Antique market offers antiques for everyone

By Jess Grimm, Scott Antique Markets

Clouds gave way to warmer, dry weather the morning of Scott Antique Markets in Washington Court House June 22-24, bringing with it an eager crowd of shoppers. Vendors filled many of the buildings and outside spaces at the Fayette County Fairgrounds excited to greet shoppers and pair antique and vintage items with a new owner.

“It’s been very nice,” said Vickie Stranzin, who came to the show with her husband from Cincinnati. “There are a lot of good items out here right now.”

Stranzin and her husband left the show with a beautiful sewing basket and vintage fabric to be used for a new project as well as a belt buckle or two.

All throughout the fairgrounds beautiful antique pieces were on display and ready to go to a new home. One vendor lined an outdoor path with stunning pieces of furniture and had firefighting equipment, signs and other items for sale. Down the row another vendor had an old wooden train engine and caboose pull toy that sold for $24. Near the entrance, a vendor had a Hawthorne bicycle for sale for $100. A vintage dress form stood under a tent waiting for a new designer with a $70 price tag.

More amazing pieces were found inside the buildings as well. The Townhouse Antiques & Vintage booth had a stunning antique ice cream parlor soda fountain set for sale for $850. Another vendor had a display of cast iron, as well as a Stanley No. 79 Side Rabbet Plane for $675. The same vendor also had an antique hay wagon toy available for $185. An ornate oval mirror from the 1960s with gold and white paint sold for $25 in another building.

Hundreds of customers left the market over the weekend excitedly chatting about their new treasures. A group of friends from Marysville came to browse and left the show with a whole range of vintage items including a beautiful painted metal doorstop.

England, France, India, Egypt, Turkey, Germany, Italy, Australia, and the United States – the whole world can be found in one place, once a month: Scott Antique Markets in Atlanta, Georgia.

Taking a trip to the two huge buildings at the Atlanta Expo Centers is like taking a trip around the globe in one fun-filled day. Each vendor has a unique experience awaiting you around every corner. A vendor who deals in Persian rugs imported from Turkey can be situated right next to a vendor who deals in antique book plates from Europe or lighting from the southern United States.

Laurie Ward, who has been a vendor at Scott Antique Markets for 15 years, travels to England and France multiple times a year to pick up fresh merchandise for her customers.

“I always have an itinerary and I just go shop,” she said. “I’m not there sightseeing. I’m not having tea with the queen. I’m not going to visit cool castles. I’m just there to hunt.”

Ward always has a list of places she shops regularly, as well as a few new places to try. She says you never know where you’ll find your next treasure trove.

Matt Culverson, part of the family-run business Nostalgia Fine Art, says he and his family get their original pieces from all over.

“The original antique prints, we have a buyer in Europe that buys for us,” he said. “But we’re always looking. We buy everywhere. We buy online. It’s a constant treasure hunt.”

Culverson says he and his family also work with a few museums to buy the rights to make giclee reproductions of their images. Nostalgia Fine Art has tens of thousands of images on hand from all over the world available for purchase every month with prices ranging from just $10 to thousands of dollars.

All of the vendors at Scott Antique Markets work hard to make sure they have the best, most unique pieces for their customers and many of them take trips overseas to hand-pick the best treasures or import items they know people will love.

Andrew Harley, for example, takes trips to Germany to bring back furniture and smaller items to display. Hundreds of Persian rugs are available to browse through that are imported from Turkey with prices ranging from a few hundred to thousands of dollars.

Sterling silver from American makers like Gorham and Reed & Barton shine in another booth run by Michael Weaver and his family with a 6-piece Chantilly silver tea set selling for $9,900 – a steal as the set retails for $15,000-$20,000 – and a set of Francis First flatware that includes 12 four-piece settings and a 6-piece hostess set going for $2,600 while it retails in the world market for $6,000.

Vendors from India, Australia, Egypt and other countries that have settled in the United States also bring their personal flair to the show, adding items that are rarely seen in America to the market.

If you want to shop the world but can’t afford the travel, just head to Atlanta, Georgia the second weekend of every month. Scott Antique Markets is one of the world’s largest museums – and everything is for sale.

There are still two more chances to catch Scott Antique Markets in Washington Court House this season before the show returns in 2019. The season closer will be Sept. 28-30.

For more information visit www.scottantiquemarkets.com.