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COLLECTING ADVENTURES!
By Rosemary Lee Potter
Looked forward to it the moment the morning alarm woke me. Counted the
hours during the working day. Then, time to head down Big 19, over the
Bayside Bridge, and then down I-275 to St. Petersburg, get off at the
4th Avenue /Downtown exit. There. There it is, on the left, with free
parking, St. Petersburg’s historic Coliseum, the perfect venue for the
wonderful three-day yearly (in January) Sunshine City Antiques &
Collectibles Show!
Step inside and it’s showtime! More than 100 vendors with hundreds of
thousands of individual items await and who knows which of them has a
fabulous curiosity to discover and enjoy! What an adventure!
Right down the first aisle to left, beautiful carved Asian window
shutters. Catch the morning breezes, said the original owners long ago,
perhaps open, but let the silken curtain lightly blow in the breeze
behind those slatted openings. Anyone looking for architectural pieces
to enhance their own homes or collections, check with Asian Willow
Antique Gallery of St.Petersburg, owners, Gary J/ DesMarais and Stephan A. Farkas II, also friendly show hosts.
Far, far down that same aisle, at last, someone who tells me their own
collecting adventure. It’s the old house purchased and, my favorite,
all the things discovered within the old house, its walls, its yard, in
essence, its history. A miniball, like the one found in my old log
house, block step entrance, trap door, planks, underground hiding
place, stage coach. Could have talked for many more hours and hours,
wishing could go visit the fascinating vintage New England dwelling and
others like it.
Around a back corner, wow! Such beautiful American deco period
pieces—to enjoy—the lines, the colors, the drama. Imagine the settings
where these objects were uses first---as actual home décor! Even if
not knowing the artist, there is huge appeal in these fabulous pieces.
While they’d never fit in my homes, just imagine the effect wherever
someone installs them in an appropriate setting.
Just a few steps down the far aisle again and there sat an
impossible-to-ignore painting, by Alfred Hair. Accomplished in 1960,
this piece is by one of the original Highwaymen, famous black Florida
artists. Colorful, historical, beautiful! This artist’s work, much in
demand, this artist, dead far too young. Talked with Victoria Pierce of
Victoria’s House about this fine painting in her current care for sale.
Still one more corner, have come almost full square of the lovely dance
hall polished wood floor, the draped lights, the many alcoves of
sellers and browsers. There a very pretty, upstanding light stand,
once a gas lamp, now, still pretty ruby glass, but with a bulb within
it a flower as the electric wire. There is always something pretty to
see, to purchase at friendly, Central Avenue Antique Marketplace, of
St. Petersburg.
As the evening slipped too rapidly away, I wondered how many more
exciting objects, probably thousands were there in that beautiful
room, as yet unseen by me. Likewise, how many untold secret stories
accompanied them, and even those accounts in the memories of those now
discovering, organizing, and now selling them. How many more intriguing
tales of buyer good fortune or first owner long gone would there be?
Can hardly wait until same time next year! Hey! Come from all over!
Meanwhile, another collectibles show is on the near horizon, the 28th
Florida Antiquarian Book Fair, to be held Friday, March 13-15, 2009, in
this very same fine vintage venue, the Coliseum, in St. Petersburg! In
town that weekend or not, that’s an exhibit and destination for all who
love literary collecting and all the trappings! The show is the
delightful yearly splendor or the Florida Antiquarian Booksellers
Association. The promotional materials read “Books, prints, maps,
ephemera, autographs, thousands of items in dozens of categories.”
Whoa! Go!
For more information, www.floridabooksellers.com/bookfair.html
I know that there are many gatherings of antique and treasure hunters across our
country. Treking to their hunting grounds and festivals, there while
browsing objects, also hearing those terrific finders’ tales is true
and loved collecting adventure! So many passionate vendors explain
they just “grew up” with a family who bought or lived in a very old
house. Co-incidence? Maybe not. Perhaps the highly infectious
Collecting Bug enjoys such habitats!
©2009 Rosemary Lee Potter All Rights Reserved
Limited permission to THE TROPICAL BREEZE
Author contact: e-mail: rosemary_potter@msn.com
Write:% newspaper address: TropicalBreeze.com, P.O. Box 585, Safety Harbor, FL 34695
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Attractive Japanese hand-painted, wooden, slatted window shutter, more than 100 years old.
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Untitled, original painting by Alfred Hair, 1960, one of the original Florida Highwaymen, black artists.
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| Art deco figure lamp with peacock glass umbrella shade. |
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Brass oil lampstand with ruby glass, converted to electric, wire rose lighting within bulb.
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