Category Archives: US

Antique Shows and Flea Markets, Events, Massachusetts, Travel, US

Antiquing in Brimfield

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BrimfieldThree times a year – in May, July, and September – the small Massachusetts town of Brimfield transforms into a massive antique fair. Running from Tuesday through Sunday, “Brimfield”  is actually an agglomeration of twenty shows that take place in multiple fields and buildings throughout the week.  The shows stretch along about a mile of Route 20, a two-lane road that runs through the center of town.

I’ve been to Brimfield many times over the past dozen years.  Here is my advice on what to expect and how to have the best shopping experience. read more

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Antique Shows and Flea Markets, Events, San Francisco Bay Area, Travel, US

Secret Shopping Days at the Oakland Museum White Elephant Sale

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White elephant sale
A Small Portion of the Art Department

The Oakland Museum White Elephant Sale is the mother of all rummage sales in the Bay Area. Now in its 56th year, the sale is a major fundraiser for the Oakland Museum of California and a major vintage shopping destination.  While I first attended the White Elephant Sale about 20 years ago, I only learned about the secret donor shopping days several years ago.  Admittedly it’s not that big a secret since, if you read their website carefully the information is there, but it’s buried several pages in and not broadcast on the home page.  Once you know about donor shopping days you’ll always want to shop during them.  I save items all year to donate to the White Elephant Sale just so that I can shop during donor shopping days. read more

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Antique Shows and Flea Markets, Auctions, Events, San Francisco Bay Area, Travel, US

Antiquing in the Bay Area: the Alameda Point Antiques Faire

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Updated June 2015 to reflect new information 

Alameda Point Antique Fair

Alameda PointIMG_2557While this is no secret to anyone living in the Bay Area, the Alameda Point Antique Faire should be on the must-do list of anyone visiting the Bay Area who has an interest in vintage and antique goods.  Not only is it great for shopping, but this is also a market with a view:  the market takes place on an air strip at the former Alameda Naval Air Station and has a view of San Francisco, the Bay, and the giant cranes of the Port of Oakland as a backdrop. read more

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Chicago, Conferences, Events, Exhibits, History, Jewelry, Reviews, Travel, US

Maker and Muse, part 1: Exhibit and Book

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Maker and Muse Exhibit
maker and muse
Child and Child tiara
maker and muse
Stained glass dome in the Driehaus Museum

I recently visited the exhibit Maker and Muse, Women and Early Twentieth Century Art Jewelry at the Driehaus Museum in Chicago.  Curated by Elyse Zorn Karlin, author of Jewelry and Metalwork in the Arts and Crafts Tradition, the exhibit explores the multiple roles women played in the creation of early 20th century art jewelry as makers, patrons, and subjects.  About half of the 250 pieces in the exhibit are drawn from the collection of Richard H. Driehaus – founder of the museum – and half are on loan from other museums and private collections.  I was in Chicago to attend the annual conference of the Association for the Study of Jewelry and Related Arts (ASJRA) which was focused this year on the subjects covered in the museum exhibition.  For my post on the conference click here. read more

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Antique Shows and Flea Markets, Events, Texas, Travel, US

Antiquing in Texas: Round Top

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Round topI’ve wanted to attend the big antiques fair in Round Top, Texas for many years and finally did so this year. Known as “Antiques Weekend” or “Texas Antiques Week”, both are really misnomers as the shows take place over more than a two week span (March 21-April 5 in 2015, the year I attended).

During this time period over 60 separate shows take place in several towns about midway between Austin and Houston, with the greatest concentration in the towns of Round Top and Warrenton.  I stayed in Austin and it was about an hour and a half drive.  The shows are mostly strung along a 10 mile stretch of highway 37. read more

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Antique Shows and Flea Markets, Events, Florida, Travel, US

Antiquing in Florida: Mount Dora

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Three times a year Mount Dora, Florida becomes a major destination for antique-lovers.  This is when Renninger’s, the famed Pennsylvania antique show promoter, hold their Extravaganzas.

Renninger’s Extravaganza

Taking place in November, January, and February, Renninger’s Mount Dora Extravaganzas live up to their name with about 800 dealers from all over the country selling vintage and antique wares.  The Extravaganzas go on rain or shine; while not as pleasant in the rain, many of the dealers are set up in indoor spaces and covered sheds making it possible to get some serious antiquing done even when it’s raining (and being Florida, the rain usually passes quickly).  It’s also fairly spread out with some booths climbing a gentle hill, so be prepared for a lot of walking. read more

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Antique Shows and Flea Markets, Architecture and Interior Design, Art and Design, Events, Southern California, Travel, US

Modernism Week in Palm Springs

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Modernism Week in Palm Springs is a celebration of mid-century architecture and design and features the Palm Springs Modernism Show and Sale, house tours, films, lectures, social events, and fund raising events that support state and local preservation organizations.   I’ll be selling at the Palm Springs Modernism Show and Sale in February 2015 for the first time and, to prepare, I decided to attend the inaugural “Fall Edition” in October 2014 to scope it out.  Taking place as part of the “Fall Season Kick-off”, this weekend was a mini-Modernism Week and gave me the opportunity to attend tours and other events that I won’t be able to attend in February when I’m working. read more

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Exhibits, History, Jewelry, New York, Reviews, Travel, US

Jewelry Exhibits: the Newark Museum and “Gilded New York” at the Museum of the City of New York

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Jewelry exhibits
Newark Museum Jewelry Gallery

One of only four museums in the United States with a gallery space dedicated to its permanent jewelry collections, the Newark Museum is a little-known gem that deserves better recognition by jewelry lovers.  To people unfamiliar with jewelry history the crime-plagued city of Newark may seem like an odd place for a museum committed to the display of jewelry, however from about 1850-1950 Newark was the fine jewelry manufacturing capital of the United States.  According to Ulysses Grant Dietz, curator of decorative arts at the Newark Museum and author of “The Glitter and the Gold, Fashioning  America’s Jewelry”, it is estimated that in 1929 approximately ninety percent of solid-gold jewelry made in the U.S. came from Newark factories. read more

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