04 September 2014

Collectorama

Calypso lolling about on some stock boxes,
as we prepare for Collectorama.
Collectorama, the biggest Antiques and Collectables Fair in south-east Queensland, is coming up this Saturday, 6 September at the Nambour Showground.

We’ll be taking our normal double-stand, at our normal location on the lower level of the large outdoor Pavillion.  It promises to be a sunny day, so it should be fun.  We’ve still got a few things that haven’t yet been presented, and I’ve planned what I hope will be an attractive display.

The boys like the height and warmth
provided by the stock boxes, too.
Decent Antiques Fairs in Queensland are few and far between, so a few weeks ago we decided to visit a small, local - and by that I mean a two hour drive away – Antiques Fair in Esk.  It was a warm day, with big cornflower blue skies, a winding hilly drive, and there was plenty to see and chat about en route. 

As we travelled inland the extent of the drought in Queensland became more apparent.  It’s green and lush near the coast, but not far inland it’s brown and parched, hot, uninviting.  The grass crackles underfoot, the cattle crowd into the sparse shade of the depleted trees, and the creeks are little more than a series of small, shallow pools.  It’s a tough environment.

This was a necklace at Esk.  Can you
imagine wearing it?  Really?  It isn't old
and was obviously bought by a man with
No Sense of Style.
 
Esk is a tiny town in the middle of nowhere with, it has to be said, not a whole lot to recommend it.  It has a giant antiques shop in the main street, but it had taken the opportunity – being a Saturday – to be shut.  But we had come to visit the Fair, and in such a small town it was easy to find.

It’s a pity when Antiques Fairs allow exhibitors who sell nothing but reproduction to participate, don’t you think?  Especially at a small Fair where there are limited exhibitors to begin with.

Nonetheless, I carried off a brushed aluminium cake tin with clean, Deco, lines for an exceptionally good price.  Aluminium cake tins, utensils and aluminum lidded glass storage jars are entirely out of fashion at the moment.  But they are stylish and suit either vintage or country kitchens, so this will change when magazine stylists and interior decorators rediscover them. 
 
This is a cute little Japanese wooden
Netsuke.  It dates to about 1950 so
it's not antique, but it is vintage and
collectable, not to mention way cute.
 
But until they do, now is the time to buy because these pieces are so reasonably priced.  So that will be something for me to hunt for at Collectorama, when I get a minute. 
 
Because this time we’re not going on our usual Sept/Oct buying trip to France and England, I instead contacted a few of my regular jewellery suppliers, to see if they had anything I liked.  And yes, they had lots of lovely things, many of which have arrived just in time for Collectorama.

I bought a nice selection of French glass wedding cake bead necklaces, together with foiled glass and cloisonné necklaces, all at exceptionally good prices – which means I can offer exceptionally good prices myself. 

Sarah Coventry owl
pendant.
I also bought an articulated Sarah Coventry owl pendant – a nice piece of retro jewellery, some lovely vintage French, Italian and big name American brooches and stylish vintage Swiss wrist watches.  I’ll present them all at Collectorama, and we’ll see how well received they are. 
 
I've put a few photos on our Facebook page, and you can click on this link to see them:
 
The rest you'll have to see in person at Collectorama, or when I finally get a website up and running. 

After we pack up from Collectorama on Saturday, we’ll repack a selection of stock for the Peregian Beach Market, on Sunday 7 September.  So it will be a big weekend.  Call by to say hello, if you can.
 
No stock boxes left for Artemis, but she found somewhere to sun herself anyway.