Holiday Greetings!

Been busy this holiday season- adding vendors to Tailgate-Music Valley for your enjoyment.

1750 House
Bill Powell
Butch Steadman
Elliott & Elliott
Harvey Art & Antiques
Imakadee's
Joann Garrett
Mark Miller
The Strawberry Patch

Paul Smith- the origin of a dealer

Iowa dealer, Paul Smith, sells a pretty broad variety of great things. If you’ve been to the Tailgate-Music Valley Antiques Show over the past seven years you probably know what I mean. Paul’s been dealing in antiques for 18 years and like most dealers, what once was his hobby evolved into a full time business. In his former life Paul was a chef who had two hour breaks during the day. He put that time to good use shopping for antiques. Back in his early days of dealing he began selling in an antiques mall, where he says he worked for free. There he would meet and talk to patrons and began to develop his own clientele for whom he would “pick”. We reminisced about the early days of “picking blind” for would-be customers. Those were the days before cell phones with cameras, back when we called a client with a description, snail mailed a photo or just bought a piece on the chance that the client would take it.
Paul sells a lot of antique advertising pieces, salesman samples, unique folk art, miniature sewing machines, assorted children’s items and kitchen things, like unusual old egg beaters, apple peelers and nutmeg graters. He’s also known for having all kinds of great stoneware: “red ware, yellow ware, blue and white decorated stoneware, anything stoneware”, as he puts it. You really never know what kind of treasures Paul’s going to pick up so, you’ve got to get to his booth at the Tailgate-Music Valley Antiques show this February 2nd-4th.

A Preview of Coming Attractions at Tailgate-Music Valley

Federal Bow Front Chest with Matching Sewing Table, Original Brass


Bird on a branch, Pie Safe Tin

Ohio dealer, Jeff Walton is no stranger to the antiques business. He’s been buying and selling since 1984. While Jeff sells a broad variety of great country items, he’s probably best known for his fine quality, handmade, pre-civil war furniture. You can be certain that Jeff knows his furniture. Prior to becoming a dealer, he taught woodworking. You’ll also find folk art, hand woven baskets, paintings, spice chests and painted boxes in his booth.
We had a conversation yesterday about what he’ll be bringing to the upcoming Tailgate-Music Valley show. He has some great pieces lined up for the show and he was nice enough to send me some photos to share with our readers. In addition, he assured me he’ll be bringing a “nice country sideboard and a good tiger maple stand”. Can’t wait to see those.
Like the rest of us, Jeff’s pleased with the show’s new location. He thinks it’s a “wonderful facility, very convenient, easy to find, has great parking”. I agree, and I’m sure you will too.

Favorite Nashville Memories

Introducing a new feature on the site today. I asked our dealers for their "favorite Nashville Memory". As a show promoter, I liked this one very much.


Sandra St. Pierre of Maine Attic Antiques-

"The time that I got accused of packing early"

The booth before the show



The booth after the show

Wearing two hats- Mike & Marti Korba of The Old Shed and Pure and Simple

Dealers Mike & Marti Korba are both participants in Tailgate-Music Valley as well as successful show promoters of Pure & Simple. This annual show in Kokomo, Indiana draws great dealers and large crowds of happy customers. I asked them what they have learned by being on "both sides of the fence" and what are reasonable expectations of dealers and promoters:

Promoter’s Responsibilities:
 A respect and love for the Antique business is a necessity, keeping in mind that quality Dealers represent the finished product
 Promoters spend numerous dollars and time organizing a successful Show
 In this business all you have is your word and a good reputation; say what you will do and THEN do what you say.
 The Show is only as good as the Dealers you promote; as your dealers are the total foundation in which you can build a sound and successful show year after year. It’s simple .. the promoter works for the dealers.

Dealers Responsibilities::
 Bring over the top merchandise
 Variety
 Uniqueness
 Quality
 Fair prices
 Knowledge of the wares they are selling
 Should never buy or sell anything they wouldn’t have in their own home
 Bring merchandise that is suited for the type of Show you are representing

Exciting new dealer joins our ranks!

