New  Antique & Design Center opens Friday in High Point with 54 exhibitors

Gala and silent auction fundraiser planned for Friday night

Susan Dickenson -- Home Accents Today, 10/14/2010 11:33:59 AM

The new Antique & Design Center of High Point opens Friday, Oct. 15 in 50,000 square feet of the former Maitland-Smith showroom at 229 Russell Ave.

Exhibitors include antiques dealers and artisans showing in spaces ranging from 150 square feet to 1,500 square feet. Of the 54 exhibitors, 37 are new to High Point, 10 are returning after extended absences and seven are also showing in other locations.

The Center celebrates its grand opening Friday night with a gala and silent auction that will accept bids until Wednesday, Oct. 20 at 2:00 p.m. Proceeds from the auction benefit Triad Health Project, which provides support locally to individuals living with HIV/AIDS and advocates locally, regionally, and nationally for individuals and groups infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS.

The Antique & Design Center's hours during market are 9 a.m. - 7 p.m. through Wednesday, Oct. 20 and 9 a.m. - noon on Thursday, Oct. 21. The Center will be open to the public on Wednesday and Thursday. Packers and shippers are on site, and the venue offers 100 free customer parking spaces. The Center is also a stop on the market's green shuttle line.

Furniture Today reported in May that the antiques market concept came from Jeff Stoffers, owner of California-based Arte De Mexico, who purchased the building last October.

Karen Luisana, the Center's managing director, describes the venue as "a celebration of many hearts and minds in the antique world, a parallel universe to the home furnishings industry."

"It's time that we truly integrated the two at market," Luisana said. "This new venue at the Antique and Design Center offers a whole new world of opportunities for buyers and designers alike, giving their clients the ultimate solutions for their design projects. Interiors can now be completed with the old, new, and custom."

Luisana has been selling antiques at the High Point Market for about 20 years. She said that antiques dealers here typically have been spread around the market. "It's always hard to find them all. Now you can get your antiques done (in one building) and you can focus on the new stuff."

Several exhibitors are spotlighted on the Center's blog, including portrait artist Dan Smith, Delaware-based estate jeweler Crawford DePrince, glass sculptor Cody Nicely and 40-year-old Swedish antique house and design studio Bjork Antikit & Studio which specializes in Scandinavian Biedermeier, Art Deco, Art Moderne, Mid-Century Modern antique and vintage furniture, lighting and upholstery.

More information is available on the Antique & Design Center's website,  or Luisana can be reached by e-mail at kluisana@bellsouth.net.

A list of exhibitors follows:
A. Tyner Antiques
A. Vincent Antiques
Added Oomph!
adLib Antiques
Amadeus Glass Art
Andrew Harley Antiques Ltd
Antique Artistry
Apropos Inc.
Arcanum Antiques & Interiors
Art & Antique Hunter
Arte De Mexico Antiques
Artifactual
BBB Antiques
Big Creek Antiques
Björk Antikt
Bob Withington and Kate Alex
Bolinsky Fine Art
Brenner Valdez Antiques & Interiors
Charles LaVene Antiques and Fabrics
Charles Harold Co
Cody Nicely
Crawford DePrince and Co
Dan Smith
David Drummond
Don and Marta Orwig
Equator
European Restorations
Fanshawe Blaine Antiques
Fulford & Co
Genesee River Trading Co
Jalan-Jalan
John McDonald
Judi Green's Bazaar
LaVal Antiques
Larry Bridge
Louis Burch
Luisana Designs & Antiques
Margaret Doyle Antiques
Mary Bairstow Designs
Mayfair Antiques
Olivier Fleury
Pacific Artefacts
Pin Dynasty
R. Martin Antiques
Robin Wade Furniture
Sleepy Hollow Antiques
Stout's Great Stuff
Timme Antiques and Appraisals
Tuesdays On The Boulevard
Village Antiques
Vintage Persian Rugs
Whitehall Antiques
Wilson's Antiques Inc
Wunderley