The Round Lake Show

Round Lake, New York

The Round Lake Show

by Betty Flood

The 36th annual Round Lake Antiques Festival in Round Lake, New York, on June 28 and 29 was its usual successful self, despite expectations of bad weather warnings. The big difference was that folks didn't wait until 9 a.m., the scheduled opening time, but were there at 7 a.m. when it was relatively cool—only in the high 80's; by noon it was boiling. Children from the Round Lake Library toted little wagons with bottled water and lemonade that they were selling for the benefit of the library and repeatedly sold out their wagon loads.

"What I think about Round Lake is that a lot of people come every single year," explained Judy Allman. She and her husband, Stephen, are the promoters of the show. "It's hard to gauge the crowd at 8:30. When I was on the north side of the track, I called Stephen and said, 'They're here. They're here early.' Everyone was watching the weather, and we were fortunate the weather held off until late afternoon Sunday, so we had a full eight hours of selling. The word is out! On Sunday, unfortunately, the weather did hold the crowd back some, but some serious money did come to the show."

Kay Riordan Roffe and Cheryl Vandenberg worked two booths and had a phenomenal show. Vandenberg sold four quilts, two of them for over $1000 apiece, a large Rose Medallion bowl, and several paintings. In addition, a magnificent early 15" burl bowl sold for five figures. Vandenberg also had a wonderful red Pennsylvania mold in the shape of a pear and two leaves with manganese spots priced at $595.

Roffe said, "It was a wonderful show, and it was strong in my better pieces, including an iron drying rack [$295], an 1850 salmon-painted door [$195], and some really good fishing books." Her only complaint was that "the gas is a killer—living outside of Rochester and coming to Round Lake." Roffe and Vandenberg estimated it cost them about $150 round trip.

Marie and Dennis Esposito of Before My Time, Lodi, New Jersey, sold primarily retail with many smalls, although they did sell a cherry dresser for $375. Marie said she thought "the economy was a little different. People looked at things more carefully and didn't seem to make snap decisions."

Bobbie Davis-Fionda and her husband, Joe, of Appleton Manor Gallery, New Ipswich, New Hampshire, had a pair of magnificent Victorian iron chairs for $1095 and a two-step iron planter for $985. Joe said they sold a boat model for about $600, but he felt that they barely covered their costs, since there were two nights in a hotel, plus food and gas, "so we barely squeaked out," he said.

"It was a hot day, and there was a decent crowd, and the promoters were fine. I think it was just the mentality of the people in an area that I don't know," said Joe, whose gallery usually caters to the decorating crowd and early collectors.

Duane and Marilyn Mullen of Grey Barn Antiques, Rome, New York, sold a mahogany bedroom set for $1900, an oak hall seat for $895, and a children's table and chair set. The table went at $275, and the four chairs went at $240. Duane said they also sold an oak bookcase with two doors and drawers in the bottom for $1050 and a simple two-door oak bookcase for $800.

The Mullens said that they did take credit cards on some of the items, "but we really would prefer to have a check." He thinks that some people have the attitude that since it's going to cost a lot to fill up a tank with gas, why not put money in something they will still have tomorrow?

George Yoder of Cobleskill, New York, had a terrific pair of Old Paris candlesticks that sold for "several hundred dollars" and a marble-top washstand with a tile backsplash and mirror that sold for $350. "I sold a little bit of glass, not a lot, but I did sell a mahogany Empire chest of drawers for five hundred," Yoder said.

Karen and Patrick Kenny of South Porch Antiques, Spencerport, New York, were ecstatic about the show. Karen said, "We did well, and we just loved the show, and we're going to try it again some time. It's a beautiful town with charming people, and we had a lovely time. We sold a lot of outdoor furniture, vintage furniture, primitives, and some architectural pieces. We had a huge pheasant stuffed under glass, which we sold for four hundred dollars."

