They've been quite successful in attracting good dealers who have years of knowledge and experience most of these dealers offer antiques from the 19th century, and the variety is fabulous.Īt the preview, I noticed that almost all of the booths had 18th and 19th century antiques. They have been careful about which dealers they wanted to include, and have turned down a few who handle lower-grade merchandise. Rather than trying to just fill space at Scuttlebutt, the owners decided early on that they would be quite particular about the quality of antiques the shop would offer. More importantly, this elevator is large enough to accommodate the disabled, making the entire shop available for everyone to shop. Scuttlebutt Antiques' elevator allows dealers to load theier furniture and boxes of stock into the elevator, minimizing the time and effort it takes to haul things into their booths. One of the really interesting features of this shop is that it has an elevator!! Not too many multiple story shops have their own elevator, and usually dealers have to lug their merchandise up and down stairs. The lower floor hasn't been completed yet, but should be by the end of the summer. The second floor - called the Sail Loft - is divided into small booths, and is perfect for dealers specializing in small furniture and other small antiques. Already most of the first floor is rented to local and not-so-local dealers at the moment, the shop only has a few showcases and a few pine stepback display cupboards available on the main floor. It's a light and bright shop, with a very open and airy floor plan and wide aisles. It's a wonderful building - they were able to save much of the former gift shop's original nautical-themed pine cabinetry and decorative accents, including the mahogany front country and the authentic antique Fresnel brass lights that adorn the front entrance.īoth couples have extensive experience in the antiques trade, having worked in retail and wholesale sales, auctions, and group shops. It's a great location on Route 1 includes a huge parking lot. They recently purchased and updated a large former gift shop, located on Route One just south of Rockland, Maine.
Strong turn-out of dealers, auctioneers, antiques show managers, the news media and the public, and the food was fabulous!ĭarren and April Gilbert with Dawn and Jeff Wright are the two couples who co-own and operate this new three floor antiques shop. The other night I attended the Preview Showing for the new group shop, Scuttlebutt Antiques, which is opening to the public this Saturday, May 27, 2006.