Slideshow: See Anne Hathaway's timeless, classic beauty.
'Les Miserables' star shines
Source: www.examiner.com
Oldies are goodies at Colonial Antique Mall - Northwest Herald
WOODSTOCK – Lee Muto has been doing this for a long time. She knows a good piece of furniture when she sees it.
And, from where she’s standing, they aren’t making it anymore.
“The couples I’ve been doing business with for 30 years, the stuff they bought 30 years ago is in great shape still,” Muto said. “There’s nothing you buy new today that will be good in 30 years, I’ll tell you that.”
The 69-year-old Muto speaks directly about the way the industry has shifted since she got into it 41 years ago. She began simply refinishing furniture but today owns Colonial Antique Mall in Woodstock. The store is celebrating 15 years in business this year.
The mall sells antiques made before 1969, about 80 percent of which is brought in from independent sellers. Muto has 70 different dealers in her store, which she said makes it in some ways like 70 different businesses.
Muto still restores furniture at her shop. She sees the new stuff on the market as it comes in for repair.
“We’re hoping that people will wake up once their chair falls apart for the sixth time,” she said.
Muto points to cheaply made Chinese imports – often constructed with composite wood – as a big reason she’s keeping busy on the restoration side of things.
But she’d like to see more interest in the craftsmanship that lasts – craftsmanship she said is plentiful in her 18,000-square-foot showroom. Items in the mall date back to as early as the mid-18th century.
“Young people want it cheap and they don’t really care too much about quality,” she said. “And most of the time they don’t know the difference.”
About four years ago, Muto decided to add on to her facility with another 17,000 square feet of furniture in a separate business called the Lake Avenue Bazaar.
It was an effort – a successful one, Muto said – to reach a younger demographic. The bazaar offers old, new and in-between items.
In general, the prices at the bazaar are slightly lower than at the antique mall. But it’s not as big of a difference as it once was.
Source: www.nwherald.com
Antique festival coming to Midland this weekend - Midland Daily News
The Michigan Antique & Collectible Festivals in conjunction with Michigan State University & Central Michigan University have announced participation in a unique contest.
The state’s largest antique show runs from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Adult admission is $6. Children 11 and under are free.
Students from MSU and CMU will participate in the Michigan Antique Festival Interior Design Student Contest.
MSU and CMU interior design students will form six teams and use antiques found throughout the festival to decorate rooms. They will be competing for $3,000 in scholarships. Visitors to the festival will be allowed to vote for their favorite design.
The contest is just one of the activities at the festival which takes place at the Midland County Fairgrounds. Other events include:
• An array of antiques, collectibles, vintage and estate jewelry, architectural primitives, glass, fine art, pottery, vintage posters, advertising, silver, garden art, linens, furniture, military and more.
• Ongoing entertainment throughout the grounds with special entertainment in the car show area.
• The Michigan Vietnam Memorial Wall will be on display, along with a collection of classic military vehicles.
• Taste of Michigan & Shop Michigan Building — sample some of Michigan’s finest agriculture products and purchase other products created in Michigan.
• Coin and sports memorabilia building.
• Free appraisals in the Fair Center Building. Limit two per person.
• Michigan’s largest auto parts swap meet or find a unique car in the extensive Car 4-Sale area.
• Spectacular Car Show with DJ and prizes all day.
• Sixth annual Classic Car Auction.
Source: www.ourmidland.com
Furniture Market in China 2012 - Latest Report - SBWire
Naperville, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/30/2012 -- The Furniture Market in China will be boosted by the rising income coupled with booming real estate sector, resulting in increased demand for furniture products.
The report begins with an introduction section, comprising the definition of furniture along with the key characteristics of the overall furniture industry. The report provides an illustration of the furniture industry framework, wherein it depicts the structure of the market, distinguishing between the organized and unorganized sector. The furniture market overview section provides a brief idea about the global scenario and the share of different regions in the global furniture market. This is followed by an overview of the furniture market in China, providing details on the domestic furniture market size in terms of market value and its growth. China’s online travel market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 22.8% annually up to 2015. It also mentions the size of Guangdong furniture market with its growth prospects in 2012. Furthermore, a detailed illustration about the Chinese furniture industry in terms of growth in production volume, industry output value and industry sales output value is covered as well. Additionally, the report provides a description of major furniture production bases and the key furniture trading hubs in China.
The report provides detailed information about the exports and imports of furniture products covering country-wise import and export for the year 2011. Import and export data provided are in value terms.
Factors driving the growth of furniture market in China are also explained in detail. Healthy economy coupled with rising income is providing impetus to the growth in furniture market. China’s GDP is expected to grow at a CAGR of 11.68% during 2010-15. Booming real estate sector will lead to increasing demand for products from the furniture industry. Real estate market in China, comprising of residential, commercial and office building sales, has grown at a CAGR of 18.2%. Accelerating urbanization and changing consumer lifestyle will allow the players to increase their customer base. Furniture exhibitions along with strong distribution network provide sales opportunity for the furniture market. Furniture retail sales have grown at a CAGR of 25%. Changing demographics and rising tourism provide opportunities for the players to capitalize upon.
