Dealers Wanted

The Bel Air Fall Antique Festival in Omaha, NE, to be held Sept. 12, is seeking dealers. Call 402-514-7999. This show has all the makings of being a quality event. Go to www.belairplaza.com for more info.

THIS SHOW WAS CANCELED. MAY BE RESURRECTED FOR 2010.

advertise or die

An Ad-ology Research study, "Advertising's Impact in a Soft Economy," finds that more than 48% of U.S. adults believe that a lack of advertising by a retail store, bank or auto dealership during a recession indicates the business must be struggling.

Our experience with our advertising base shows that usually is not the case. It just means the antique shop owner has decided to save a little money by not advertising and will generally start advertising again once the economy appears to be improving.

Still, the results of this study should give shop owners reason to pause and wonder if negative public perception is worth saving a few dollars.

Books on silver

The web site www.antiquesilverlibrary.com claims it has "uncovered over 8,700 pages and 30 rare, privately published and out-of-print reference books and research manuals and museum works on antique silver and the silversmith trade." The web site has a list of titles and for $125, they will send you a DVD of the material. An address and phone number is listed on the web site.

As of today, silver was trading around $15 per ounce.

Chicago Pride Show

Chicago's Prairie Avenue Gallery will host a Pride Show with opening reception Sunday, June 7, noon-4 pm. The Gallery is located in the Prairie Avenue Historic District in the Keith House, 1900 S Prairie Ave.

The Prairie Gallery, known for ground-breaking shows, hosted the first AIDS art show in the mid-1980s, a showcase for black photojournalists and shows featuring emerging Chicago artists. Call 312-326-2923 or find them on facebook.