We are not A) going out to brunch or B) sending me off for a day at the spa. While both of those would be just fine with me ordinarily, tomorrow has a different agenda. We are off to Brimfield!

We will be there all week shopping, selling and promoting the Round Lake and Cooperstown antique shows that we manage. And I am totally looking forward to it! I love the energy, the bustle, the STUFF! And the people – this is a terrific opportunity for me to catch up with dealers who are interested in doing the Round Lake show, especially, that we haven’t been able to make contact with.

We set up on Hertan’s field at Brimfield, which opens Wednesday at noon. We will be in booths 77 and 64 (which back up to each other, so it should be an interesting arrangement.) So come see us there, or keep your eye out for me pretty much everywhere as I walk the fields and talk to folks.

See you there! And if you can’t make it, keep you eye on our Facebook page for photos and updates!

Map of Brimfield shows

I believe this is going to be an exciting year – we have projects and opportunities everywhere we turn! So let’s just say it’s 2013 is going to rock. There, settled that.

Today I’m announcing Project #1: Scowters!

What, you ask, is that? It’s a coast-to-coast conglomerate of dealers who have gotten together and organized weekly flash sales. This is a truly diverse and talented bunch, dealing in many genres including high-end modern design, antiques, decorative accessories, jewelry, primitives and fine art. It’s a cool bunch of peeps, and the selections coming to you weekly, beginning Thursday 1/24/13 at 8pm ET, are going to blow your mind!

Facebook-based, at this time, find everything Scowters on their page here. And you can follow them on twitter here.

Steve and I are totally psyched to be part of this dynamic bunch, and we are prepping items now to be included in the kick-off sale. I don’t want to give away too much, but I have a few words to whet your appetite: elephant lamp, murano glass, cloisonne birds. Mmmm…

The first sale is happening soon, and you want to be in on it before everybody finds out! So get over there now, hit “like” so you get all the updates, and be there at 8pm ET next Thursday, 1/24! See you then!

This Saturday, 12/1/12, is Hudson’s Annual Winter Walk celebration! Sponsored by the Hudson Opera House, this is the day that Hudson welcomes winter – crisp air, twinkling lights, eggnog, horse-drawn wagon rides (as well as belly dancers, apparently!) Take a look at the Opera House’s site for lots more details.

We are planning to be in our shop, Warren Street Antiques, all day and into the evening. Please plan to stop in and say “Hello!” (Molasses cookies, people. I’m baking molasses cookies, and if I say so myself they are pretty darned good!)

Our shop is chock full of lovely items to give as gifts or enhance your home as you plan holiday get-togethers and family festivities. We can help you find interesting, unusual gifts for the interesting, unusual folks on your list!

We hope to see you on Saturday!

(hint: don’t forget to read all the way to the end of this post!)

And I hope it did not get buried, brushed aside in favor of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and the push to spend, buy, shop! Doesn’t it already seem like a long time ago, Thanksgiving?

Now, however, the holiday season is seriously here. No escaping it. Steve and I have a rule – we don’t shop for, discuss, or think about Christmas until after Thanksgiving. It’s an effort on our part to keep our holidays where they belong, make them behave. But look! Here we are.

And today is Cyber Monday! Whatever that means – that we are all too tired to leave our houses? Something like that.

Steven and I are spending today in un-cyber-like activities – taking a load of fresh and enticing merchandise into our brick-and-mortar shop, Warren Street Antiques in Hudson NY. But in anticipation of this online occasion, I have stocked our etsy shop with lots of goodies for your armchair perusing. There is art, jewelry, Scandinavian pottery and homegrown oddities. A wide variety of styles and price points.

So trek on up to Hudson and say “Hello!” We would love to see you! Or…stay warm and cozy in your own environs, and check us out here: Tandem Antiques on etsy. Click on that little box over on the right, with pictures from the shop ——>

Here is a taste of what you’ll find there:

 And as a special treat — enter TANDEM20 at checkout and receive 20% off anything in the etsy shop!!  Happy Monday, everyone, Cyber or otherwise!

Visit their facebook page for more info, directions and some tantalizing photos… find it here.

This gorgeous equine bronze will be in attendance, along with this great old root lamp.

Interesting enamel tray dated 1906.

Unusual primitive gameboard.

Be sure to come and check us out at The Albany Show, this Friday and Saturday at St. Sophia’s!

Several weeks later he (Frank Donegan, a lovely man) came to our house and we spent an enjoyable several hours talking and laughing. Reminiscing about how the business used to be, how Hudson used to be. Discussing how things are changing.

Steve and I had recently done our second show at the Antique & Design Center at the High Point Furniture Market in NC, and had attended a very successful tweet-up during the May Brimfield. So I was all up on my social media horse, talking about the connections and relationships that can be made across the interwebs.