Industry players operating in China also face challenges which are impeding their development and growth. Import dependency for sourcing raw materials and tightening housing measures have been identified as major challenges. This has led to a decline in the growth rate of property sold, adversely impacting the county’s furniture demand. Increasing competition coupled with rising operating costs and the prevailing credibility crisis hampers the growth of the furniture industry.
The report also mentions the government standards adopted for supporting sustainable development of the overall furniture industry. It provides a detail illustration on the Chinese government’s old-for-new furniture subsidy program in 2012.
Emerging trends in the furniture market include rise in luxury furniture market, emergence of newer varieties of furniture, furniture malls, increasing presence of foreign retailers and growing online portals dedicated to furniture products for facilitating the overall functioning and development of the market.
This is followed by the mergers and acquisitions section, illustrating the recent mergers and acquisition activities that have taken place in the furniture market. This section includes the announced date, closing date, target, buyer/investor, seller and deal size.
The competition section outlays the competitive landscape of the furniture industry in China briefing about the domestic and foreign players existing in the market. This section provides a three dimensional analysis of domestic key players’ revenues, profits and market capitalization. The key domestic players are ranked according to the total income and net profit. The report also features brief profiles of major domestic and foreign players in the market and a snapshot of their corporation, financial performance along with the key financial ratios, business highlights and their product portfolio providing an insight into the existing competitive scenario.
Some of the key statistics or factors impacting the furniture market in China covered in the report includes furniture industry framework, share of the global furniture market, domestic market size, Guangdong furniture market size, furniture production volume, furniture industry output value, furniture industry sales output value, furniture production bases in China, top furniture producing provinces, furniture trading hubs in China, furniture export, furniture import, growth of GDP, urban disposable income, urban consumer spending, sales of buildings, floor space under construction, increasing rate of urbanization, share of international visitors in furniture expo, rising retail sales of furniture, young adult consumer base, growing tourism market in China, sawnwood imports, log imports, country-wise imports, floor space sold, list of government standards, share of transactions in online portals, expansion plans and list of furniture mall operators.
Key takeaway section summarizes the entire market in terms of opportunities, trends and challenges persisting in the furniture market in China.
To view the detailed table of contents for this report please visit: http://www.reportstack.com/product/78727/furniture-market-in-china-2012.html
Source: www.sbwire.com
National antique truck show pulls into Eastern States Exposition for weekend - Union-News & Sunday Republican
WEST SPRINGFIELD – Roger W. Gardner, of Suffield, Conn., lived just 10 months shy of seeing his dream come true.
“Do you think I’ll be alive to see it,” he had even questioned one of his daughters two years ago when the American Truck Historical Society pushed back its plans to bring its national convention and antique truck show to the Eastern States Exposition grounds from 2010 to 2012.
Gardner found the 1930s-vintage International C-60 abandoned in a cornfield years ago on a farm where he’d worked as a young man, and its restoration was a work in progress when he died last July at age 85, still dreaming of having it entered in the national show that would be held right up the road from where he lived and plied his trade with trucks.
On Tuesday, Gail Haines brushed away tears more than once as she and her sister, Jane D’Agostino, watched the C-60 lead the way with two other of their dad’s antique trucks when they rolled onto the exposition grounds for the national antique truck show. The show opens on Thursday, and Gardner is to be recognized for his work for the society and its Nutmeg Chapter.
“These are his friends,” Haines said, motioning to some of the men who helped pave the path for the C-60 to arrive at the show. “This is when you know the real heart of Suffield and of the antique truck community.”
Harold F. Willard, of Harold’s Garage in Northampton, an 84-year-old legend in the towing business and member of the truck society for decades, made certain his buddy’s precious cargo arrived in tip-top shape for the show.
“We’re like a big family,” said Willard after watching two of his grandsons unload Gardner’s trucks from his own more youthful vehicles, a 1964 Kenworth and a 1978 Autocar flatbeds, which are also entered in the show. Willard and Gardner belonged to the same chapters, and it had been at Gardner’s construction company several years ago where Willard received his award for 50 years of achievement with the truck society.
Willard’s gesture was just the cart after the horse, so to speak, in the process by family and friends to complete the restoration of the C-60.
The project started out as a Thursday morning gathering for a team of volunteers from across Western Massachusetts and northern Connecticut. But, as the national show drew closer, the tempo picked up quickly; the mornings blended into the afternoons, and, in at least one case, night fell before the work for the day was done, Haines said.
