About the Glen Ridge Antiques Show
The Glen Ridge Antiques Show is one of the nation's longest running antiques shows. Opening in 1947, the show has been an annual Glen Ridge event ever since, with a one-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Held in February, the show is a delightful escape from the mid-winter doldrums, providing an opportunity to see antiques collections in one convenient location, to share time with knowledgeable dealers and to learn more about life “back in the day.” It is always interesting to see how many of us who live a forward-looking metropolitan lifestyle are so intrigued by the crafting of these beautiful and quality objects made in the past.
Every year, over 100 volunteers work for months to bring the show together for a good cause: proceeds are donated to a variety of charities, primarily those serving people in need throughout Essex County, New Jersey.
How It All Began
It all started with Muriel Butterworth’s and Peg Peacock’s love of collecting antiques. Muriel and Peg were members of the Glen Ridge Congregational Church’s Women’s Association back in the 1940s. They used to go shopping at B & W Antiques run by Duke Brady and Grover Williamson in the Doddtown section of East Orange. One day those gentlemen asked, “Why doesn’t your church have an Antiques Show? We will set it up for you.” Muriel and Peg approached the board of the church’s Women’s Association and gained approval with the stipulation that a manager would be found. Eldora Cole agreed to be the manager and her husband, Doug Cole, agreed to be treasurer.
Logistics for the first show were very cozy by today’s standards. The dealers were in what is now the church’s kitchen dining area and two small rooms known as the Biddulph Room and the Rummage Room. This situation continued until Robinson Hall and the church school wing were built in the 1950s.
A blizzard hit on the second day of the first show. Dealers’ and workers’ cars were blocked in on Clark Street and the snow was so deep the plows could not get through. The dealers that could not get out, stayed and helped shovel the snow. In spite of it all, at the end of the third day the show had earned a total profit of $600 – a lot of money at that time!
For many years, we continued to gather in the kitchen to cook, eat and laugh and serve dinner on Friday nights in addition to lunch. Unfortunately, meal service was suspended due to the Covid pandemic and has not resumed at this point. We are, however, serving a light lunch and snacks.
For many years workers in the kitchen were advised not to share the recipes for the excellent homemade dishes in order to keep these recipes exclusive to the Antiques Show. However, the secrecy was broken in 2000, when a book of Antiques Show menus, recipes and memories was produced. This book has now become a collector’s item itself!
Today
Over the course of its 75+ year history, the Glen Ridge Antiques Show has built a reputation for consistently producing a top-quality show drawing dealers and collectors from throughout the region. This show has come to represent the best in vintage furniture, art and collectibles to both the casual browser and the serious shopper. Over 1,000 people attend the show every year.
Today, more than 30 established dealers from Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Virginia bring a variety of antiques ranging from the traditional to those with a more modern aesthetic.
New dealers are welcome each year, as well as dealers who have been with the show as far back as 1984. Dealers have included:
Debbie Turi Antiques joined the show in 2003 and has an assortment of small tables, china and silver pieces, as well as many unique accessories;
Carol Brown of C.J. Brown Vintage Linens and Textiles brings a large collection of assorted linens for all occasions;
G.A. Cirillo Antiques. Gerry is long time collector of Americana and American Antiques. He brings an eclectic display of Americana, signs and furniture.
In addition to a light lunch, fresh, homemade baked goods, tea and coffee are for sale and served in Le Café during all show hours.
The Women’s Association of the Glen Ridge Congregational Church is pleased to able to offer this remarkable Antiques Show year after year.
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LOCATION
Glen Ridge Congregational Church
195 Ridgewood Avenue
Glen Ridge NJ 07028
www.glenridgcong.org
INFORMATION
973.743.5596
DIRECTIONS
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APPRECIATION TO OUR VOLUNTEERS
There are many tasks and much
hard work that goes into making
the show a success. Here is a
delightful ode to all our volunteer
workers that was written by one of our former show managers.
Ode to Us
By Lynn E. Ritchkoff, 1985
Our calendars tell us
Our show date is near.
We thank you for serving
In our 39th year.
Our chairmen have met,
Our committees are manned,
Our schedules are set,
Our menus are planned.
Our lists have been called,
Our posters put out,
Our exhaust fan installed,
Our announcements sent out.
Our phone wires are linked,
Our dealers are primed,
Our signs have been inked,
Our hangers untwined.
Our booths are all leased,
Our stage looks like new,
Our bake pans are greased,
Our permit’s on view,
Our sponsors increased,
Our showbook’s been bound,
Our ads are released and
Our props have been found.
We dream now of sunshine,
Good food, and good friends,
And a lineup of patrons
That never quite ends.
As you warm up your welcome
Take note and take care:
If this show’s a success
We can all claim a share!
