We're going to Brimfield!!!!

Ok, first things first - let's get this out of the way. It's been a while, I know, since I've posted. I apologize. We've been a little busy here in Chestertown with our 1st Annual Taste of the Town which was held Sunday, April 27. We at Antiques on Cannon are proud to have played a role in making this fantastic event happen - and so many people have stopped in this week to say "We heard about your shop at Taste of the Town and we just had to see it"! Well, fabulous! We definitely had some great silent auction items, thanks to our dealers - a handsome swan decoy from dealer and carver Captain Vernon Bryant, an exquisite coral necklace from our antique jewelry dealer, a wonderfully whimsical found object necklace from jewelry artist Anne Quinlan - plus an Antiques on Cannon gift certificate and tickets for two on our annual bus trip to the famous Piers Antiques Show in New York City. Suffice it to say everyone went home happy!

But back to the topic at hand - WE'RE GOING TO BRIMFIELD!!!! Maybe you can guess I'm excited. I won't go so far as to say it's what I live for but, man, is it close! If you don't know about the Brimfield antique market, have a look for yourself: www.brimfieldshow.com. It is perhaps the most amazing week-long open air antique market around. If it exists on the planet, you can find it at Brimfield.

Here's the routine. We get up before dawn, since the selling fields open at daybreak. Out the door with many layers (at daybreak the temperature in Brimfield can dip below 30 degrees, though the high can reach 70) and pulling those big wire grocery carts. In the course of the day we'll make many trips to the car to unload, and have a list of larger items we'll drive back to pick up. We do this all week long, rain or shine, hot or cold. There are always treasures to be found, and the thrill of the hunt is exhilirating.

I got my first taste of the open air markets two weeks ago at what I think of as "opening day" for the spring markets - the Renninger's Extravaganza in Kutztown, Pennsylvania. All of us antiquers are happy to be able to be out and about hunting for great things, and Kutztown heralds the beginning of the season.

You'll find a few terrific things from that excursion: a pristine set of stacked leather luggage that is just breathtaking; a fun little butcher block; a fabulous burled wood side table; a great little wicker corner chair for your porch; and an absolutely fantastic retail display oversized high top sneaker!

Come see for yourself! With Spring's arrival there are new treasures arriving all the time!

happy hunting
marilyn

Everybody's Saying Antiques Are Green!

Tonight was the debut of the HGTV Green Home - a home built on green priniciples, up to the Gold Standard of the US Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in the Energy and Efficient Design for Homes Program (LEED for Homes). For more information about the HGTV Green Home and their building standards, go to www.hgtv.com.

But construction was only one element of the home. The furnishings are really striking - particularly because so many of them are either vintage or recycled.

Again and again the project coordinators and designers stressed the importance of using vintage furnishings as part of "living green" - giving old pieces new life and repurposing them for new uses. An old bakery counter becomes the dining room sideboard. An old wine tasting table is cut down for a coffee table. If you look closely at the mirrors in the master bath you will see they bear a striking similarity to the machine mold and recycled paper mirrors we have at Antiques on Cannon.

Throughout the home are wonderful vintage pieces - from bamboo and wicker shelves repainted and used from the living room to the bath, to chairs and lamps from the Hollywood "Glam" Regency period of the 1940s. All intermingled with contemporary green furniture. Recycling is one of the principles of green design.

We encourage you to find your inner decorator and go green with fabulous vintage furnishings. Fun outdoor furniture and accessories are arriving every week - think Spring and think green!

marilyn

Spring has arrived!

Ok, maybe we're a little bit over eager but. . .Dare we say it? Spring has arrived - at least here at 306 Cannon Street in sunny Chestertown!

It blew in this morning in the form of a rattan patio group - couch, chairs, side tables, coffee table - and it promises more to come. . .birdbaths, benches, concrete swans - oh the joy of it!

We love the colors, the brightness, the exuberance of things blooming - it inspires us to usher in the new and reflect all that brightness inside as well. Turquoise, chartreuse, yellow, orange - these are the colors that embody the mood of spring accessorizing!

