By JACK KELLY
Auction Exchange Correspondent ST. CHARLES, Ill. — As hundreds of vendors mixed with thousands of shoppers at the Kane County Antique & Flea Market on Aug. 6 and 7, most folks didn’t know that this giant shopping experience started from humble beginnings 45 years ago with only 14 vendors.
What a change it has seen.
Since 1966, billions of items have changed hands in the venue begun by the late Helen Robinson, and continues to be managed at the Kane County Fairgrounds in St. Charles, Ill. by the Robinson family.
Several of the original vendors still set up to sell at Kane, just across the aisle from each other.
One pioneering pair is Marge and Norm Skala, of St. Charles, who offer a variety of antiques and collectibles with an accent on jewelry and rings.
“Diamonds are still a girl’s best friend” said Marge with a chuckle as she showed off an 18k gold 1930s art deco ring with diamonds and rubies that could be slipped onto your finger for $1,000. Or for a lot less you could choose from a series of decorative pins crafted by Marge “from Bakelite findings” and priced from $25 to $75. Others among a thousand items with “sparkle and shine” were priced from $1 to $1,200.
Another veteran dealer is Katherine Schultz, of Elgin, Ill., who, after her husband Howard passed away, now operates the booth alone. Sportsman and advertising sign collectors stopped at her spot to “ooh and ahh” over a 10-by 12-inch diecut 1930s Remington rifle-toting hunter facing a snarling bear priced at $1,000. Toy collectors pointed and stared at her 1920s cast iron 9-inch Hubley race car that could be displayed at your home for $1,995. For a thinner wallet, a silver over copper tilting coffee pot with original stand and bottom heater could be purchased for $30.
Both ladies reflected back on the many years at the market calling attention to long-time friends made over the years.
“We dealers form our own community here,” said 20- year veteran Arlene Crittenden of McHenry, Ill., adding, “we celebrate birthdays and special events as well as buying and selling.” At her booth, decorators and home remodeling buyers checked out three early 1900s fancy clear and milk glass ceiling lampshades priced from $45 to $80, while others eyed a selection of 1930-1950s unusual animal, bird and fowl-shaped glass flower frogs priced from $30 to $68.
“I’m making something useful again, saving a piece of history,” said Charles Lox, East Dundee, Ill. The dealer refurbishes buggy seats and other items thus “giving them a new life.” Many people stopped to admire — and sit on — a refinished late 1800s open buggy seat offered for $245, an 1860s carriage seat for $345 and end table fashioned from an 1880s Singer sewing machine cabinet for $120. The 38- year-old part-time dealer said he travels from Massachusetts to Texas and has “been refinishing furniture since I was 13 years old.” He said sales at Kane were good, adding, “I price to sell.”
More traditional furniture could be viewed and purchased at the booth of Bruce and Betty Lambert of Hampshire, Ill. The couple showed off a 1919 oak buffet that Betty said was “very heavy” for $495, plus what she called “a sweet little dresser” circa 1920 with original wood casters and swivel beveled mirror for $275. Drawing lots of attention was an oak curved front 1920s highboy dresser with all original hardware, priced at $300.
“I collect and deal in antique Bibles,” said Burt France, who set up at Kane with his wife Cindy after driving to the fairgrounds from nearby Elgin, Ill.
The dealers showed off 1830s, 1840s and 1850s Bibles at the show saying the Kane market “has a good customer base and a good location.”
The couple also displayed an unusual 1950s fainting couch with metal legs priced at $110 and a 4-foot-high 1927 base for an NCR cash register tagged at $150. If there was an award for who traveled the farthest to Kane, it might have been awarded to Dave Gaudet and Janet Steward who traveled fifteen hours from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada - with their dog, Albert, who kept cool and comfortable in the air-conditioned family motor home that Dave called “a funky looking 1990 Toyota painted gray.”
The married couple searched for vintage guitars and jukeboxes at Kane, but ended up purchasing an 8-foot-long 1940s stuffed marlin fish and a bizarre wooden root shaped piece they called “a guitar chair” along with other odds and ends. “We love the market,” said Janet. They first visited Kane about a year ago and plan to return again.
Joe Kenz and partner Sandy Garrison have been permanent dealers at Kane since 2002, selling what Joe termed “a broad mix of items slanting toward design and decorator tastes” adding, “it’s all about the look these days.” He said he has experienced strong sales and has “blown the doors off at many other markets recently.” His recipe for success? He described it as a “soft marketing technique” of mailing post cards to potential past customers and more recently writing an online blog that has been linked to others on the Internet. The result, he says, has been a “new record for sales” because shoppers are primed to buy - what he is bringing to the show.
Changes in the antique trade were also noted by Fred Robinson, spokesman for the Robinson family, promoters of the popular monthly event. “It’s crazy some of the stuff that has shown up here over the ages,” said Robinson, adding “it’s like mom (the late Helen Robinson) always said, “if it was ever made, it’ll show up someday at Kane.”
He added “it’s been so hot recently that there’s been a slight reduction in dealer count, but crowds have been pretty fair.”
Looking back on his decades at the market he said “I haven’t missed a show yet, and even attended once while in a wheelchair.”
The Kane County Antique and Flea Market runs the first Sunday of each month, and preceding Saturday closing only in December and January. A special “all-nighter” event is scheduled for Sept. 24 from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. For details, call 603-377-2252 or go online to www.kanecountyfleamarket.com |
