For Immediate Release
Contact:
Fort Worth
Show of Antiques & Art
Jan
Orr-Harter, Show Director
Fort Worth Show of
Antiques & Art Thrives in 55th Year
Show Seeks
New Owner in 2018
3.21.18 FORT WORTH, TX -- On March 2,3,4, the Fort Worth Show of
Antiques & Art threw open its doors at the Will Rogers Memorial Center for
the 55th year. “This is the best year of the show ---ever!” said Ann
Williams of Fort Worth’s Ann Williams Antiques & Design. Was it gutsy?
Over-the-top? You bet! It was also the highest attendance in the history of the
show.
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| Ridgefield Gallery, Ortonville, MI |
After a rough winter, Texas shoppers
were eager for three days of unmitigated history, color, whimsy and fun. Dealers
arrived from Pennsylvania, California, Florida, Minnesota and more. Design author Sue Whitney, founder of
JunkMarketStyle.com, was on hand to sign books, demonstrate a little furniture
revival and show off her latest venture: a “She Shed,” created in the middle of
the show by Liz Collins of Haute Nest in Round Top, TX.
 |
| Jan Orr-Harter by Della Orr-Harter |
It was a sweet moment for the Show
Director Jan Orr-Harter and her family. After 25 years of producing shows in
New York and Texas, Orr-Harter is retiring, as is Associate Director Cissy
Thompson. The show is officially for sale. “I’m so proud to see Fort Worth and
Dallas embrace a large national show. Now is the right time to put it into
younger hands,” said Orr-Harter. This show has terrific dealers, happy
shoppers, a great staff and many friends in the media and community. It takes
all of these folks to make a show in Texas continue to thrive and grow.”
 |
| Julian's Antiques of Minersville, PA sold a larger-than-life-size bronze panther. Fort Worth's nickname is "Panther City." |
Founded in 1963, the Fort Worth Show
has grown from a small American Country show to a 150 dealer happening with a light-hearted
range of antiques and art of every style, era and price point. At the 2018
show, you could buy a five-figure European painting or a vintage Scrabble
letter. And you could do it while listening to Rock and Roll, a little jazz and a
lot of Willie Nelson.
 |
| reVamp of San Antonio took the prize for the best coffee/cocktail table |
Commercial exhibits in the show
included Red Shed Vintage Tours, the nation-wide estate sale company Everything
But The House and the show’s Parking Sponsor, The Mercantile. Shoppers learned
about the work of two charities in the 2018 Benefit Booths: The Center for
Transforming Lives and Threads of Hope Textiles. Additionally, a trio of social
media friends were on hand to keep things on-line: Christina Phillips of the
Fort Worth shop Eighth and Park, photographer Della Orr-Harter, as well as
Tracy Smith of Cactus Creek in Weston, MO. As a result of their efforts through
Instagram and Facebook, exhibitors made sales to callers from New Jersey to
Seattle, often with the help of on-site shipper, Roll’en Hills Moving &
Delivery.
 |
| The French Corner Decor of France and San Diego left a happy Texas buyer with this extraordinary Aubusson tapestry. |
“It’s ideal to look for a new show
owner at a time when the Fort Worth Show is strong and vibrant,” says
Orr-Harter. “Please spread the word: DFW is a terrific place to do business,
the 4th largest metro area in the US. We are looking for a good team
to take the Fort Worth Show into its next adventure in the center of the Fort
Worth-Dallas cultural marketplace.”
 |
| Bachelor Hill Antiques of Walterboro, SC sold a life-size mule sculpture painted with quotations about mules, as well as a monumental bust of Abraham Lincoln. |
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| Looking to the Future! |
For more information, contact Jan
Orr-Harter at 817-291-3952 or JanOH4@aol.com. Learn more about the Fort Worth Show
of Antiques & Art at www.fortworthshow.com or www.instagram.com/fortworthshow www.facebook.com/fortworthshow
