Brian and
Gillian Watson started dealing in 18th and 19th century drinking glasses and
associated table glass in 1991 as a part-time activity. In 1993 Brian resigned
his headship of a school in Norfolk to be a full-time dealer and Gill joined him
in 1996. Since then their business has grown steadily to become one of the best
known in the United Kingdom.
Exhibiting at Olympia, LAPADA Shows,Chelsea and the NEC in Birmingham has drawn attention to their stock from collectors not only in the United Kingdom but in France, Holland, Germany, theUSA, Australia and Japan. In consequence, their stock now includes Continentaland American glass as well as English.
Having been established andrecognised for so long means that much of their stock now comes from collections
rather than auctions. Consequently collectors have the opportunity to view items
fresh to the market, items which have, in many cases, been in the collections
from which they have come for anything up to forty years.
http://www.lapadalondon.com/exhibitors/2483
Brian Watson
October 3, 2011
I have to start off by saying that I was surprised to see that someone posted a reference to my business on this blog. I would be interested to know who it was so that next time I can help them get the information right.
I have been asked to comment on what it was like to do Berkeley Square and Chelsea at the same time. Somewhat tiring, is my first thought. Interesting and worthwhile is my second.
I took the opportunity to do the two shows to see if I could get people to go from one to the other. We ticketed for both and gave out tickets to new clients we made at both shows. In almost every case they visited both and in some cases more than once. Many also bought – a few at both shows. Some, however, of our Chelsea clients did not want to go to Mayfair no matter how hard we tried to persuade them!
Of course the two environments were different: Berkeley Square heaving with people on the first night while Chelsea was less crowded on the first day. The interesting point is we did roughly the same amount of business on the opening day at each show.
I treated the two shows as one with the amount of stock I might have at, say, Olympia spread between the two venues. It seems to have worked because the business done was almost twice as much as doing Chelsea and another London Fair in consecutive weeks last year. Considering the economic climate at the moment I was not unhappy with the result.
Would I do it again? Possibly – but the hours and the need for organisation make it a bit of a killer.
Exhibitors
October 4, 2011
Dear Brian, We look forward to your kind assistance the next time you are exhibiting at a show that we are promoting.
Best wishes,
AAD Blog