The Christies Bi-Anual Antique Show

This past Saturday was the perfect day for the Christies Antique show held at the Christies Lake Conservation Area.It started out chilly for all of us early birds...but it turned in to a beautiful day.This bi-annual event showcases goods from hundreds of Canada's top antique dealers.With all the antique shows I have attended in Italy, France and England, I still never miss this local fair,It is a world class event...and so much easier to get the pieces home!

The show is filled with treasures.....so many beautiful things. Some of the prices can be quite high..comparable to a fine antique store...but for the trained eye there are bargains to be had!

The show opens at 8am. To get the best pieces you need to get there right as it opens. You have to have a system to tackle a fair like this. When I arrive I go through very quickly making a beeline to my favorite vendors. They are always in the same spot year after year so it is easy to find the booths that you have bought from in the past.

In the first hour I make decisions very quickly, If you love it and the price is good...buy it on the spot..because it will be gone. After I have secured some premium pieces, I can take my time and spent the rest of the day scouring each booth. I usually go round the entire fair twice. It is amazing that even with my keen eye I can miss things on the first round. Also some vendors are still unpacking at eight am.

The other wonderful thing bout this fair is how well organized it is. After 25 years they have it running to perfection. To start with there are no pre dawn buyers allowed in. The gates open at eight and no dealers are let in early. We have to line up just like the rest of you so everyone has a fair chance.Admission is only 10 dollars. The fairs in England are 20 pounds!

If you buy your big pieces early you can get a sales slip from your booth and take it over to the pickup tent. They will send a little cart over to pick up your heavy items and have them sitting ready and waiting for in the pickup area with a convenient loading area beside it. The wait time at 9:00 am is about an hour but by mid day you might have to wait over two hours. If the wait is too long they will loan you a dolly so that you can get your piece to the car yourself.

I bought many large pieces and they were all there waiting for me when I pulled up with my truck that I affectionately call " Big Red". They even loaded it all for me and roped it off and secured it. All of the staff were so helpful and courteous.Don't forget to tip!I am off  to England tonight. Heading over for the big Newark and Linconshire antique fairs. Yes there will be beautiful things there but they are 3500 miles away... this fair is just an hour away!