Are Antique Fairs Making a Come Back?

Are Antique Fairs Making a Come Back?
By William George

Over the years our shopping habits have changed from local shops to super markets and from high streets to internet shopping. In this tough economic time many retailers are reporting heavy losses but one form of shopping seems to be making a comeback. Antique fairs have been with us for years and years but the large antique fairs which take place on county showground's around the UK are a lot younger. Newark Antiques Fair is the largest in the world but only 25 years old. These fairs exploded onto the scene in the 80's before the days of huge malls and internet shopping. At this time they offered visitors something very different! The chance to see thousands of stalls from all over Europe in one day something which would not have been possible before then. As a result of this new innovation which was the brain child of a man called Geoffrey Whittaker attendances boomed! Thousands of people came from all over the globe to visit Newark's antiques fairs. As a result of the business's success the Daily Mail Group purchased the 2 largest fairs in the UK (Newark and Ardingly) amongst others from Mr Whittaker. The fairs continued to do well under their new owners until the mid 90's when attendances started to fall. With the dawn of the internet and eBay brought bargain seekers who would rather stay at home and click their mice than take a walk around an antique market. But has time finally been called on couch potato shoppers?

Fair organisers all over the UK have announced massive increases in visitor numbers over the past year. This comes at a time when retail giants are posting huge drops in profits largely due to the global credit crisis. So if we are seeing the attendances raising so much on these fairs in a recession thing must be looking up in the industry. Many UK TV shows are now based on interior design and making your home unique from your neighbours rather than the mass produced high street options.

Personally when I shop for furniture and clothing I always like to see and touch what I am buying as you can never get a true sense of an item from a picture. It somehow loses its soul but most of all I enjoy spending the day out hunting for an item, whether it be in a shop or at an antique fair. I feel I am not alone in this train of thought and this is why I think the antique fair industry is booming!

For information on Newark, antique fairs or any other IACF event please visit the website: iacf.co.uk

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