I had to go down to Manchester NH today which is approximately 1 and 1/2 hours away from where we live in Wolfeboro, NH. It's an enjoyable trip because I get to stop at the Log Cabin Antiques Group Shop (they call them Malls in the south and west).
Anyways, Log Cabin Antiques Shop is a conglomerate of mid to lower end dealers - 150 in all who rent booths or cases and display their wares. When the shop first started it was better quality but seems to have leveled out to it's current level of dealers as evidenced by the ones who are still selling and able to pay their booth rents. Vintage jewelry and clothes were among the strong suits (no pun intended). The quality of furniture was lower then in the past but the quality of collectibles was up (if that's what you search for). It also tells me the high end country and Americana market is slow right now because they can't hold on enough to pay booth rent.
My father-in-law was an antiquarian book dealer for 35 years one of the most important things he taught me was that it pays to know your place in the food-chain and I often think of that line when I go into places like this that are great picking. There's one dealer at the Log Cabin who definately knows her place because I've bought from her 3 times now and am able to advance my purchases by a little profit to at least pay for the gas to get to Manchester and back. Plus the little duck brings a smile to my face. It'll be perfect to display when we open again in the Spring.
I don't usually deal in this type of thing but it had a lot going for it. It was 3-dimensional, sculptural if you want to call it that, it was affordable, the paint was crackeled and dry just as it should be, it looked like the whimsical rocking animals that came out of Brattleboro VT in the early 20th century, it is whimsical and it represents fun. Asking price $225. Perfect for a Christmas present too.
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