When the Nantucket Historical Association decided last fall not to hold its annual August Antiques Show in 2016, members of the Antiques Council, which stages the show, quickly got together to see what they could do to bring the popular event back to the island this year.
“We just couldn’t let a much-loved antique show that has been a tradition on the island for 36 years just disappear,” said Marty Shapiro, president of the Antiques Council, a not-for-profit with more than 80 members which sets high standards for ethical and professional conduct in the antiques world.
The August Antiques Show had always kicked off the social season of the month the first weekend in August. A preview party the night before the three-day show opened provided revenue to the sponsoring organization: the NHA. A fundraiser that started in the gym of the high school, the venue for the Antiques Show moved around until it ultimately ended up under a tent out at Bartlett’s Farm, which also housed the Nantucket Yoga Festival and Small Friends Art and Artisan Show in July, offsetting the costs for the NHA.
When the NHA decided to give up sponsoring the show, the Antiques Council, which always managed the event, wanted to see it return with a new life and in an exciting new venue.
“We envisioned a show completely produced and presented by antiques dealers,” said Kaye Gregg, director of shows for the Antiques Council.
The Council chose the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club due to its central location on the island that would give the event wider accessibility and many more conveniences for attendees.
“We also saw an opportunity to support an important on-island institution,” Gregg said. The Boys & Girls Club is the largest organization on Nantucket, outside of the public-school system, that provides services year-round to island kids ages 7-18. Last year the Club opened its new building on Sparks Avenue with a double gym: the site of this year’s event. The club began renting it out in the off-season to provide a revenue stream to help fund the expanded overhead.
The board of the Antiques Council also decided to continue the tradition of previous shows to use the event as a fundraiser for local nonprofits by supporting island organizations. This year the Council will make a contribution to the Nantucket Preservation Trust
through the Mary Helen and Michael Fabacher Scholarship, as well as a contribution to the Community Foundation for Nantucket’s Nantucket Fund.
Attendees at this year’s show will find over 30 antiques dealers selling a variety of items including mid-century furniture and accessories, marine antiques, paintings, fine antique furniture, maps, prints, botanicals, silver, antique jewelry, clocks, ceramics, antique wicker and items of special interest to the history of Nantucket.
Adding to the list of familiar dealers who will be returning this year, the show will also welcome several important new dealers. A La Vieille Russie, known worldwide for its curated collections of Russian treasures, will bring antique Fabergé and Czarist masterpieces in addition to an enviable collection of antique jewelry. A La Vieille Russie was founded in 1851 and established on New York’s Fifth Avenue in 1942.
S.J Shrubsole, founded in London in 1912 with a New York branch opening on 57th Street in 1930, will offer its collections of antique silver from America and abroad.
Both dealers exhibit at the Winter Antiques Show in New York City and offer merchandise of the highest caliber. Also joining this year‘s show roster is Bea Hive Antiques with an impressive collection of mid-century furniture. Nantucket and maritime items are always popular and Paul Madden, an antiques dealer for over 50 years from Sandwich, will display a great selection of Americana, antique Nantucket baskets and scrimshaw. ///
The show will be open to the public Friday, Aug. 12 from noon-5 p.m., Saturday,
Aug. 13 and Sunday, Aug. 14 from 10 a.m. to
5 p.m., and Monday, Aug. 15 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets are $15 and may be purchased at the door.
For more information and to learn about many of the show’s dealers, visit www.nantucketsummerantiquesshow.com.
Marianne Stanton is editor and publisher of Nantucket Today.
