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For 40 years, thousands of collectors have visited the Springfield Antique Show & Flea Market. The annual antique fest has items from around the world being sold by exhibitors in a dozen buildings and outdoors on the Clark County fairgrounds, which sit on an old airport.
According to Jon Jenkins, vice president of Indianapolis-based Jenkins Management who puts on the show, it’s one of the largest shows of its type in the country with people flying all the way from Europe and Japan to attend.
Besides the international collectors that attend, Jenkins points out that some of what ends up on Madison Avenue comes specifically from this market and other markets like it.
“Last night my wife was looking through some Crate and Barrel and Pottery Barn magazines, and what you realize is that their furniture designers scour shows like (Springfield) for inspiration for their next year’s catalog,” Jenkins said. “Tiny little Springfield is actually influencing what’s going to be in New York and L.A.”
The old invigorates the new.
According to their Web site, “Whatever you’re looking for; fine period furniture or funky fifty’s rattan, bakelite jewelry or diamonds, fine art or folk art, you can expect to find the unexpected in Springfield.”
Some unexpected items can be as much as $25,000-$30,000 Jenkins said, who ten years ago in Springfield had an experience straight out of Antiques Roadshow.
“I stopped my golf cart at one of the runways and saw a really rare piece of 18th century furniture, a Rhode Island Highboy made out of tiger maple,” he remembered. “The chances of seeing something like in this area is like finding a needle in a haystack.”
After personally examining the piece, Jenkins confirmed its authenticity. The Rhode Island Highboy was eventually sold for just $9,000, a steal.
Here’s the kicker:
“As I’m pulling away, I look at the next booth and they were selling gourmet mustard,” Jenkins said. “That illustrates the range of things you’re going to see at the show.”
While not all shoppers may have the luck, or the wallet, for such a high-priced item, there’s still the nostalgia attached to each purchase made at an antique show.
“Almost universally, when you buy something at an antique show, not only is it an object, but you also attach the memory of that great day,” Jenkins said. “And all of a sudden that memory is a lot more powerful and a lot more long lasting.”
Compared to buying something as a consumer to fill space in your home, an antique show is entirely different.
“Nobody really has some great story about how they bought something on the Internet,” Jenkins said.
But Springfield’s antique show isn’t complete without the food, which has been a part of the show since its inception. The vendors range from ice cream to catfish and from German sausage to chicken and noodles.
Jenkins — who runs a food stand selling pork chops as a side project — thinks one of the keys to a great day at the show is enjoying the range of refreshments. He challenges hungry shoppers to find bad food. With about 50 food vendors, that’s a lot of good grub.
“We’re really serious about our food vendors,” Jenkins said. “I go to lots of other shows and I’ll put the food at Springfield up against anybody’s in the country.”
CONTACT this reporter at (937) 225-2429 or rgoodwin@DaytonDailyNews.com.
How to go
What: Springfield Antique Show & Flea Market
Where: Clark County Fairgrounds, 4401 S. Charleston Pike, Springfield, OH 45502
When: June 26-28. Show hours are 7 a.m. to noon (early buying) and 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday
Cost: Admission is $5 per day or $10 for whole weekend with Friday early buying pass
More Info: Visit www.springfieldantiqueshow.com, call (317) 598-0012, or visit their blog at www.antiqueshowinsider.blogspot.com
Other Dates: Look for the Springfield Antique Show & Flea Market to return in mid August and again in September. Dates are Aug. 15-16 (Saturday and Sunday only) and Sept. 18-20
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