Latest News Articles by Joan Porter
Newark fair: the big deal since 1985
22 September 2025The huge fair in in Nottinghamshire is still renowned for its sheer scale, diverse visitor base and key selling opportunities
Textiles can ‘make a room’, says dealer ahead of big annual specialist London event
15 September 2025Launched in 2009, the annual 'London Antique & Vintage Textile Fair' run by the Textile Society will welcome 60-plus dealers to Chelsea Old Town Hall on Sunday, October 12, where the room will be crammed with textiles from the sedate 18th century to the swinging 1960s.
Flea market itching to go at Wembley
15 September 2025Such a spark has been ignited by Mark Farhall’s pop-up Giant London Fleas held in the car park at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park sports complex in Hackney, east London, that he’s launching another.
Pals team up for Art Deco dealing in Woking
15 September 2025Visitors will be packing the aisles at Grandma’s Attic’s antiques and collectors’ fair at Woking Leisure Centre on Sunday, October 5, where among the 160 confirmed stallholders, 30-plus are selling specifically Art Deco and Nouveau plus Mid-century stock.
European postcard dealers descend on Surrey
08 September 2025“We’ve had a good year,” said Clive Baker, organiser of the biannual two-day South of England Postcard Fair run on behalf of the Postcard Traders Associatiom (PTA).
Taylor Swift shock revelation… famous engagement ring used to be something else
08 September 2025When American Footballer Travis Kelce proposed last month in a flower-bedecked arbour to singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, much of the press focus was on the heritage and rarity of the ring.
Grantham brocante back in play
08 September 2025With its expansive lawns, walled garden and riverside meadow, the Grade I-listed Grantham House, a townhouse hidden away in the centre of the Lincolnshire place of the same name, is the perfect spot for an antiques event.
Etc Fairs finds new venue in Bloomsbury
01 September 2025Among the logistical challenges many fair organisers face is the scheduling and sometimes rescheduling of dates at their chosen venues.
Centre hit by thieves closes but hopes to reopen soon
01 September 2025Although Old Bank Antiques in Royal Wootton Bassett closed on August 25, this is “likely to be a short-term measure, maybe six months,” says owner Jon White.
Dealer trio revive Wilton event
01 September 2025Fair near Salisbury launched in 2022 has come to an end but regular exhibitors are stepping in for fresh stagings
Royal National Hotel saves the day for Etc Fairs
28 August 2025Book and ephemera fairs organiser Etc Fairs’ usual London venue, Holiday Inn in Bloomsbury, is closed until February 2026 for refurbishment.
York National Book Fair ‘suits younger crowd’
25 August 2025While a Rowntree centenary brings historic interest, exhibitors are also focused on attracting fresh faces
Mills make a good vintage venue
25 August 2025Another day, another pop-up for So Last Century Fairs, which is trying out a new vintage market in London on Saturday, September 6.
Newsletter spreading the fair word is up to 2000 subscribers
18 August 2025A monthly newsletter sent out by interiors dealer Philip Crosthwaite, organiser of the Easton Antiques Fair in Norwich, is now reaching 2000 subscribers.
School’s out for pupils but in for art and antiques fans this August
18 August 2025Lomax launches third event in portfolio at location already hosting a separate biannual brocante
Take note of what drives demand
11 August 2025Paper money fair organiser and dealer describes the ‘highly collectable’ market she is fascinated by
Racecourse event ready to increase size indoor and out
11 August 2025As Field Dog Fairs, antiques dealer Charlotte Williams launched an antiques weekend 13 years ago at Southwell Racecourse in Nottnghamshire.
The Antiques Tourist: the trail becomes ever longer
04 August 2025Booklet covering art and antiques attractions in four counties is now double its orginal size
Record-breaking Birkin points to bags of potential in vintage accessories market
21 July 2025Sotheby’s €7m sale of the original Hermès Birkin handbag, custom made for late actress and singer Jane Birkin in 1985, has given some welcome exposure to the market for preloved luxury accessories. And for many of today’s collectors, vintage is best.
Button up for Blackdog’s roster of East Anglian brocante fairs
21 July 2025Kate Button of Blackdog Events tells us that the first summer brocante held in June in the atmospheric surroundings of the ruins of Creake Abbey in Norfolk was a success.