With the first round of fairs completed in Florida and New York, the reports are varied. A few dealers did very well, but a significant sidebar in the news that got published, sadly, was a prominent dealer complaining about trading conditions. Although I would never counsel obfuscation, times being the way they are, all of us in the trade in English antiques, or any other manner of the fine and decorative arts, should make an effort to put a positive spin on things.
And, frankly, that a body did not do well at a fair, by which I mean make a significant at-show sale- well, any assessment of one’s success conducted any sooner than 6 months following the fair’s conclusion is frankly jumping the gun. No question, fairs are expensive to do, and one would prefer to at least recover one’s costs during its run. If one has no public presence other than at a fair wherein resides one’s only selling opportunity, that’s a different matter, but who anymore does that include? Sans a gallery, every reputable dealer of my acquaintance at least maintains an interactive website and the actual, non-virtual, in-person promotion of one’s gear at a fair might very well have a deferred payoff. Now and for the past year or so, we’ve found the cash conversion cycle frustratingly slow, as buyers find it harder and harder to say yes to purchases. But they are doing so. In fairness, though, this is often cold comfort at the point one is writing the check for stand rental at a fair, where participation, even in the best of times, represents a leap of faith.