There’s nothing like the Finger Lakes of New York on hot June Saturday, and the Genesee Country Antiques Dealers Association picked another perfect day for their second annual summer show. This group is noted for its spring show held at Nazereth College in Pittsford, New York, where antique-hunters from Rochester and well beyond gather for a two-day show featuring quality dealers and merchandise.
The summer show again attracted the quality dealers from well beyond the local region who brought not only period pieces, but also the fun and funky to suit a wide variety of collectors.
Unlike the spring show, where remnants of a late snow and cold winds are often the order of the day, the summer show features warmth and sunshine. Unlike last year’s “too hot” arena, shoppers weren’t wilting as they shopped. For Western New Yorkers warmth is welcome at summer shows.
With the show being located near Canandaigua Lake dealers often bring something relating to sailing or suitable for cottage décor. But there was no shortage of early antiques for the “traditional” collector. Furniture was available, though the one-day nature of the show tends to skew toward smaller items.
Probably the most interesting new feature of the show was a scavenger hunt for children attending with their parents and grandparents. Roberta Paul (Millcreek Antiques) proposed the idea and a number of dealers were happy to cooperate. The kids were given a list of antiques to find, which meant they had to search throughout the booths. After completing the search, they could pick out an item from a box of antique “treasures” donated by dealers. As the Collector reporter entered the show there was a young patron happily selecting a prize while others were carrying clipboards with their lists for the search.
There was positive feedback from parents and grandparents who had come to the show with kids in tow. Other than just keeping the young patrons busy so their parents could enjoy looking and buying, some of the youngsters showed signs of becoming the next generation of collectors.
The GCADA has done a variety of things to encourage younger adults to attend shows, including providing babysitting and offering mini-lectures on antiques and collecting. The treasure hunt idea seems to be well received and keeps kids engaged in the show, not just tagging along.
The show has been a welcome addition to the warm-weather line-up in Western New York.
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