Both issues made very satisfying reading, especially for those of us living on the outer reaches of the old British Empire. We just don’t have anything like the established, structured British system with its trade organisations and high-end, vetted fairs.
The closest vetted fair for us in Vancouver is the San Francisco Fall Art & Antiques Show, which is a thousand miles away and held just once a year. There is nothing major in Seattle, with just Portland hosting a large collectables fair which has a few great dealers who wouldn’t be out of place anywhere in the antiques world.
It is frustrating for us to attempt to operate in the larger scheme of the antiques world. Vancouver has just collectable shows and flea markets with little professionalism on display of the type you experience in the UK.
We have been offered spots in premier US fairs but, after consideration, have had to decline given the very high costs and cross-border paperwork. There is also the problem of sourcing enough suitable stock from a ‘young’ city like Vancouver.
So it’s great to see the UK trade so lively and buoyant and I look forward more than ever to that heavy morning ‘thump’ on the floor, indicating another ATG has landed through the letter box. Keep up the good work.
Robin Williams
Hampshire Antiques
Vancouver, Canada