And we like to think that fashion took its cue from our signature zebra stripe but maybe it's just that great minds grasp the same trends - look for black and white to be HOT, HOT, HOT! We'll be bringing that in soon enough - or come see us at the Kent County Chamber of Commerce Home & Garden Show on Saturday, April 19 - for more information go to www.kentchamber.org!

It's Spring! It's Spring!
marilyn

Leather and toile - together again!

Where has February gone??? On this snowy day in Chestertown I am wishing the answer was "far, far away".

So here's the reason that Winter is particularly hard for us in the antiques business - without the open air markets that serve as wholesale venues for us, it's really, really hard to find great merchandise at reasonable prices. The competition at auction is tougher, and the "finds" are still tucked away, waiting for Spring and the thaw that comes from conversation and bargaining.

So I was really happy to discover a couple of wonderful pieces on my travels this week. and it's a good thing we moved in ALL THAT FABULOUS NEW FURNITURE before the snow hit!

Two major pieces, so phenomenal we had to do a total shop makeover - a fantastic mid-century leather club sofa - pristine! - all of 7 feet long and sink-right-into buttery tufted leather. Fantastic!

On the other side of the spectrum - a sweet little French provincial couch, 1940s-50s, newly upholstered in fabulous red and white toile with a new cushion that reverses to a gingham check! WOW!

They are just fantastic - leather if you want to snuggle down with a good read to ward off the winter weather - toile to welcome spring into your home.

safe travels and happy hunting!
marilyn

Love & Groundhogs Sale!

That pesky groundhot Punxatawney Phil may say there's another 6 weeks of winter, but here at Antiques on Cannon we're starting our spring cleaning early! Out with the old, in with the new - that's our motto this month as we kick off our 1st Ever Love & Groundhogs Sale!

From Danish modern and retro to traditional wing chairs, dining table sets, coffee tables, great art, decorative accessories - the whole gamut - we're anxious to make room for the new, colorful, fresh look of Spring!

Come see us soon (beat that winter weather yet to come!) for your new favorite treasure!

marilyn

The look of things to come

Happy New Year, everyone! After a whirlwind of a week - getting our very best dealers moved in and celebrating with a phenomenal First Friday, we are looking like a million bucks and feeling like it too!



Toy soldiers, jewelry and cameras are proudly on display in their cases. Silver and pottery and glassware and china are settling in together, along with those fun and funky favorites you always search out. It just all works together like a dream!



So in the few minutes we had last week to breathe, we opened one of our favorite hip home furnishings catalogs and POW - the colors, the looks, the furnishings just blew us away! Painted Asian furniture, boldly colored decorative accessories, classic and modern lines in wing and occasional chairs. A great look.



And in a stunning AHA moment we realized - "Hey, that's OUR look!" - and went about assembling a fabulous setting chock full of vintage painted Asian benches, tables, consoles, stands and accessories, intermingled with knocked out eye-popping colorful vintage accessories - including a chartreuse lamp (my signature color!)! On a gray day, it's a burst of sunshine for your home.

New year, new looks, new ideas - classic, modern and vintage - new you!

And yes, I did make some new year's resolutions. They revolve around two words:

Kindness and Fearless -

peace
marilyn

All Things Must Pass

It's a bittersweet week here at Antiques on Cannon. To quote George Harrison - "All Things Must Pass", and this week we close the doors at our sister shop Chestertown Antique Mall.

It is, I think, a sign of the times. We have read in the antiques trade publications and heard dealer lamentations for some time now about the absence of young people at shops and shows, and the graying of the customer for traditional antiques categories. It's certainly something we've seen evidence of in our own shops and travels.

One of our goals in opening Antiques on Cannon was to provide the kind of merchandise the younger collector is looking for - a hipper, more modern look that is functional and affordable. It's an interesting parallel to the rise of 20th century modern design - a move to make quality, unembellished furnishings that were affordable to the average person. Judging by the response of customers, we believe we have hit our mark in doing so as well.

Now we will incorporate "the best of the best" of our antiques dealers from Chestertown Antique Mall, bringing a diverse selection that ranges from classic to modern all in one shop.

We're celebrating this happy union during downtown Chestertown's First Friday event on January 4, complete with champagne and wedding cake! We hope you'll join us - we can already feel the love!

Cheers!
marilyn