiques
Conway, Massachusetts
Newsletter -- April 16, 2009
April 5, 2009 - Kensington Gardens in London - Is Spring finally on its way to Conway?
Spring post-England gala on April 25 and 26. See below for details.
Since last month's newsletter . . . .
On March 24 we flew to London for two very rewarding and enjoyable weeks in the English countryside. As usual, we visited our favorite shops and attended several antiques fairs, including the mega-fairs at Swinderby and Newark. We had thought that the strong dollar might encourage more Americans to visit and buy; in fact, we saw only a few, and the absence of so many regulars worked to our great advantage. As a result of our trip, we'll have more than two hundred new acquisitions in the shop for our Post-England Gala on the 25th and 26th.
Not only did we buy well at fairs, markets, and many shops, we also enjoyed two strokes of pure serendipity. The first resulted from an eBay search, which led us to a shop within ten miles of our normal route from the Cotswolds to Newark, where we bought the eBay piece, as well as two very interesting additional pieces. And we now have one new destination. The second involves a chance visit to a shop, which led to a meeting with an old friend (See this month’s Tale of the Trade, below).
Our decision to open by appointment only during the past Winter appears to have been a good one. We cut our fuel consumption by nearly half and stayed closer to home, thereby reserving funds for our buying trip to England. Consequently, we shopped with solid financial resources and were able to purchase some outstanding objects. The strength of the dollar against the pound also allowed us to buy things that would have been beyond our reach six months ago.
Our opening on the 25th will mark the beginning of our 2009 season in Conway. Except for our reduced schedule of shows, we'll be open regularly on Saturdays and Sundays through December. We hope you'll consider coming by.
Upcoming Shows
April 25 & 26, 2009
* * * * * * * * * *
May 23 & 24, 2009
Click here for our complete show schedule for 2009.
As we'll unveil new stock on our gala weekend, none is contained in this newsletter. Please click any thumbnail to browse our online stock.
This Month's Features
We've just returned from our annual Spring trip to England. Click here if you'd like to see a few of the many pictures we brought home.
In September 2005 we launched The Back Page, a monthly photographic offering ranging from the serious to the ridiculous. This month we publish a pictorial index of them all. To revisit old favorites or some you may have missed, click here.
Tale of the Trade
How a thin wallet, a missed exit, and a free parking space may have led us to an old acquaintance in downtown Newark: An Improbable Reunion.
Pippin's Page
Click here for Pippin's serenade to Spring.
The Back Page
"Love the streets you walk in" - London's answer to the dog poop problem.
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
