“I started doing the fairs as it was the only way I believed I could remain an antiques dealer, and have done 29 this year so far [to mid-June]. In my younger days, three years ago, I did 75 in a year as I wanted to know how they ran, what to take and which to do or avoid.”
Read Smith, who stands at a lot of events including IACF, Swallow Fairs, Cooper Antiques Fairs and Continuity Fairs, will be at the Swallow three-day Loseley Park Decorative Home and Salvage Show near Guildford in Surrey on Friday to Sunday, July 14-16.
His story is an intriguing one, particularly his focus on exhibiting at so many fairs, his sole dealing source, which puts him in permanent touch with both buyers and sellers.
He said: “For 20 years, I had a seven-day-a-week antiques shop in Monmouth until about seven years ago but I closed that as I wanted to start shipping to Australia again. As a family antiques business we had shipped out there about 35 years before.
“Before I started doing the fairs four years ago, I would get a 40ft container jammed with all manner of British furniture out to Sydney and Brisbane every two weeks, but sadly the market and the dollar changed.
“I have always bought a very varied stock, being mostly private purchases in the Hereford/ Monmouth area and also now all over the country as I meet so many different customers at the fairs.”
Contact John Read Smith Antiques on 07974 141544.
