“I’m very pleased. I feel it came together really well,” said show manager Esther Glick at the opening reception of the first Lancaster County Antique Show, set to be an annual event. The inaugural event was held at the Lancaster Host Resort and Conference Center on the Lincoln Highway, also known as Route 30 in Lancaster, Pa. Sixty-two dealers filled the Lampeter Exhibit Hall with antiques such as holiday items, pattern glass, art pottery, china, toys, advertising, jewelry, photography, political pins, decoys, lighting, silver, tools, books, prints, linens, country primitives, and folk art. Of course, there was much more offered during the show’s three-day run.
Opening on Oct. 24 from 6 to 8 p.m. with an early buyer’s preview, Glick brought in live music and set up a wine and cheese bar. Opening night was well-attended. Regular hours for the show were from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 25 and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 26.
“It’s about time a show comes back to Lancaster,” said pattern glass collector and exhibiting dealer John Ahlfeld.
Ahlfeld echoed the sentiment felt by many in attendance opening night, where an upbeat crowd shopped. A large segment of exhibiting dealers were local to Lancaster and many belonged to regional co-ops. Two such examples were the Antique Village of Strasburg and also the Brandywine River Antiques Market.
If you thought a new show in Lancaster County could fill a void in this heartland of the antiques and auction industry, it could. The only current antiques show in the county is the Lititz Show, which is held as a fundraiser for the Lititz Historical Foundation the last weekend of every June. It has been in existence for 51 years.
Glick heavily marketed the new Lancaster County show. She even placed a digital billboard ad on Route 30. She understands the importance of investing in her business to be relevant in a challenging market. Glick has run the Antique Village of Strasburg co-op for the past 16 years.
“I plan to move forward with a second show,” said Glick. “It was a great start. All shows today face the issue of getting enough people and the right people in. The big overwhelming feedback was that we had tremendous variety and a great location.”
The next show, according to Glick, will be held at the same location on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 17 and 18, 2015.
The photos and captions tell more of the story.
For additional information, call Glick at 717-598-7202.
Photos courtesy of the author.