Fairs, Markets, Shops and Centres

Chrissie and John Masters of The Design Gallery in Kent are offering this fine Art Deco sideboard by Hille at their showroom sale in Edenbridge from April 23-25.

Tony Wittridge is so smitten with the antiques business he is opening in the grounds of Kyre Park, a large country estate at Tenbury Wells in Worcestershire, that he is planning a move to the county from Essex.

Dorking Antiques was launched last August by three dealers: Mark Holden, Eddie Hawkins and David Whalley.

The Affordable Art Fair has announced its live show dates this year in London, New York, Melbourne, Hong Kong and cities in Europe.

While the Museum of Power at Maldon in Essex does not yet have a firm date for reopening – to gaze at the original mighty steam-pumping machines – Steve Haddon of Haddon Events can still make use of the site.

“We are super-excited to be reopening our Flea London again on Saturday, April 17, after so long and we are planning on 27 stalls and 10 container shops here at Vinegar Yard,” enthused Christian Scrimgeour about her fleamarket held a few minutes from London Bridge Station.

After three lockdowns but also a successful auction launch last August in between closures, Graham Hessell will be throwing open the doors once again to his Melford Antiques, Interiors & Lifestyle Centre on April 12.

This coming Easter weekend may be quieter than usual but many of us can plan to meet up with family and friends again in the coming weeks and months as lockdown restrictions ease around the UK.

“It’s been heart-breaking to keep cancelling fairs as people are so keen to trade but the good news is that our event in the Westpoint Arena at the Devon Showground, Exeter, is going ahead on Saturday and Sunday, June 5-6,” says Nick Bayliss of Continuity Fairs.

Will Thomas, managing director of IACF, surely speaks for the trade with his fervent hope that successive pandemic lockdowns have now come to an end.

Vincent Page, owner of Antiques on High in Oxford and Sidmouth, has turned his sights northwards.

“Due to our digital presence with our website, social media and the live virtual shopping tours I have been conducting all over the world my skeleton team of 10 staff have been kept extremely busy.”

“I’m counting the days,” said a happy Mike Collins, director of market operator Sherman & Waterman as he ticks off the reopening dates for his antiques and vintage markets, centre and car boot.

Updates on the Oswestry Showground, Bath markets and Sue Ede’s Giant Flea.

Spring is here (ignore the weather) and fairs and markets are suitably blooming again with the prospect of getting back to business.

Silver dealer David Addlestone is a longstanding trader at the Bermondsey Antique Market in south London which is reopening on Friday, April 16.

Angela Whittle is one of the 30-plus group who take part in salvage supremo Drew Pritchard’s regular virtual Salvage Sundays.

Roadmap means reopening time is getting closer at last but some hurdles remain.

Adrian Gilmour, co-owner of the Hungerford Arcade, is thrilled at news that non-essential retail can reopen in April.

It’s fingers crossed again as new provisional fair and market dates are chalked in