By William Flood >p?URBANA, Ohio — From its humble beginnings, the Urbana Antique Show and Flea Market has grown to become one of the largest and most popular antique shows in Ohio. This year, because of COVID lockdowns, nearly the entire first quarter was lost and show promoter Steve Goddard had quite a bit of ground to retrace. When things started to loosen in June, the series restarted amidst plenty of precautions. Both the June and July shows went well, but Goddard had to deal with yet another pause in August when the county fair took over the fairgrounds. By September, things were rolling again and for the most recent Oct. 3-4 show, beautiful autumn weather once again brought out scores of buyers and sellers. Taking into consideration both safety and the sometimes unpredictable Ohio fall weather, Goddard and his team spread the show about evenly across the Champaign County fairgrounds - in outdoor spaces, under covered pavilions, and inside several climate-controlled buildings. Both visitors and vendors were generally masked, plenty of sanitizer was available, and distancing was easy given the layout. In all, it appeared as if it was nearly business-as-usual given the current circumstances. At enclosed buildings, greeters ensured the number of entrants stayed within county mandated capacity. Inside one of those buildings was Barb Dorgan, from Mason, Ohio, who had a cache of vintage cameras including a Brownie Model D for $15, a Kodak Pony for $20, and an early bellows-model Polaroid for $40. At the other end of the building, Springfield&rsquo:s Danielle Finch had an undiscovered treasure — a 1950s live-edge table atop a tree-limb base reminiscent of a George Nakashima piece. It was priced at just $150, and while not perfect, was probably worth several times that amount. In the next building, Gloria Endicott from Millersport, Ohio, was selling at the show for the first time. She conceded that she had not sold a lot of her traditional antiques, but complemented the venue and noted she had plenty of people visiting her booth. She acknowledged her learning curve in getting familiar with what people were seeking at the Urbana show and at this time of year. Across the room were Josh and Jim Murray who have been selling for about 20 years - since they were teenagers. In addition to doing shows, they run the Ohio Vintage booth at Heart of Ohio Antique Mall. They feel the Urbana show is the best small-town flea market in Ohio, remarking on the number of shoppers and vendors present, even during the challenging times. In their booth, something a bit unusual - a pair of 70s-era Huffy skateboards, one sporting vintage Kryptonic wheels. Each was available for $18. One of the event&rsquo:s calling cards is its pricing, attractive to buyers with household budgets. It&rsquo:s evidenced by the number of shoppers toting rolling carts and wagons filled with smalls. No matter the venue - outside, inside, or under pavilion roof, buyers found items priced enticingly enough for them to open their wallets. For impulse buyers, there was a box of ceramic figurines and thimbles at just $1 each. Even better, a container of vintage cocktail swizzles were a mere 50-cents each! An antiquarian book dealer from Troy, Ohio, had dozens of volumes slightly higher, ranging from $2 for mid-century Hardy Boys editions to $5 for a Boy Scout manual or several antique cookbooks. Her most expensive volume was just $45. In conversation, she noted that purchases on Saturday were impressive. Nearby, another Ohio dealer&rsquo:s booth was anchored by two antique radios with good bones and ready to restore. One, a 1939 Philco 40-180 console model was priced at just $35. Sitting atop it was a 1954/55 German Tonfunk Violetta shortwave radio for just $25. She also commented on Saturday&rsquo:s buyers. The Urbana shows also offer the proverbial “something for everyone.” Across the acres of dealer spaces inside and out was a broad array of merchandise. Traditional antique buyers had items like a fine-condition 19th-century carpenter&rsquo:s box, with intact hardware and insets for $275. Perfect for a garage or man cave was a 1950s Chevrolet truck grill marked down to $150. For a den or over a fireplace, at just $20, was a 24 by 36 inch framed Paul N. Norton print of the Mississippi Queen. A handful of salvaged “Ohio” stamped bricks that could be had for just $5 apiece were perfect for next year&rsquo:s garden. Plus, since the show is part flea market, there was plenty of non-antique merchandise for sale. Buyers could take home everything from brand-new Tupperware to handmade country crafts, or even stock their refrigerators with homemade cakes and jams. The fall produce - everything from vine-ripe tomatoes to pumpkins - was particularly tempting. There are two remaining Urbana shows for 2020 – Nov. 7-8 and Dec. 5-6. The series runs the first full weekend of each month, except for August. Hours are Saturday, 8-4, and Sunday, 10-3. Admission is $2. Parking is plentiful but be prepared to walk if you arrive later in the morning. For more information call (937) 788-2058. |