The list of helpers was many. Calvin Pixley, of Westfield, was the mastermind behind the mechanics of the truck, Gardner’s son-in-law Richard D’Agostino (along with his wife) handled the paint job on the cab that’s emblazoned with “R.W. Gardner, ” on each door. Someone else donated the gas tank, and another friend dropped off some vintage burlap bags bearing the name of the Eastern States Farmers Exchange to adorn the truck bed for its display at the big show.
It was Bob Sullivan, of Suffield, who had oak boards milled from trees felled right on his property to rebuild the bed of the truck to honor his friend, and it was Sullivan who was behind the wheel as the truck pulled up for registration day. “It was a long haul to get it to this point,” said Sullivan. “This is Roger’s last hurrah. His dream was to bring the C-60 to the Big E.”
Source: www.masslive.com
Greenkeeper Alan is proving a cut above at Bingley St Ives - Bradford Telegraph Argus
Greenkeeper Alan is proving a cut above at Bingley St Ives
4:40pm Wednesday 30th May 2012 in Sport By Mike Crowther
When Alan Baxter applied for a summer job on the greenkeeping staff at Bingley St Ives back in 1968, little did he know he would still be there nearly 44 years later.
The 58-year-old has become part of the furniture at the Harden-based club, where his son Scott also works and other family members used to.
With more than four decades in the job, Baxter has witnessed how greenkeeping has changed over the years - but one thing has remained constant.
He said: “You can’t beat the job satisfaction of seeing the course looking good and everyone - or at least 99 per cent - enjoying it and saying in what fine condition it is.”
His words illustrate how important a greenkeeper is to a club’s well-being.
At times, it might be an unsung role but how well a course is presented can have a crucial influence on a club’s reputation and success.
Good greenkeeping is essential for keeping a happy membership and attracting visitors.
Explaining how he took on the profession, Alan, who grew up on St Ives estate where his dad Frank worked on a farm, said: “I got into it by accident. I wanted to be a forester but I got a temporary six-week job at St Ives straight from school, covering for one of the greenkeeping staff who was on long-term sick.
“It ended up becoming a permanent job and I will have been working here 44 years in July! I love working outdoors and couldn’t stand being cooped up inside all day.”
Alan - who took over from his brother Joe as head greenkeeper six years ago (Joe still works as gardener there) - points out two major changes since he first started.
Grass-cutting is nearly all done by ‘ride-on’ machinery now, whereas it used to be done manually.
He said: “Physically, it makes life a lot easier but things are cut a lot more these days. In the past, greens would be cut twice a week whereas nowadays they are cut seven days a week.”
The second difference is the expectation level of golfers.
He said: “They expect everything to be much better than it used to be - and that’s fair enough.”
More advanced techniques and better equipment can account for this but Alan believes the rise in television coverage has also played a big part.
Watching tournaments at world-class venues on the box on a weekly basis provides a high - and at times unrealistic - benchmark.
“It does up the pressure,” he admits. “We are striving to provide as good a course as we can all the time but it’s not always easy when you have a limited budget.”
Thankfully, Alan enjoys a good relationship with the club’s members and officials.
The course is used regularly for Bradford Union, Inter-District and Yorkshire Order of Merit events, which is testament to the regard in which it is held.
And St Ives was the venue for the prestigious Lawrence Batley International tournaments in the early 1980s, which saw the likes of Nick Faldo, Arnold Palmer and Lee Trevino playing the course.
Alan remembers those events fondly. He said: “There were only four of us working on the course but we got a lot of good feedback. We’d be working 100-hour weeks but it was a great experience.”
Alan and his team also enjoy a good relationship with the neighbouring St Ives Turf Research Institute, who have been involved in helping prepare Open courses such as St Andrew’s and Turnberry.
He said: “We have an advisory visit from them every year. If we need to borrow a piece of tackle, they will lend us it or vice-versa.
“They will carry out trials on our practice ground while they can advise on things like disease.”
He admits that getting the greens right is probably the most important aspect of the job.
“Everyone seems to measure a course by how good the greens are. They are where matches are won and lost.”
When asked if there was a down side to his job was, Alan said the weather could play havoc with the best-laid plans on a course which, given its exposed location in parts, can be prone to the harsher elements.
“If there is a job you need to get on with but can’t because of the weather, it can be frustating.”
If winter bites hard, like it did 18 months ago, work on the course is not possible but there has still been plenty to keep the staff busy.
The club carry out their own machinery maintenance, and tasks such as tree work and the upkeep of course furniture need doing.
Club secretary Adrian Weaver said: “Alan’s been a stalwart of the club since 1968 - that’s a lot of service and dedication.
“It’s a tribute not just to him but to his whole family, who have been involved at St Ives.
“Any well established golf club needs that type of character, who has the club and the members at heart.
“He works hard on the course with a limited amount of resources to cater for the every-day golfer, as well as the scratch golfer.”
