The following is an article that appeared in the

The following is an article that appeared in the

June, 2002 issue of the Maine Antique Digest.

Danielson, Connecticut

An “Undiscovered” Antiques Show in

Connecticut’s Quiet Corner

By Ed Pfeiffer

For visitors entering most antiques shows, the first impressions usually a hodgepodge scene. Merchandise in the dealers’ space is diverse, with many kinds, in varied styles, and from different time periods. Show goers with special interests usually have to search for the antiques or collectibles they may want to buy.

By contrast, the tenth annual country antiques shown Danielson, Connecticut, held April 6, created quite a different impression and a very pleasing effect. There were 50 exhibitors in 44 spaces in the gymnasium and cafeteria of the show’s sponsor, the H. H. Ellis Technical School. The school’s carpentry students built high-backed booths covered with bright white paper, creating an attractive sense of unity and highlighting the items on display, mostly 17^th to 19^th century primitive country furniture, accessories and smalls. The overall effect was that of one very big dealer occupying all of the spaces in the two rooms.

Jan Praytor, an Ellis School special education teacher who has managed the Danielson shows from their start, seemed quite happy with the unified ambiance. As she explained, “Country antiques, especially painted and with early surfaces, and early textiles are our focus. It’s hard to explain to those who don’t get it, but there is something about this stuff…the look, the feel, the imperfection…that we all love. I think that’s what makes our show so special.”

Interviews with a cross section of the exhibitors also found them very positive about the event. They seemed to agree that the show was a very attractive one; the merchandise, affordable country items, was top quality; the show manager and volunteers capable and cooperative; and the visitors active buyers, not just lookers. Most, however, felt as Woodbury, Connecticut, dealer Susanne gray did, that the show seemed to be “undiscovered,” and that it had not yet gained the recognition it deserved in the antiques field.

That might be explained by its location. Pre-show advertisements said it was in “Connecticut’s quiet corner,” along the Nutmeg State’s northern and eastern borders with Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Unlike much of the state, the region does not include a major city. The one’s nearest to Danielson are New London, 33 miles to the south; Hartford, 47 miles to the west; Providence, Rhode Island, 26 miles to the east; and Worcester, Massachusetts, 35 miles to the north. The three dozen or so Connecticut communities along I-395, which runs north-south through the “quiet corner,” are relatively small historic towns and villages with miles of attractive open space between them. Danielson, with a current population of about 4300, is quite typical of the small towns in the area.

While it may be a bit off the beaten path, the Danielson show seems to be gathering a growing following. Jan Praytor said this year’s general admissions totaled 450, up from about 400 last year. In addition, an hour of early buying was offered for the first time this year. It proved to be an important decision, drawing some 100 additional visitors for a total gate of 550, a 38% increase over last year. The show’s income, which goes to the school’s parent-faculty organization to provide scholarships and awards for students, also scaled up dramatically, jumping 75% to $2800.

The early-bird visitors had obviously come to buy. By 10 a.m., when the show opened to general admissions, many dealers had booked multiple sales, and many had red “sold” tags on merchandise in their booths. That pattern continued, and by midday most dealers were reporting strong sales.

Howard Graff of Colt Barn Antiques, Townshend, Vermont, said he had written receipts for an ogee mirror ($400) and a cobbler’s iron nail container ($125). He also sold a fire bag, an interesting piece of Americana. The heavy cloth bag was marked with the homeowner’s name and hung by the front door where it could be used to gather up and carry out the family’s valuables in case of fire.

Richard Fuller of South Royalton, Vermont, had been successful in selling furniture, including a cupboard for $350, two bow-back Windsor chairs for $250, a small table for $150, and a 17^th-century chair, possibly Canadian, for $450. He said he was happy that the early chair had found a home in the buyer’s circa 1600 long Island, New York, residence.

Steve and Lorraine German of Mad River Antiques, North Granby, Connecticut, started their business last August, and this was their first show. They seemed to be getting off to a good start with sales early in the day of an 18^th- century yard winder at $225, a pair of 18^th –century andirons at $250, and an unusual three-tang rocker blade food chopper at $85.

Shirley Quinn of Hopkinton, New Hampshire, included among her sales an early blue calico child’s dress ($195), a 19^th-century glass kugel Christmas ornament ($125), and a cast-iron doorstop in a basket-of –flowers design, priced in the $200 to $300 range.

Paula Patterson of Westfield, Massachusetts, seemed to have had a very successful show. She reported selling a banister-back chair, $450; a small primitive grater; two rugs, one hooked in a spider web motif, $400, and the other braided, $200; an unsigned oil on canvas scene of chickens in a barnyard, $500; a flying Geese pattern quilt in what she described as “perfect” condition, $400; and a miniature decoy, $165.

Several exhibitors also noted that the concentration on country items made it a very good place for them to buy from other dealers. In fact, Virginia Lawler of Black Hill Antiques, Paxton, Massachusetts, said she probably would have come to Danielson as a trade buyer even if she were not an exhibitor.

Lincoln Hanson of Early Spring Farm Antiques, Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts, also reported actively buying at the show, but because Linc and his wife, Allen, live on Martha’s Vineyard, that takes some special planning. To attend shows, they load a van and take the ferry to the mainland. As they make sales, they calculate how much room has been freed up in the van and fir their purchasing to the available space on the return trip.

Although visitors were probably unaware of it, there is an interesting behind-the-scenes story at the show. The Ellis School serves as a regional vocational educational center for some 13 eastern Connecticut communities and has about 580 students in grades 9 to 12, about 30% of them young women. Programs are offered in 11 vocational and technical subjects, including carpentry, electrical, masonry, plumbing, automotive, hairdressing, and manufacturing technology. Jan Praytor said many graduates go into skilled trades, some join the military, and about a third go on to collage, most of them majoring in engineering.

For the last decade, the show has served as a real-life, hands-on vocational workshop for the students. The electrical studies class carried out the substantial job of wiring the show, while the automotive body shop students made directional signs that were installed along highways and streets in the Danielson area. Ten years ago carpentry students helped design and construct the show’s attractive booths, and more recent classes re-erect them each year. Teacher Roland Moulin said the experience was a valuable and enjoyable one for the students.

Jan Praytor explained that on the day before the show, for example, there were only a few hours between the time the school’s noon lunch period ended and when the booths had to be ready in the cafeteria for dealers’ set-up time. For the students, that created deadlines and time pressures, much like those on commercial construction sites where many of them will be working after graduation.

“They learn the job has to get done,” Moulin said.

For information about future Danielson shows, contact Jan Praytor at the H.H. Ellis Technical School, (860) 774-8511