Free standing ‘stage set’ vignettes and top notch dealers, albeit 300 of them, make the new look Olympia Summer Fair sexier than it has been. But will it yield results? Not that it isn’t always a good day out. This massive, 35 year old fair, a mainstay of the Olympia Exhibition Halls in Kensington, overwhelms the first time attendee who might be more accustomed to so-called ‘table top’ shows of collectibles at the local fairgrounds.
The range of goods over the last couple of years has become even more extensive. Although primarily in the decorative arts, with a heavy emphasis on furniture, it hasn’t been just brown furniture for a number of years. The range is from the best of traditional 18th century, and earlier, design, to the best of Europe in the 20th century. If you are an Adnet lover, I promise, there will be plenty for you to look at.
Our London colleagues Reindeer Antiques will be there, of course, and I encourage my readers, all ten of you, to make yourselves known to Peter Alexander who will be manning the stand.
Traditionally, one of the terrific things about Olympia was its brief time overlap with the more prestigious Grosvenor House fair, allowing one to attend both on the same, or better, alternate, days. Grosvenor House, around since the 1930’s utilizing the grand ballroom of the hotel of the same name, this grand old fair is in the same league as TEFAF Maastricht in terms of the quality of material, but with a particularly British slant. Interestingly, Malletts and Pelham Galleries, always big exhibitors at Grosvenor House, have followed Partridge’s lead (wouldn’t they hate my saying so?) and will be at Olympia. What’s the reason? Speculation, of course, but the attendance at Olympia is far greater than Grosvenor. Our business is all about numbers of punters seeing your stock, so, perhaps, the chances of the right buyer coming by are felt to be improved participating in the higher traffic Olympia fair. After I’ve seen both fairs, I will let you know.
Shopping the fairs, will there be any bargains? I doubt it. Bear in mind, the dealers at the fair are some of the world’s best, and most have been around for years. In the case of Malletts, for nearly a century and a half. Consequently, they know their stock, and that of their competitors, so well that the likelihood of finding a sleeper is remote in the extreme. Value for money? Well…quality for money, anyway.
he Olympia fair runs from June 7 through the 17th at the National Hall of the Olympia Exhibition Centre. The Grosvenor House Fair at Grosvenor House, Park Lane, runs June 14 through the 20th.