“St Ives is a well-regarded course, and that’s down to Alan and his team, who are out working through thick and thin, often in the worst of weather conditions.
“They do a fantastic job and the membership are very grateful.”
Source: www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk
Fill up on history at GAS - niagarathisweek.com
- Mike Zettel, staff
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- May 29, 2012 - 2:02 PM
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- Report a Typo or Correction
Grimsby Antique Show returns to Peach King Centre June 9-10
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It was a simple tool — a hand-cranked coffee bean grinder — but for Evelyne Ordubegion it represented a tie to her past.
Ordubegion was born and raised in the countryside in France, leaving for Canada in 1957 shortly after marrying her Iranian-born husband, Megerdoon (Mack).
She went back to visit her parents on occasion and would often bring old fashioned housewares back with her to Canada. On one visit, Ordubegion asked her father if he knew where the old coffee grinder was.
Her father didn’t know. He had since purchased an electric grinder and had no use for the old one.
“He said ‘What do I need that for? I’ve got an electric one,’” Ordubegion said, explaining her father was like many people — for him, modern appliances meant progress.
“For them it was a step up,” she said. “For me it was nostalgia.
“There I was wanting that coffee grinder, and he couldn’t care less.”
Ordubegion maintains a love of old household items, farm tools and furniture to this day; except for the couch and bed, everything in her and her husband’s St. Catharines home has been bought at auctions and flea markets and restored. In 1980, she started an antique dealing business she called ‘Pastimes’, a play on words that points to both the historical and hobby nature of her business.
She started collecting primitives — old wood, cast iron, graniteware — and found it was a buyer’s market; farmers were practically throwing these old implements away.
“When I was buying these things, nobody cared,” she said. “And I think that’s how we lost a lot of our heritage — nobody card.”
The way Ordubegion looks at it, the stuff she bought and sold, the things her husband spent a great deal of elbow grease to strip the old paint off so they could be properly restored, are now available for future generations.
“So much was lost. It’s a shame,” she said. “Whatever we finished up and sold, it was saved.”
Pastimes is now a much more relaxed pastime for the Ordubegions, as the work involved in travelling to antique shows is becoming a bit too arduous for the retired couple. Last year, though, they found a new local opportunity in the Grimsby Antique Show, which the Rotary Club started after being challenged by publisher of The Upper Canadian Antique Showcase, which is also based in Grimsby.
Sophie Bond, who issued the challenge with husband and co-publisher J. Herbert Bond, said the show the Rotarians delivered in June 2011 was everything they hoped for, with high-quality dealers who filled every available slot. Others were put on a waiting list.
“For having only one show under their belt — it’s unheard of,” Bond said. “It was a beautiful show.”
Niagara, with its variety of tourism and visitor opportunities, is an ideal location for such a venture. It’s not too difficult to imagine people coming to the antique show, spending a few hours there, and then heading out to a winery on the Beamsville Bench before sitting down for dinner in Grimsby. Or perhaps, they’ll take in the show one day, book a night at a bed and breakfast, before heading over to Niagara-on-the-Lake or Niagara Falls.
Mike Hahn, who is one the show committee, said the region’s connection to early Canadian history, including the War of 1812, make a show featuring antiques — physical ties to the past — very complementary.
“We live in an area that’s very rich in material heritage,” Hahn said.
And that’s perhaps the main appeal of antiques; they’re a link to an earlier time.
Bond said it’s okay if a piece of furniture’s been scratched, or has a mouse hole in it. That’s part of its history, its story.
“It tells a story. It has feeling.”
Also popular are usable antiques, the ultimate in recycling. From dishware to furniture, people are looking for something outside the big box store experience.
“You can get a piece of furniture that will last another 100 years, not a piece of particle board.”
Or, like Ordubegion, you might pick up an old hand-cranked coffee grinder, which, after some digging around her parent’s house in France, she eventually did.
“It wasn’t easy, but I did find it,” she said.
The Grimsby Antique Show returns June 9-10 at Grimsby’s Peach King Centre at 162 Livingston Ave. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $6 or $5 with a coupon that can be printed off from the show’s website www.gasniagara.ca, which has detailed information on the show, including a list of 44 dealers.
Source: www.niagarathisweek.com
Antique show in St. Louis city appraising, buying old toys - KMOV
(KMOV)—An antique toy show is in St. Louis for two days allowing people to get appraisals on antique toys and sell them on the spot.
The FX Antique Show will be at the Hampton Inn on Oakland Avenue Wednesday and Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. The staff will appraise any toy from the 1970’s and older.
The appraisers will then offer an on the spot, cash offer for participants’ toys.
The toy does not need to be in the original packaging.
Source: www.kmov.com
More complaints about a Hartford furniture store - Eyewitness News
Source: www.wfsb.com
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