The 24th annual Aiken Antique Show kicked off Friday morning at the Aiken Center for the Arts.
More than 20 specialized dealers from throughout the Southeast gather each year at the downtown Aiken gallery to exhibit rich collections of antiques to potential buyers, who also travel from various locations all over the region.
An average of some 2,000 visitors come to the three-day exhibition event to peruse a wide variety of preserved vintage pieces, such as jewelry, rugs, furniture, paintings and pottery, said Caroline Gwinn, executive director of the Aiken Center for the Arts.
“They develop relationships with people where they can and it’s a bit of a homecoming when they come back every year,” said Gwinn about the antique show’s exhibitors, handpicked by the arts center, many of whom have been regulars all 24 years.
Kathy Tobler, based in Granbury, Texas, offers a robust assortment of sterling silver. Alongside holloware and flatware, her collection includes rare items such as early 20th century stirrup cups, given to guests as a parting gift in Scotland and England during foxhunts.
“People seem to appreciate, and still use, sterling silver here,” said Tobler. “So we try to specialize in some unusual things.”
Connie Marks of Victoriana, based in North Carolina, specializes in linens, lace and vintage clothing. Her booth displays bed, bath and table linens, handkerchiefs, dresses and more, from the late 19th century to the mid-20th, restored to look and feel as if brand new.
”A lot of my things are European,” said Marks. “I have some Italian, English and French things because that’s where the professional embroidered dresses and lacemakers were.”
H + K Art Gallery, based in Spartanburg, S.C., offers fine art by deceased Southern artists from the early to mid-20th century, such as Leon Pescheret (1892-1971), Polly Knipp Hill (1896-1969) and Josephine Couper (1867-1957).
“We have a very specific niche,” said owner Susan Kunkler. “Louisiana to Baltimore, Maryland is our [roughly] 13-state radius. How we determine ‘Southern’ is they either were born in the south, or … they had to have come and done art in their specific medium in the South for more than three years.”
As a fundraiser for the art center, the antique show is a critical part of the center’s budget, Gwinn explained. Lisa Castle, owner of York Cottage Antiques in Aiken and dealer coordinator for the antique show, notes how the growth of the event over the years speaks to the support the community has for the art center as well as the caliber of the collections.
“We’re very fortunate as a small show because a lot of the small antique shows got dissolved, so we have built a fabulous clientele,” said Castle. “We have, I’m happy to say, a very nice reputation of doing a quality show.”
The Aiken Antique Show will be at the Aiken Center for the Arts at 122 Laurens St. SW, through Sunday afternoon. For more information, visit www.aikenantiqueshow.com.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
