Some blurb or other on the morning TV news about a decline in consumer confidence for the month of October. For those of us in the art and antiques trade, this comes as no surprise. Although we have billed out what Keith terms ‘little money’ over the course of the last few weeks, no big invoices, but we remain hopeful. We have had discussions with some of our better colleagues about why they are doing fairs just now, mindful of poor performance of the same shows this time last year and considering the present state of the economy. One colleague wondered aloud thereupon why then he is subjecting himself to additional financial exposure by doing the same show this year. Well, that is a question.
While promotion is key to a show’s success, one must still be mindful of what Keynes considered a central component of any economic cycle, ‘animal instincts’, which, frankly, is a grittier synonym for ‘consumer confidence’. No one can really point to anything that affects it, but, ultimately, it is this that will make conditions change- one way or the other. Apparently one can apply statistical measures to animal instincts, but this doesn’t make them any more predictable.
However, fairs do go on, and sort of paraphrasing Knute Rockne, in a poor season, one always says one was at least building character. While of course those remaining few of us in the English antiques trade are mostly trying to figure out how to cover the overhead, Keith and I yet make a point in engaging in some strategic thinking- changes in market conditions, appropriate pricing, and changes in fashion and aesthetics, all of which we need to factor into our business to make it always appear fresh and viable. We are, of course, still a going concern. Nothing spells disaster for a business than that its appearance starts to match the (dismal) outlook of the owner.
And this is what is always necessary for an antiques and art fair, even in tough times. Constant reinvention is called for, to give the fair a fresh look. Mind you, not an entirely new look. A couple of years ago, one prominent fair rather abandoned its focus on antiques, and, since it had dropped its dateline to allow midcentury modern furniture in, went overboard in redesigning the show in using 20th century design as its theme. An aesthetic disaster which resulted in the show wisely returning to something more traditional the following year.