Toma Clark Haines, CEO of The Antiques Diva & Co – the world’s largest antiques touring company – visits with a very special guest – Richard Burgoin with Arthur Swallows Fairs. Richard, along with his wife Anna and his brother Marc are second-generation fair organizers. And with their all hands on deck approach, there is a third generation learning the ropes as well. Richard and Marc’s father, Peter, launched the first ever Arthur Swallow Fair in 1995 in a disused hangar at an RAF Airfield in Lincolnshire. Around 50 dealers attended, and it became a regular fixture growing exponentially. Even at their young ages, Richard and Marc enjoyed shadowing their father and helping out with the setting-up, lifting, and carrying, and they soon got a taste for the ‘trade.’ When they left school, they joined their father working alongside him until 2008 when he retired. They continue to host some of the friendliest fairs, markets, and shows in the country welcoming everyone from collectors, dealers, and interior designers to home renovators, props stylists, and small business owners. They also welcome families and encourage the younger generation to discover the joys of hunting for beautiful old treasures, not to mention the environmental and financial benefits.

The Burgoins take great pride in creating and running events which brilliantly serve both the trade and public, hosting everything from fast-paced, one-day markets to relaxed, three-day boutique home shows at several locations around the UK. The Arthur Swallow Fairs strongly focus on the antique, salvage, and vintage market with quality, provenance, affordability, and sustainability at the core of what their exhibitors offer. Their Antiques & Home Show held at the Lincolnshire Showground in Lincoln is especially aimed at the trade. This show is held on set Tuesdays in March, May, August, October, and December. To check dates on any of the Arthur Swallow Fairs, you can go to their website. www.asfairs.com. The Antiques & Home Show is an unmissable event for collectors, interior designers, independent retail buyers, set-designers, prop buyers, landscape architects, restaurateurs, and those passionate about creating a stylish living space. It offers visitors everything from fine antiques, art, pretty vintage, salvage, industrial, jewelry, curios, militaria, glassware, china, gardenalia to the unusual.

Another very popular Arthur Swallow Fair is The Antiques & Salvage Market which is always held on Saturday (see website for specific dates and times) at Cheshire Showground near Knutsford (just south of Manchester). Visit the beautiful Cheshire countryside for some top quality antique and salvage rummaging from around 200 excellent dealers, perfect for both the public buyer looking for unique items for your home and garden, or a trade buyer looking to restock your shop. And one mustn’t forget their Vintage Flea Markets which are held on certain Sundays at the EXO Centre at Lincoln. And to round their fair experiences out, they offer the incredibly popular Decorative Home and Salvage Shows. These three-day outdoor boutique style events are set in stunning countryside locations aimed at those who love to source beautiful pieces for the home and garden. Laid out in marquees, shopping arcades, and outdoor pitches spilling out onto the grass brocante style, the stylishly displayed stock is suitable for all from trade and home buyers to stylists and props buyers. Some of the challenges antiques dealers have faced with Brexit got Richard to reflect on and reminisce about the heyday of popularity of UK antiques back in the 1990s when his father first started the fairs, and there would be as many as 3,500 stall holders from all over Europe buying and selling antiques.

Richard began to ponder on an idea to try and give the antiques economy in England a bit of a boost. Richard thought, “What if we could come together to create a bigger draw for overseas buyers to condense their antique buying trips?”

“I had the idea to create Antiques Week,” said Richard excitedly. After speaking with others in the industry (including Gail McLeod,owner of Antiques News & Fairs, and VP of the Antiques Diva & Co.) about his brain child, Richard was encouraged to find many others in the industry willing to collaborate and work together to create new opportunities.

Antiques Week UK, is a collaboration where Arthur Swallow Fairs, Hemswell Antique Centers, and the owners of the Newark Fair- IACF will all be working together to cross promote Antiques Week with the Antiques & Home Show - on Tuesday, Hemswell just down the road on Wednesday, and the Newark Fair just another half an hour past Hemswell on Thursday and Friday creating a dreamy week for trade shopping in the UK #antiquesweekuk In addition to all these incredible fairs working together, the Antiques Diva & Co have their Diva Education Retreat the same week, where the Antiques Diva & Co. are doing a five day educational retreat Oct 2-6, 2023.#watchthisspace It is this spirit of collaboration that makes the antiques industry the best there is. Richard shares, “Our business is made up of all the hundreds of thousands of other businesses that attend our fairs either as a buyer or a seller. We’ve got to look after everybody that attends. Without the buyer or the seller, we don’t really have a business. That’s why we do what we do and we put a whole lot of effort into it.” Working together, communicating, collaborating, moving the industry forward together. That’s what we do in this industry and it feels like MOMENTUM!

SPONSOR - Get Ready to Be Diva-ed - Diva Education that is!!!  We’re hosting an Antiques Diva Educational Retreat

Join your hosts Toma Clark Haines - CEO of The Antiques Diva & Co and Gail McLeod, VP Antiques Diva & owner Antique News & Fairs for learning the Business of Antiques.

When: OCTOBER 2-6, 2023

Where: You’ll be based at Hemswell Court Hotel each day visiting world renowned antique fairs, centers and dealers nearby

https://www.hemswellcourt.com/

Sunday 1 October, 2023

Arrive England and check into Hemswell Court Hotel Welcome drinks at 6pm courtesy of The Antiques Diva.

* As we anticipate jetlagged guests

- dinner at your own leisure so you can go early to bed!