The Kennys also sold about a dozen outdoor metal yard chairs at $40 each and a nice early portrait from the 1800's, which needed some restoration, at $300. "One of the things that was a surprise was that you really don't expect too much business on the second day of the show, but we were really happy with both days. It was very good!"

Don Flaws, a dealer known for his quality woodworking tools and refinished tool boxes, said he did fine on Saturday but he "got so overheated and uncomfortable" on Saturday that when he heard the weather forecast for Sunday, "I got up at four o'clock in the morning on Sunday, went and loaded my truck and trailer, took the tent down, and I didn't stay for Sunday."

Flaws sold a combination ash and cherry tool box for $350, and, as usual, a multitude of planes, ranging from $25 to $175. Flaws has also started selling coins, and this time he sold between 12 and 15 silver dollars, mostly circulated, for around $15 to $18 apiece. "There was one that was uncirculated that went for a little more, so I was satisfied."

Flaws said that he thinks next year he and a friend who sets up next to him will set up one tent together and share the space and the work. "I didn't want to write that day off, but I didn't want to get overheated like I had been, but I did OK overall," he concluded.

Those old Edison phonographs with the big horns are still selling for Ken Woodbury of Nipper's Choice, Keene, New Hampshire. "I sold one [$1295], plus I sold a lot of small phonographs and a table model," he said. "It wasn't earth-shattering, but it was good. I didn't do quite as well as I did last year but came close. The smaller Victrolas brought about three hundred, and the table model was four hundred."

Pete and Sue Kuchler of Pete and Sue's Antiques, Buffalo, New York, sold an oak dresser for $300, an oak sideboard for $300, a mahogany file cabinet for $225, and a red and white striped lemonade set with six glasses for $65, but they decided against putting out their quilts because of the weather. "They get a good crowd, and they started coming in earlier this year than last year. We had a great crowd on Saturday. You couldn't ask for any better. Most of our sales were retail." The dealers can't wait to come back next year.

Claire Dounoucos and her friend Lucy Caldwell, a.k.a. Quilt Lady, shared a tent and actually did OK. Dounoucos laughed and said, "It was kind of a joke. I just brought a few things because I promised Lucy I would share the booth with her. I have to say I did pretty well!"

Among the things that moved were an iron plant holder for $150, another nice old planter for $120, some silver jewelry, and pottery. Dounoucos did say that you have to be reasonable today. When asked what she thought people were looking for, she said she thought there were "a few serious buyers out there and quite a few dealers running around. It was an OK show, but I haven't done it in years."

Michael Albanese of Civil Warrior Collectables, Kendall, New York, said he had a really good show. "I sold a lot of military, some really high-end World War One painted pieces, like a personalized gas mask with the guy's name sort of artsy painted on it [$400], and other military pieces." A Civil War tintype of a soldier sold for $150, and a Civil War caricature of Lincoln went at $250.

A specialist in Southwest pottery, Albanese was surprised that he didn't sell one piece of pottery. "I usually sell one or two pieces, or find someone who's a collector, but I didn't find one person there. I sold a few Indian pieces of jewelry and four nice pieces of turquoise jewelry, all vintage southwestern. Considering the heat, I thought they had a good crowd. I had no complaints. The traffic was good, the food was decent, and I can't wait to come back."

Fred and Alice Reinhardt of Woonsocket, Rhode Island, did the show for the first time last year and have vowed to come back because they did so well. "I had ninety-one sales in two days with less than ten percent of our sales going to dealers. The rest was all retail. We sold stoneware jugs [$35], a cast-iron sadiron [$33], a three-tine fork, a cast-iron divided skillet; but then, our prices are not outrageous," said Fred. "We sold a two-man saw [$40], some wooden folding chairs [$25], and a rug beater [$25]."