I interviewed Kevin Duffy this weekend. You have got to see the inventory on his website www.candlerarts.com The site itself is very cool, very hip and very technically polished. Kevin “focuses on self-taught art and unusual objects with a peculiar charm.” He has a great eye. What makes him even more interesting is that he’s never done an antiques show. This February’s Tailgate-Music Valley show will be his first and we couldn’t be more please that he’s joining us. Obviously, after studying his website I had lots of questions. Many thanks to Kevin for indulging my curiosity.
Me: For how long have you been dealing in folk art? Were you a collector before you began selling?
Kevin: I got serious about selling folk art in 2009 after accepting a buyout offer from my former employer. During my eight months off between jobs I worked with a website builder to create Candler Arts and put 125 items up for sale. I began as a collector about 20 years ago, focusing initially on contemporary outsider art. Later, my interest veered more toward offbeat antiques.
Me: Did you sell on Ebay before you developed your website? For how long have you been selling from your website? You have an amazing "eye". Have you studied art?
Kevin: Before starting the website I was a half-hearted seller on eBay. I would post items whenever I felt like it. As time went on I seldom felt like it. Since 2004 I think I've sold five items on eBay. I wanted to sell better things and eBay didn't work for me in that regard. I have not studied art. My mother went to art school; now in her mid-80s, she still paints. So my interest in visual arts came from her. But, like the artists I'm drawn to, I'm self-taught when it comes to buying art and antiques. I put a lot of faith in gut feeling.
Me: If you could just tell me a little bit about yourself, that would be great. Or, just let me know some things you'd like me to put out there about you and your business.
Kevin: I was a newspaper reporter and editor for many years, so I also have an interest in the news and in writing. My wife, Moni Basu, is a reporter for CNN online. We both like to travel a lot, but when it comes to buying art and antiques, I limit myself to America for the most part. You can't buy everything -- at least I can't. I grew up in northern New York State, the son of a banker. Every time he was promoted, we packed up and moved around New York State. We lived in Watertown, New Hartford, Fayetteville and East Aurora. When I left home I lived in Vermont, then Florida before finally moving to Atlanta. Atlanta is a fine place to live but I do enjoy heading north when hunting for quirky stuff.

ALWAYS THE FINEST FROM AMERICAN SPIRIT ANTIQUES

Tiger Maple Drop Leaf Table


Redware Fish mold with Manganese glaze


Two Piece Pennsylvania Cherry Corner Cupboard


Vermont Half Sideboard, cherry & tiger maple

Our Tailgate-Music Valley “regulars” are sure to recognize Ted Fuehr and his wife Jennifer of American Spirit Antiques in Mission, Kansas, www.americanspiritantiques.com. They are well known for their exceptionally fine quality American 18th and early 19th century, high style furniture. Make sure you also check out their booth for spatterware, weathervanes and the wonderful North Shore and Boston School Post Impressionist paintings they regularly bring. Ted was nice enough to send photos of item he’s planning to bring to the upcoming Tailgate Antique Show this coming February 2-4th.
We talked a little about the show’s new location in the Hendersonville Expo Center. Like the rest of us, he’s enthusiastic about convenience of the location, the free and plentiful parking for patrons and the prospect of an easy load in for the dealers.
The Fuehr’s are members of the American Antique Dealers Association. They’re dedicated to educating show patrons about the age, origin and condition of their merchandise. This makes them a terrific resource for collectors, whether their advanced or beginning.

About

The Hendersonville Expo Center is the new home for the TAILGATE-MUSIC VALLEY ANTIQUE SHOW on February 2-4. This show of over 30 years will be bustling with activity and sold signs will be going up on all types of merchandise. Furniture, Folk Art, Industrial artifacts, linens, Quilts, Jewelry, Pottery, China, Holiday memorabilia, and unusuals galore. Over 175 of America's favorite dealers have saved their best merchandise to put on their best displays for customers from all parts of the country. Decorators, antiques dealers, home decorators, collectors, and novices alike will be thrilled with the treasures they find at the TAILGATE-MUSIC VALLEY show.

February 2-4, 2012 Thursday-Saturday
Show Hours
Thursday early bird:
9 a.m. to noon $40 early bird admission includes all three days.
General Admission
Thursday- noon to 5 p.m.
Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
$12 per day.

Hendersonville Expo Center
90 Volunteer Drive
Hendersonville, TN 37075