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A robust crowd of curious shoppers filtered through booths in the show’s upper hall throughout the day.
Review & Onsite Photos by Carly Timpson
MANCHESTER, CONN. — The Manchester Antique and Collectibles Show returned to Second Congregational Church for its 61st year. Alan Lamson, show chair, told us, “We have fully recovered from Covid. Last year, we couldn’t fill the last few rooms and had to block them off, but this year we maxed out the number of dealers and had a waiting list.” This year, the show welcomed 35 dealers from Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey and even one who traveled up from North Carolina. And a warm welcome it was — community volunteers had been working tirelessly in the church kitchen for a week straight preparing foods, including the show’s ever-popular homemade corn chowder, pies, sandwiches and baked potatoes.
Many shoppers went straight downstairs as they entered the show. Upon doing so, they would wander into the booth of Silk City Antiques, Manchester, Conn. Having attended the show for 12 years, owners Mike and Beth Ringo say, “It’s a fun one — a good way to open the season and get rid of some cabin fever.”
Situated upstairs in booth number one was Kay Baker, Amherst, Mass., who has held that prime position for longer than she can even remember. Baker has been returning to the Manchester show for around 35 years and always does well. “I try to bring things that no one else does. There’s always a lot of jewelry here, so I’ll bring metal, wood and some unusual things like displays from old stores or tools. I always meet all kinds of interesting people who are interested in many different things.” As we talked, a shopper bought a small silky textile, larger than a trivet but smaller than a dish towel. Baker was admittedly unsure about the piece’s purpose but was confident in its beauty: “I knew the first person who actually looked at it would have to have it.”
The booth of Kay Baker, Amherst, Mass., who has been attending the show for around 35 years.
Every Day is a Gift, Brewster, Mass., was just across from Baker. Similarly, they had a diverse array of offerings, from vintage designer handbags, postcards, marbles, ephemera to a vast assortment of vintage jewelry charms which were priced at $1 each or 6 for $5. It was their third year at the show and Pat Vermette was pleased to share, “Today’s been very good, very busy.”
While most dealers brought a little something for everyone, some kept their booths focused and specialized. One such example was the booth of Elliot J. Robins, Loudonville, N.Y., a postcard and ephemera dealer. Yes, he did bring along some children’s books and CDs, but he had more postcards than one could imagine. It was his third year at the show as well and he mentioned that he had established connections with a few collectors in previous years and several of those regulars had come bright and early on Friday morning hoping to find specific things they knew Robins might have.
One of those dedicated hunters was Marianne Mihalyo, East Hartford, Conn. Mihalyo and her partner founded the World War II Legacy Foundation in 2022 and run the Iwo Jima / World War II Traveling Museum, the only traveling World War II museum in the United States. Mihalyo was at the Manchester Antiques Show on the hunt for World War II artifacts for the museum. She found quite a few quality postcards in Robins’ booth.
Vintage Lady Linens, Milford, Conn.
Nancy Mayer of Vintage Lady Linens, Milford, Conn., was pleasantly surprised with her busy first day of sales. Though she is primarily a linen dealer, the various smalls that decorated her booth were quite popular. When asked about this, she noted, “I’ve sold many odds and ends of sewing stuff and a lot of postcards. And I had some flower frogs, but those sold quickly — spring is coming so that sort of thing is on people’s minds.” Embroidered pillows from the 1930s-40s were also a hit with shoppers.
Sunshine’s Attic, Plainville, Conn., has had a booth at the show for about 20 years. Like Mayer, they specialize in linens and textiles but also had a variety of spring and Easter-themed décor as well as some vintage clothing and jewelry.
Most dealers we spoke with shared that they were not selling much glass, as it’s risky to carry fragile pieces around as you shop. However, those woes were not echoed by the folks at Sweetiques, Belchertown, Mass., who have been coming to the show for “years.” They had a variety of quality glass from drinkware to vases to bowls and reported that those were what shoppers were the most drawn to throughout the first day.
Spring was in the air in the booth of Sunshine’s Attic, Plainville, Conn.
An interesting trend was observed in the booth of Laura Radin Finds, Middletown, Conn. Despite having a wealth of offerings from cameras to lighters to coins to rosaries, the top sellers were animal figurines. “Elephants and owls have been very popular today — stone, glass, ceramic, metal, you name it.” Thankfully they had plenty more elephants and owls to replenish the shelves before they ever became bare.
Back at the show for her second year was Sister Marie Lucette, Baltic, Conn. Most of the items in her booth were sourced by the Sisters of Charity of Our Lady, Mother of the Church, and were being sold for donations to the convent so only a few of the higher-end items were priced. She had some Hummels, dishes, assorted religious items and miscellaneous vintage goods. Sister Lucette returned this year since last year’s show was “better than expected” and she met many friendly people.
After many years of attending as a shopper, Joe Dionne, N. Joseph Dionne & Son Antiques, East Hartford, Conn., was selling at the show for the first time. “It’s been excellent! I’ve been selling a lot of primitives and early glass.”
Paul Wharton, Hartco Trunks, Pequabuck, Conn., specializes in mid-Nineteenth to Twentieth Century travel trunks and their locks, though some in his booth were even older.
Many of the dealers had kitchen items in their booths, including Richard Decker, Monson, Mass., who had several antique copper pots and brass utensils. Decker has been coming to the show as a dealer for 20 years and likes it “because it’s diversified. It’s a nice show, the management is great and I like the camaraderie and the heart.” Across from Decker was the booth of Geri Soukup, Bethel, Conn. She had a set of Meissen Blue Onion utensils, all on turned wooden handles. The set included a turner or spatula, two tenderizers, a pestle, a ladle and a mixer.
The date of the 2025 Manchester Antique and Collectibles Show has not yet been announced. For information, 860-649-2863 or www.facebook.com/385northmain.
