CONTINUED  from above

Jan: After the first night of the show, I stopped for my mail and found a note that read, "Congratulations! One can never go wrong investing in their passion." That's why I did it. It's my passion..... All things say to me that antiques are headed up, not down. Valuable things don't lose their value with time. The best, most exciting shows are doing well. The top New York auctions and shows have been good this year. The New York Times did an article recently about how strong the antiques market is now. And in our area, the media have been eager to talk to me. There were three feature articles in Dallas and two in Fort Worth about our show. What is waning is the interest in buying things that do not last.

Anne:You are very energetic, but you can't do such a big event by yourself. Do you have a staff? Who helps you?

Jan: Yes, we had 38 people working on this show. Cissy Thompson, Associate Show Director and I will work year-round. During the show we added 11 staff, 22 porters and several volunteers. It's a big job. James North, a dealer and show owner in Warrenton and my husband, Tom Harter, did the huge task of coordinating unloading and loading of 75 dealers--- amazing feat!

Anne:I heard from some of your dealers that you did a great job keeping them happy. What secrets do you know about the "care and feeding" of antique show dealers?

Jan: The secrets: lots of peanut butter and jelly, coffee, water, porters, electricity, and respect.  Respect involves finding the most creative dealers I can and turning them loose. They made the show more beautiful than I could envision.

Where I learned these secrets?  Twenty-one years as a dealer, 12 years on staff at Margerburger Farm Antique Show in Round Top, and 6 years on the Dolly Johnson staff.

Anne: How did your bold idea to open the show to a wider audience affect it? What's the feedback?

Jan: I advertised equally in Dallas and Fort Worth and both came through. There was a lot of interest in the art, which was new with this show. In fact, every customer follow-up call I've had has been about art or folk art that they saw at the show and wanted to buy afterwards. Dealers, with a few exceptions, reported good to excellent sales. Long-time Dolly Johnson dealers Mallard Bay Antiques had their best Dolly Johnson Show ever. Customers bought, and that's their feedback. I'm still getting thank you notes every day from people who came. That tells me a lot.

 Anne: I'm sure you're well underway preparing for the next show. How do you envision the show to change in the next 3-5 years?

Jan: Eventually I want to grow the show to100 dealers, but keep the same diversity of styles and price levels. Also, I want to do more advertising and emphasis on the Friday Happy Hour. It has live music, cash bar with Happy Hour prices, and has the potential to grow into something great.

Anne: Tell us, Jan, what's the scariest thing you've had to handle since you took over the show?

Jan: I have to say, signing that huge contract with Will Rogers Memorial Center was a leap of faith. I was not only taking over the show financially, but moving to a room that would hold 25 more dealers. What I hadn't planned on was that 25 of the former dealers would retire or not return this year. So suddenly I had the opportunity to select 50 more dealers instead of the 25 I'd planned on. It all worked out. I tried to find the best in every area, style and price range. And we had great variety from formal French to Andy Church and John Petty with their funky industrial and garden furniture, to Gayle Green's Victorian majolica to the best Americana and folk art that the show's been known for, to mid-century modern and more.  

Anne: Sounds as if it's been all you'd hoped and more. Any last wishes?

Jan: Well, you know, you always try to build Name Recognition, especially when you start trying to broaden and enlarge your audience. Dolly is an easy "first" name but our "last" name "Johnson", not so much. I've noticed that "Madison" and "Parton" are both popular last names for the Dolly Johnson/Madison/Parton Show! I guess we're just lucky businesses are alphabetized by first name!

Beautiful, airy, uplifting space

Wonderful folk art at the Dolly Johnson Antique and Art Show