The third opus for SF20 has come and now gone. Some good sales, of course there could have been more, but that’s the show dealer’s lament even in the best of times. With all that, attendance, according to Gordon Merkle of show organizer Dolphin Promotions was up 50% over last year. With our return to the show yesterday mid afternoon, and to see it abuzz with activity, I am strongly inclined to believe him. Traditionally, a good attendance at a preview party- and this year’s party as a benefit for SFMOMA was very lively- does not necessarily translate into a successful show, as the preview party is, well, a party, and not everyone is intent on buying. The last couple of years, though, with the art economy sharing space with all the rest in the doldrums, 
attendance during the run of most shows has been poor, with dealers who did not do business at the preview basically out of luck.
It was good to see, then, business done and attendance steady and improving all through the weekend. We spoke to a number of veteran dealers who did not actually sell, but had, in their words, ‘important conversations’, by which they mean they confidently expect follow up, post-show business.
Always important at a decorative arts fair, the support of the design community- shopping with clients or individually- gives the fair legitimacy and certainly lifts the dealers’’ spirits. AD100 designer and fair stalwart Douglas Durkin has done phenomenal work in this regard. In print and in person, Douglas has done yeoman work to raise the profile of SF20. On preview night and even late yesterday afternoon, Douglas was on the show floor, engaging with dealers, clients and friends. Were I wearing a hat, it would be most prominently tipped in his direction.