And talking a bit too much, apparently…

The conversation covered so many topics and followed so many little rabbit-trails, we wondered afterward what in the world the article would be about. Well, some six weeks later we found out. It was published! We were excited! I was full of plans to tweet it, fb it, write about it here! Promote, promote! Right?

But then I read it, and my heart sank.

Parts of it are fine, good even. But parts of it make me cringe. It makes us sound (and I swear it’s the way the quotes are put together) so condescending! So much smarter than everybody else, especially all these “young designers” – the very ones I’d been enjoying getting to know online and in person! Not to mention my customers – all idiots too, apparently. The whole thing has a tone that I would never want to convey!

I do know more about antiques than some of my designer friends (if I don’t then there is a problem) but I am learning so much from them that is relevant to my business and today’s market! They are broadening my perspective and educating my eye in new ways all the time. And I have so much respect for what they do that I’ll never understand and would never have the patience for! My whole point in wanting to get involved with decorators and design folks in the first place is that I believe there is so much room for synergy and collaboration – not snarkiness.

Ugh.

So I just let it sit. Didn’t tweet it. No fb posts. Every once in a while I’d think, “They say all press is good press. Just promote it.” Then I’d re-read it and cringe all over again.

Since then we have gotten some nice feedback from people in the antiques business. Our 15 minutes of minor fame – folks at the September Brimfield saying, “Hey, aren’t you the couple I read that article about?” And at the Rhinebeck show last weekend a favorite customer, a gentleman of a certain age, thanked me and said that he had learned a lot from the article about social media, etc. That was nice.

But then I saw some friends at the High Point Market this week who confirmed my fears. “If I didn’t know you, I might think…” Ugh.

So here it is, the dreaded MAD story.

Judge for yourself, but please don’t judge too harshly. I’m not, even if it sounds like I am. We are not know-it-all snot bags, just folks trying to make a living selling 19th and 20th century objects in a 21st century environment, and doing the best we can.

There. Off my chest. Next….

This week I felt moved to shoot some artwork. Our partners, New Scotland Antiques, brought in a handful of interesting paintings by Dennis Byng. He is primarily known for colorful cast lucite sculptures, but was apparently a prolific painter as well.

I love these big hunky andirons. Makes me begin to imagine fall, crisp leaves, chilly evenings and firelight. (oh wait, it’s still 90 degrees. Soon, though.)

And I totally dig this sleek bar cart that lifts up to expose hidden storage.

If you love the ’70s, you can never have too much orange or too many owls.

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We’ll throw in a bit of Victoriana, just for fun. And because I can’t resist dog art, ever.

And some funk. Because that is what makes the whole thing fun. Crazy stainless steel mirror, great crusty roof vent (Off of a chicken house. The woman we bought it from kept telling us it was off a chicken house. Not sure why that makes it special, but there you have it.) Part of an old dressmaker’s form.

Next week we load the family in the van and head to North Carolina. Visit with Grandma, catch up with some favorite folks, do a little shopping, southern style. Don’t worry, I’ll take pictures!

This is a fabulous pair of mid-century ceramic lamps I brought in today.

And this is a stunning mod lamp in teak and brass, with gorgeous red glass shades made in Sweden.

Not to break my lamp stride, here is a handsome period Arts and Crafts pottery lamp in classic matte green glaze.

You guys know I love Blenko glass. This piece is called a Pouch Vase, and is elegant in grey and clear glass.
Here are some more shop photos for your viewing pleasure. Don’t hesitate to drop me a line if you see something that interests you.

He has the eye and sensibilities of an artist, and in our business that can lead down strange and interesting paths.

Steven has always collected unusual objects, and they have had an important place in our offerings at shows and in our shop. They are wonderful to have in our booth, as they often spark great conversations with like-minded (or like-eyed) customers who appreciate both the beauty and the quirk.

But the challenge has always been a) how to display them for sale and b) how to demonstrate to the customer that they can use and enjoy them. Well, that’s all fixed now. Steve has begun mounting these objects on custom stands (that he fabricates himself) making them ready to take home and enjoy. Making them ART.

We launched this collection at High Point Market in April at our booth in the Antique and Design Center.

We are not bringing these pieces to Brimfield this week, but I will have lots of photos available of items that are not with us so please ask if you see us. (Hertan’s field, Space 77, opens at noon on Wednesday!)

And we will have them (and quite a few more) at the Rhinebeck Antiques Fair in Rhinebeck NY Memorial Day weekend.

And of course you can contact us at any time for pictures, prices and other information about any of our items! tandem@tandemantiques for email and @tandemantiques on twitter.

We are excited about this venture, and would love to hear feedback, thoughts or requests from you! I hope to see you in Brimfield this week (bring your wellies, I’m sorry to say) or at Rhinebeck later in May.