“Never Go Away”

 

There was a time in the world of art, antiques, and finance when summer typified the adage “Sell in May, then go away.” Originally it was reflective of New Yorkers’ preoccupation with getting out of the hot, humid city and escaping to the ocean breezes of Newport, the Hamptons, or Martha’s Vineyard, an annual migration which left art galleries and brokerage offices nearly empty.

Outside of New York, however, the adage always had less relevance, as summer also signaled a busy route of festivals, craft fairs, outdoor markets, and antiques shows, such as the Brimfield Antique Flea Market, the Roycroft Summer Arts & Crafts Festival, and the Pottery Lovers Show and Sale in Zanesville, Ohio.

 

 

And while the pandemic effectively erased the summer of 2020 schedule, just as one door closed, a thousand more opened — as we stayed home and explored the world of websites on a glowing computer screen. While aging stockbrokers who clung perilously to their extended summer vacations learned that a new, young generation of investors no longer awaited their return in the fall, savvy antiques dealers, artists, and artisans also discovered that their clients and collectors hungered as much in July for new additions to their homes and collections as they did in November.

And they could satisfy their cravings by simply typing a few keystrokes on their laptop.

Here in our office we were pleased to discover last February that Arts and Crafts collectors were willing to substitute a virtual conference experience for no experience at all. In addition to flocking to our daily live small group discussions, recorded tours, and workshop demonstrations, they explored the website inventories of dealers and artisans you typically would have been seeing inside the historic 1913 Grove Park Inn, buying with confidence knowing they were dealing with people they could trust.

Right now, we are planning two Arts and Crafts events. In advance of our “Arts and Crafts in August:  A Virtual Experience” taking place August 1-8, Kate is preparing discussion leaders for their next round of Zoom conversations with you. She is preparing educational seminars, virtual tours and a demonstration by Yoshiko Yamamoto for August and working with our antiques dealers and craftspeople to showcase their latest creations and rare acquisitions for you to inspect and acquire.

 

 

 

Across the room, I’m working on the content for our 35^th National Arts and Crafts Conference, which will be held live at the Grove Park Inn on February 18-20. With more than 200 rooms already reserved eight months in advance, we are excited about hosting our most successful, energetic, and enthusiastic conference ever.

So, please, don’t slip into a summer slumber in your swaying mental hammock. Stay in touch with your Arts and Crafts friends with us in August, as you also make plans to join them in person this February at the finest Arts and Crafts resort hotel in the world.

 

Together, we grow stronger.

 

Until next week,

 

“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.” ― F. Scott Fitzgerald, “The Great Gatsby”

 

Bruce

 

For the latest information on both events, please go to www.Arts-CraftsConference.com.