NewswireToday - /newswire/ - West Palm Beach, FL, United States, 02/25/2009 - The February “Spectacular” set new records for both attendance and number of dealers.

The West Palm Beach Antiques Festival continues to break new ground under the new ownership of veteran show promoters Kay and Bill Puchstein and Yvonne and Jim Tucker who acquired the Show from dmg world media in December 2008. Yvonne Tucker reported a record attendance for the three day annual “Spectacular” sale February 6-8 and said that all dealer spaces inside and outside were full.

The new owners continue to adjust the details of the Festival to enhance the experience for both visitors and dealers. The entry courtyard is being renovated to promote a new “garden” atmosphere that will feature dealers with specialties in live plants and architectural garden artifacts such as iron accessories, gates, statuary and seating. A new “Early Admission” category will be in place for the next festival of April 3-5. The Early Admission entry fee of $25 will allow entry to the show from 9:00 AM to 12:00 Noon on Friday prior to regular opening time to allow the best choices on fresh merchandise. The Early Admission entry fee is good for all weekend.

One of the advantages of the West Palm Beach Antiques Festival is the variety of merchandise offered by the diverse dealer population. One of the dealers offering items on the decidedly upscale end of the spectrum is Rosemary Dawson’s Cathedral Place Gallery of St. Augustine. Dawson specializes in hard to find porcelain sculptures from Giuseppe Armani, Lladro, Boehm, Old Saffordshire and other antique selections. She makes a market in sold out editions of new issues and retired issues that are hard to find. She prefers the more intricate works from both houses and has a nice selection of sculptures in Lladro gres, a material whose earthy tonality and matte finish adds warmth to the pieces and allows for a wide spectrum of colors.

Dawson and her husband Gary also carry a fine selection of American antiques including pewter and feature art works by such artists as Pierre H. Matisse, the grandson of Henri Matisse and the California based floral artist named Brian Davis who uses a French painting technique called “pochoir” and a color technique he calls “value painting.”

The Americraft Expo Center at the South Florida Fair is located off Southern Boulevard in West Palm Beach, FL, 1.5 miles west of the Florida Turnpike and 1 mile east of 441/SR7. Show hours are 12PM – 5PM Friday, 9AM – 5PM Saturday and 10AM –4:30PM Sunday with Early Admission 9:00 – 12:00 Friday. Daily admission for the Spectacular is $7.00 for adults. 1$ discount coupons are available on the website. Anyone under 18 is admitted free. There is no charge for parking at the Fairgrounds.

Agency / Source: Fred & Gail Taylor

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