In the Hudson Valley, vintage dealers and antique stores are thick on the ground. Yet, proper antique fairs offer something different: The opportunity for experts and longtime collectors to gather, converse, share industry secrets, and discuss the future of the antiquing business while buyers peruse. From September 20-21, this opportunity for connection and collection is coming to the Columbia County Fairgrounds in the form of the Taconic Antiques Fair a brand new fair showcasing a vast array of not-new things.
Featuring over 70 exhibitors from across expertise and regions, the fair’s founder, Adam Irish, describes it as a “generalist” show. “You’ll find just about everything there, from art to vintage clothing to Mid-Century Modern furniture,” says Irish. “It’s meant to be a place for discovery and surprise.”
Irish is no stranger to the antique show circuit, with three already on his resume. In addition to the Taconic Antique Fair, he’s involved in Found Object Show, a gallery-style New York City-based show with the tagline: art without intent. He’s also behind Nameless Art + Design Show, also in in New York City, which shows mostly folk art,all unsigned and from unknown makers. And finally, Threadbare Show in Southbridge, Massachusetts, showcasing vintage clothing and antique textiles.
First and foremost an antiques dealer, Irish came into the show promotion side during the pandemic when he saw the antique trade facing what he calls its “kryptonite.” Antique fairs and shows, for the most part, are “a bunch of old people getting together and touching everything and handing each other cash, sometimes in very enclosed spaces.” Irish says. So, Covid seemed like it might be the end of things. During that time, Irish committed to finding new ways to engage the antique collectors community, which included doing online Instagram shows. Eventually, the opportunity arose to do a vintage clothing show, and Threadbare was born. He continued building the fairs from there.
Among the youngest in rooms of vintage dealers (Irish is nearly 40), he says it’s imperative to start thinking about new marketplace models to help the antiques business survive. “The dealers are aging out, so we’re losing the good stuff,” Irish says. “The goal with Taconic is to breathe some new life and create new opportunities for folks.”
Irish, who lives in Rhode Island, was already familiar with the Hudson Valley when he started looking at sites for this new fair. Columbia County, Chatham specifically, felt like a natural spot given its established community of antiques collectors and many historical homes. “I have many customers up that way who are inspired by and really love to creatively bring the color, history, and beauty of old things into their lives,” Irish says.
With more than 70 exhibitors gathering at the fairground, the fair will satisfy a range of aesthetic preferences. The $10 ticket grants entry for both fair days, ensuring time for leisurely browsing. What’s distinctive about the Taconic Antiques Fair is the way it’s both highly curated and also embraces irregularity. More “traditional” antique collectors like David M. Weiss, whose family business has been around for over 100 years, will be in attendance next to less conventional collectors like Jacob Lake of The Happy Dollar, whose items are more eclectic, consisting of everything from children’s toys to risque pins. In addition to furniture and object collectors, there will be textile booths and vintage clothes. For Irish, some of the most exciting exhibitors are more unpredictable—the ones who surprise and delight, like Eric Oglander, an artist and dealer from New York City whose booth could include anything from 1930s leather shoes to a 19th-century sailor-made anti-pickpocket device. Expect the unexpected.
As a dealer, Irish’s philosophy is simple: he doesn’t know what he’s looking for, but he’s inspired when he sees it. As such, he’s curated a vast collection of minds who defy traditional vintage expectations. He encourages attendees to explore the fair and embrace the utter randomness of objects.
“I think we’ve been reprogrammed by our technology to believe that we’re looking for certain things accessible by certain keywords,” Irish notes. “The wonder of antiquing and attending an antique show is that you often walk away with something that you could have never dreamed you would ever want, never mind you could imagine existed.”