Monday 2 October, 2023

Meet & Greet fellow tour members in a Welcome to England Brunch with Will Thomas, Managing Director - IACF , Robert Miller, CEO - Hemswell Antiques Center , Richard Burgoin, CEO - Arthur Swallow Fairs as well as get an introduction to art & antiques shippers.  In the afternoon we whisk you to a secret destination to not only source accessories but to also discuss the art of selling antiques.  We follow the Route to Market learning sales strategies, photography, sales platforms as well as staging and retail merchandising.

Dinner with Top Secret TV Celebrity Guests from British Antiques TV.

Tuesday 3 October, 2023

After an English brekkie at the hotel - we’ll head to the Lincoln Antiques & Home Fair giving you the opportunity to shop til you drop (or at least until lunch time when we head back to the hotel for a full afternoon of educational workshops). This long-standing one-day showground event has avenues, shopping arcades and an indoor area hosting dealers from the UK and Europe.

During our afternoon educational session Margaret Schwartz, founder of Modern Antiquarian gives us the Inside Track on Technology and Logistics in the Antiques Trade.  She spearheads a conversation on Inventory Management, Client Presentations and Photography, Sales Cycles, Warehouse Management and Sales Tracking. Toma Clark Haines presents the cash cow for antiques dealers - how to develop relationships with and sell antiques to interior designers.

Dinner- Fish & Chips at Hemswell Court with another celebrated British Television guest from the antiques trade.  

Wednesday 4 October, 2023

The early bird gets the worm! Hemswell Antiques Centre – the largest antiques center in Europe - gives our retreat attendees Early Bird access.  Shop the morning hours before Hemswell opens to the trade.  And then spend the day shopping the centers vast of array dealers specializing in everything from period antiques to vintage fun finds - and everything in between - arts, garden, kitchenalia, jewelry and even Asian antiques!

Late afternoon we sit down with Scott & Amanda Herring of La Petite Maison Antiques to discuss how social media launched their business followed up with a talk about PR for Antique Dealers by New York City Interior Design Publicist Andrew Joseph of AJPR.

 The evening is capped off with cocktails with John Hansord of Hansord Antiques as we talk about the Classical Antiques - a Lesson in Quality and Craftsmanship.

Thursday 5 October, 2023

Happy Shopping! 

Today we shop at the world famous Newark Antiques Fair Europe’s largest antiques fair. You’ll find everything from fine antique furniture to teacups, jewelry, ceramics, garden antiques and vintage clothing. Whether you’re looking for Country House Furniture or art de la table this fair has got you covered.

After returning to the hotel, sit down with your hosts Toma Clark Haines and Gail Mcleod for an Optional Q&A on next steps for propelling your antiques business forward and maximizing your profits. Toma & Gail continue in the evening with a workshop on How to Source and Ship Antiques in the EU and England.

Having seen firsthand how the smooth running operation at Hemswell Antiques functions- Robert Miller CEO Hemswell Antiques and Paul Dagg Director of Operations join to give an inside scoop on How Tech Supports The Business of Antiques.

 Friday 6 October 2023

You can’t visit England without visiting a famous country house. Enjoy a tour of Doddington Hall a family-owned and run Elizabethan Manor House with Flemish tapestries and walled garden.  Or see the actual Magna Carta at Lincoln Cathedral

That concludes PART 1 of the Diva

Educational Retreat.

Program Costs Included:         

• 5 nights hotel, single occupancy
• Daily breakfast and dinner, exclusive of beverages (except arrival night)
• Ground transport to external events
• Educational Workshops with Expert Guests
• Visits to Fairs and Antiques Center

3900 GBP Single Occupancy         

*Discount available for Double Occupancy

3500 GBP Early Bird Discount if booked before May 1, 2023

Maximize Your Time And Join for Part 2:

Delegates have the opportunity to join for an Optional Add On 3 Day Antiques Buying Tour in London and the South of England.

Optional 3 Day Add On Antiques Diva Tour

(pricing based upon regular Antiques Diva day tour pricing, email to inquire [email protected])

Friday 6 October 2023

Take the train to London, approximately 2 hours.

The Diva Antiques Buying Tour Overview, London and South.

This Diva Buying Tour, with the inclusion of the central London show, covers many of our key trade hotspots.

Saturday 7 October 2023

Take in a celebrated decorative antiques and interior design fair in London before heading South for private visits to our selected Antiques Diva trusted vendors working with the trade.

Sunday 8 October 2023

Spend the day in a Victorian Gothic Country Estate with one of our top sources for decorative and garden antiques as we shop for antiques followed by a Lunch and Learn where we discuss the secret to success in the antiques trade - staying ahead of the curve, the importance of building a lifestyle brand and why your sales platform should include #morethanantiques.

Monday 9 October 2023

Kick the day off with a down and dirty to the trade only 8 building collective of antiques dealers specializing in export to the US trade market. Learn paint techniques and a high level overview on the art of restoration.  Mid afternoon meet a Legend of The Trade for a talk about his illustrious career and celebrate his 50th anniversary selling antiques in this 16th C Elizabethan storefront. 5 Floors of perfection in antiques shopping from the master, who knows the US antiques trade inside out.

 End of Tour.

Note: Transportation from Lincolnshire to London by train at guests' own cost.

Contacts:

Toma Clark Haines

CEO - The Antiques Diva & Co

[email protected]

+393883476032