Mark Hanson, a buyer, seller and dealer, inspects a silver spoon at Parker-French Antique Center as Mary Ann Averka waits on him. |
NORTHWOOD - For decades, antique aficionados have flocked toNorthwood's "Antique Alley." Eighteenth-century dressers, spinning wheels and straight-backed chairs fill the nooks and crannies of the cluster of shops.
Lately, however, perusing hasn't turned into buying.
"Business is off. It's unusually bad," said Richard Bojko of Parker-French Antique Center. "We've had a dramatic downfall for the month of July - which is usually our tourist month - of 50 percent."Parker-French opened its doors in 1906, making it the oldest antique shop on the Alley.
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Bob Swallow of Town Pump Antiques shows off a 1902 icebox. |
For Fern Eldridge, who has been in the antique business for 35 years, the downturn in the Northwood antique industry is a challenge. "In 1985, on Sundays I used to have four other people here working besides myself. Now I could do it with my left hand."
High gas prices and a recovering economy are driving down business. But some antique dealers also feel that their industry is in the midst of a larger, more dramatic transformation.
While Northwood's antique shops once focused on Colonial and Shaker furniture, many dealers are now branching out into collectibles in an attempt to reach a new generation of customers.
"We used to sell mostly Shaker furniture," Bojko said. "But it's changed to more of a GI Joe, Matchbox car level."
The shift toward small collectibles is apparent in many Northwood antique shops.
Old toys, Marlboro lighters, ladylike leather gloves, old license plates all grace the shelves. According to many dealers, having something small for everyone is the only way to survive in the modern marketplace.
"Customers do determine what you have," said Colleen Pingree, who, along with her mother, owns R.S. Butler's Antiques. "We're selling a wider variety of things than we initially thought. We thought we'd focus on furniture, but we've diversified into everything."
And according to John Johnson of Lakeside Antiques, what many customers want is a relatively inexpensive purchase. "It seems like the average sale is $20."
Northwood's antique dealers aren't the only ones feeling the heat of change. Nationwide, dealers are beginning to supplement their furniture sales with small, inexpensive items.
"People's tastes change. People today buy different homes than they used to. Brown furniture might not look as good as a modern chair," said Connie Swaim, managing editor of Antique Week, a weekly trade publication. According to Swaim, who speaks regularly with auctioneers, antique furniture prices have declined sharply in recent years. While the highest-end furniture still commands competitive prices, mid-range antiques have dropped dramatically, she said.
A secretary desk from the early 19th century might not fit with today's sleek lines and glass. But some Northwood dealers think the change in the antique industry goes even beyond decorating trends. Loose spending habits and constant redecorating, they say, are also fueling the transformation.
"The younger people are the throw-away society," said Bob Swallow, who owns Town Pump Antiques with his wife, Joanne. "I say that having six children."
"They want to go to Jordan's Furniture," Greg Monroe, a dealer who rents selling space in Parker-French, said about younger buyers. "And if they do want antiques, they want things from the 1950s and '60s that remind them of their childhood."
For Eldridge, the history written into her furniture's grains of wood has always fueled her interest in American antiques. A chair isn't just a chair; it tells a story of another era. The declining interest in antiques, Eldridge fears, represents a declining interest in American history. "The younger generation doesn't seem to be interested in the historical background of our own country. I ask myself, do they even study our Colonial times?"
And in another sign that times are changing, some dealers also worry about the impact of the Internet on their trade. "Now people can go write 'light bulb' in their computer and get it sent to their door,"Monroe said.
While eBay allows consumers toshop for antiques from their homes,a buyer needs to know precisely what he or she is looking for. And that, many dealers fear, means even fewer customers exploring the depths of their shops, coming away with an unexpected find.
(SARAH LIEBOWITZ)
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