It has been five years since the Antique Dealers Association of Berks County (ADABC) moved its annual show from Leesport to Kempton, Pa. Change can be healthy, and in a marketplace with plenty of challenges, sometimes necessary. The move was a positive one, and this little regional show is the real deal--a relevent show with the gate and sales to prove it. Mark your calendars for the third Saturday of October in 2019 because it shouldn’t be missed.
“We had over 600 (attendees) and have increased our attendance every year since we’ve been there,” stated show manager Carol Buzzerd. “It’s encouraging. In the beginning, some (questioned) who would ever find it (the show) out in the country, but I think it is working out.” The ADABC works hard on this show. Kempton is a very rural village in Albany Township, northern Berks County, close to the Lehigh County border. The township is active in land conservation and historic preservation efforts and takes the rural nature of the region seriously. Parts of the isolated landscape are picturesque, and that is how its local officials and residents strive to maintain it. The community recreation center, where the show is held, is in a park-like setting.
The town is not new territory for holding an antiques show. Throughout the 1980s, a popular, some would say legendary little country show was held in Kempton. Just north of the Kutztown/Krumsville exit of Route 78, people came from the Lehigh Valley, Reading, Lancaster, Harrisburg, and Philadelphia.
I think price point largely dicates the level of success, notebly on the show circuit. Small, regional shows such as Kempton, Lititz, Elverson, and New Oxford, just to name a few, are witnessing an uptick in attendance and energy. Showgoers, advanced and entry-level, are receptive to good material priced in accordance to today’s market. What does that mean? “I know what this item brought at auction,” said one showgoer, speaking in reference to an item, and “I know when a dealer is seeking a small mark-up or not.” These regional shows that have low booth rent allow dealers to price at lower margins, given their overhead is less. In an age where many passive antiquers are more interested in an exit strategy to sell their collections, as opposed to adding to them, we have not generated enough active buyers, yet there is a lot to be optimistic about concerning the antiques industry in the southcentral and southeastern heartland region of the Keystone State. A decent cross-section of business was done by exhibitors at Kempton. Victor Shearer paintings sold, John Long paintings sold, redware and stoneware was popular, Christmas ornaments and other holiday items found buyers too. Kempton is not purely a country show either. Several jewelry dealers set up with bakelite, turquoise, and silver jewelry.
The WK&S Railroad, also known as the Hawk Mountain Line, is located adjacant to the community center and offered train rides on its steam/diesel trains, and the Kempton Hotel, a popular restaurant, was open, so there were other things to do after the show.
To learn more, call Carol Buzzerd at 610-678-7669.
Images courtesy of the author.