When a woman from Texas came into Meg Mourey's booth and spent $1200 on beadwork and baskets, Mourey knew she was home free. The Lancaster, New Hampshire, dealer had a very nice selection of beadwork, with one particular piece, a Saratoga pillow dated 1881 and priced at $220, that surprisingly did not sell. "I had a good mixture. Not a lot of Indian stuff, but a few baskets. I sold a bronze statue of a woman [$80], a nice red and blue chair [$100], a hand-forged iron chain [$40], and a nice iron forged hook [$15]. If I'm in luck, I comb the spots, and I can pick the iron up reasonably, but it's just heavy and dirty."

The Smarts of Park Antiques, Rutland, Vermont, had a lovely New England tea table in original red paint priced at $2250, but it didn't sell. John Smart said, "I sold some interesting things-a Widdecomb coffee table, a piece of Tiffany glass-mostly to dealers. I didn't have any retail to speak of. It was all basically smalls. We sold some stoneware, and the dealer sales were particularly good at setup. That's when most of my sales were."

Catherine and Donald Kirsch of Manheim, Pennsylvania, exhibited what had to be one of the best Hoosier cabinets that has been at the Round Lake show in several years. It was a beauty. "It was so funny. We had this girl who was asking a lot of questions, and she said she'd been looking for a Hoosier for five years. Then she left, and her girlfriend was standing there, and I thought, I guess she really wanted it. Then this other girl came up. We were talking to her. And this man came running in and said, 'I want it!' It was the first girl's husband. It was really cute!" The clean and pristine piece sold for $1500.

The Kirsches also sold an Empire china closet for $600, a stepback pine hutch for $750, and a lot of smalls. Catherine Kirsch said that she sold about $150 worth of Halloween items to a gentleman who was interested only in 1950's pieces, such as a plastic lantern in the original box, a few pieces of paper, a horn, Halloween napkins, and some paper plates. "It was really funny to see what he bought," she said.

The Kirsches, who sell on eBay, said that they try to keep up with people, and they always want different and unique items. But they were thrilled with the show and are certain to come back.

"I sold a blue cupboard that I can't remember off the top of my head what I sold it for. I also sold a washstand for something like two hundred dollars and a cream pan with a tin liner and legs that was stenciled Frewsburg, New York [$350]," said Tom Newcomer of Horsefeathers Antiques, Delhi, New York. "[I] sold a couple of dome trunks for about a hundred dollars each. There were a lot of people. It was very crowded. The gate was great. We had good weather both days but had a little rain on Sunday. I sold a small lithograph and some stoneware. One piece was a Pennsylvania striper [$150], and some small advertising stuff. There were a couple of dome-topped document boxes sold, so we did all right."

"I sold every accessory I had," exclaimed Matthew Gosch. "I sold the bar, the back bar, and the four stools [$800], a canoe [$650], some wicker, a wicker couch and settee [$450]. I bring a nice mix, and I think the crowd is supportive. I didn't have a big dining room table this year, but I had some small parlor tables." The North Tonawanda, New York, dealer said he's been selling some pretty good paintings, but they're getting harder to find. "I looked all over Round Lake, and I didn't buy any paintings," he said. "The weather was pretty good, so we made it out for the weekend. See you next year!"

Becky and Erwin Selleck of Heuvelton, New York, are newbies to the business, considering that they've only been doing these shows for seven or eight years, but they certainly knew what to sell. All of a sudden, carnival glass has come to light again, according to the Sellecks. "In the past year, we moved more carnival glass than we had three years before. We can't keep up with it now."

The carnival glass they sold was within 20% of the book price, mostly in the $100 to $150 range. Nobody bought the $500 piece. "When people looked at Steuben from the fifties they said, 'Oh I got that as a wedding present, and I didn't know it was worth that much now.' So consequently, we didn't sell it. We had about a dozen pocket watches and a few clocks-mostly stuff from World War One. The oldest clock was about 1865, but we didn't sell any of the clocks." They sold several pocket watches, ranging from a low of $20 to a high of $175.

The dates for the 2009 Round Lake Antiques Festival will be June 27 and 28. For more information, contact Allman Promotions LLC at (315) 686-5789; Web site (www.allmanpromotions.com).