On April 14 and 15, while Pennsylvania’s largest indoor antique and collectibles festival is presented in the Rauch Fieldhouse at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, a significant research project will begin.
During the “Antique City” Fun Fair weekend, the show’s producer, Norman Schaut, will implement a program to gather information on the collecting and decorating interests of young adults.
The data will be obtained from a large sample of college students between 18 and 26 years of age. Here are the four steps of this program:
Firstly, the entire student body of selected colleges and universities within 75 miles of Bethlehem will be invited as guests on Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. They will have learned about the show through campus newspapers, radio and e-mail. College ID will admit them for the afternoon.
Secondly, an exit poll will be conducted. When a young woman walks out carrying a shopping bag, she will be asked what treasure was discovered. A young man leaving empty handed will be asked what he hoped to find, but didn’t.
Thirdly, each attendee will be asked general questions regarding their experience of browsing, shopping and, hopefully, learning.
This program will identify categories of interest as well as positive or negative comments regarding collecting and decorating with objects from their youth or before their time.
Norm Schaut recognizes that students at local colleges may attend simply because it is something fun to do on Sunday afternoon. However, he believes that anyone making the 58 mile trip from the University of Pennsylvania, a 55 mile run from Princeton or 88 miles from Columbia, will have a serious interest in objects of art, furnishings, Atari games, vintage fashions, travel and movie posters, Star Wars, a first Teddy bear or Lionel, an autographed baseball or who knows what.
No one really knows what is hot and what is not with this generation. Their collecting interests will finally be identified.
To ensure a large turnout of young people, “The Happiest Show On Earth” will present a special exhibition that will capture their imagination. The offerings in this gallery have been created by Bruce Rosenbaum of Sharon, Massachusetts. He calls them Steampunk. Each is an amalgamation of found objects, fantasy and sci-fi fused into one for a dramatic, and sometimes whimsical, antique, art and design experience.
Visitors will learn that before something is thrown away or collecting dust in the attic, there may be ways to repurpose and give new life to those items by combining them with modern technology to create functional pieces of “uniquity.”
Young people, in particular, tend to be fascinated with Steampunk. It’s a great example of recycling and greening. Think of it as reusable fun.
Last fall, when Schaut shared his college research plan with Irene Stella of New York, she asked whether he would mind if she were to use the idea before he had a chance to introduce it. In Portland, Oregon, Chris Palmer plans to conduct this college program later this year.
Could the interest of professionals like these ladies be any more positive?
After the data is compiled, the results will be made available to dealers and promoters. To order a copy, please e-mail research@AntiqueCityShow.com.