Essex - “We’ve been a destination for period antiques
since 1634”English settlers first appeared in the area that now includes Essex, Massachusetts in the early 1600’s. These settlers, direct descendants of the Mayflower voyagers, brought with them meager belongings, the often rustic, utilitarian objects that would become the period antiques prized by modern day collectors around the world.
Since incorporation in 1819, the town of Essex, located on Cape Ann, just 30 miles north of Boston has historically been known as the oldest continuously operating shipbuilding area of the United States, boasting over 4,000 two-masted vessels. For nearly 100 years, Essex was recognized world-wide as North America's center for fishing schooner construction. Tied to the commercial fishing industry of Gloucester, this once flourishing mercantile community suffered along with the rest of the Cape Ann as the local fishing industry began shrinking during the first half of the 20th century. The last sawn-frame ship built in Essex sailed ‘down river’ in 1949. Without shipbuilding as an economic stimulus, the once busy mom and pop workshops and country stores rapidly began emptying.
But the 1950’s brought a new attitude to the country – out with the old, in with the new – as the post-war economic boom made more goods affordable to the burgeoning middle class. Oak sideboards and clawfoot tables were discarded and replaced with Formica, chrome and glass. The second-hand market was flooded with used merchandise, and with affordable storefronts available, Essex became home to a flourishing trade in ‘old’ stuff – including fine antiques.
From 1952 to the present, Essex has experienced a dramatic increase in the number of local antiques shops. In 1966, the first year the town required licenses to sell used goods, six were issued. Today there are more than 25 licensed dealers within a quarter-mile walking distance along Rte 133, offering everything from country American to formal
European furniture and fine and decorative arts.Because of its history, location, and natural beauty, Essex has inspired artists, poets and photographers alike. Eighteenth and nineteenth century buildings have been restored, a shipbuilding museum has opened, and fine restaurants abound. The town has come full circle – it once again has the look and feel of a quaint, thriving New England village, and retains its reputation as a home of period antiques.
New England Antiques Journal - Antiquing Destination: Essex, Massachusetts
Goodlife - Antiquing in Essex
Essex Attractions
Activities
Essex Shipbuilding Museum 66 Main Street (978) 768-7541 Cogswell Grant
60 Spring Street (978) 768-3632 Essex River Cruises 35 Dodge Street (978) 768-6981 Essex River Basin Adventures 1 Main Street (978) 768-3722 Wolf Hollow
Wenham Museum Antiques Show May Taste of Essex May Essex Clam Fest September
Restaurants
Blue Marlin Grille 65 Eastern Ave. 978 768-7400 Essex Seafood 143R Eastern Ave 978 768-7233 J.T. Farnham’s 88 Eastern Ave. 978 768-6643 Fortune palace II 99 main St. 978 768-3839 Lewis’ of Essex 234 John Wise Ave. 978 768-6551 Periwinkles 74 Main St. 978 768-6320 Red Barrel Pub 171 Eastern Ave. 978 768-7210 Riverside 112 Main St. 978 768-7750 Tom Shea’s 122 Main St. 978 768-6931 Village Restaurant 55 Main St. 978 768-6400 Windward Grille 109 Eastern Ave. 978 768-0050 Woodman’s of Essex 121 Main St. 978 768-6451
a new england treasure
written and photographed by Donna PaulNEW ENGLAND, WITH ITS ROMANTIC COASTLINE, IS RENOWNED FOR PICTURESQUE SCENERY and small towns and villages that exude uncommon charm. Essex, Massachusetts, on Cape Ann - a small neck of land jutting into the Atlantic Ocean - illustrates the area's exceptional beauty. Located just 30 miles from Boston, this quaint ship-building center sits amid estuaries and salt marshes leading to the ocean.
For antique hunters, Essex is a dream destination. What could be better than a vacation that combines antiques shopping with opportunities for kayaking, canoeing, bicycling, sailing, hiking, and swimming off magnificent sandy beaches? Plus, enjoy casual dining spots that serve legendary New England fare and the Cape Ann Historical Association's collection of rare Folly Cove textiles. These block-print fabrics were created by a group of self-taught craftswomen from the 1940s to the 1960s.
History permeates Essex, especially the antiques shops, most of which are former houses constructed in the 1800s by shipbuilders. The shops offer a wide ranges of styles and eras, from flea-market finds to high-end period pieces. One of the premier shops, and an inspiring place to begin your tour, is Andrew Spindler Antiques. Located in an 1860s brick-and-shingle house along Main Street (also Route 133), Spindler's shop is the most eclectic and urbane in town. His vision is distinctive, his approach highly personal. "The common denominator, for me, is that the objectives have a sculptural presence, are geometric, and have an interesting surface or an unusual form," says Spindler, who shies away from the showy and conventional.
Varied pieces - from 19th-century American country to European and midcentury modern - captivate him. The refined shape of 1950s American bent plywood chairs, done in the style of Alvar Aalto, is juxtaposed against a rustic table that was hand-hewn from a single plank. It sits next to vintage irons, French etched glass apothecary jars, old tools, and an array of furniture - a diverse and fascinating visual display.
ABOVE FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Shopping against a backdrop of historic building and the Essex River just adds to the pleasure of antiquing in Essex, Massachusetts. A not-to-be-missed shop is Andrew Spindler Antiques along Main Street. There you'll find varied pieces, such as a circa-1890 single-plank table from Pennsylvania Amish country that still bears strips of bark on its now bleached and weathered frame. Another historical building, an 1864 structure that originally housed the post office and general store, is now home to Ellen Neily, who lives above the antiques store she has run for 22 years. The focus is American furniture, both country and formal, says Neily, as she points out an apothecary chest, marked $350. A limited number of European pieces are mixed in, including a sewing table made of satin-wood with ebony inlay, ivory knobs, and fitted compartments. The late-1700s piece from England has a price tag reflecting it's rarity: $10,500.
There are less-pricey items, often kept in back, where her son Paul has a small selection of midcentury furniture and accessories. His offerings include some terrific Higgins glass pieces and an Art Deco vanity, circa 1935, with a round mirror priced at $575. While you're there be sure to check out the incredible marsh views from Neily's back porch.
Just down the block, engage in a totally different shopping experience at North Hill Antiques, another 22-year-old shop. You'll find an oak armchair with barley-twist legs among the offerings in this store, which specializes in 18th and 19th-century English antiques. And don't miss the lovely French and Belgian wool tapestries, which features enchanting handwoven floral designs.
Classic English furniture mingles with unanticipated 18th- and 19th-century British colonial pieces made in India and Asia at Cunha-St. John. Some interesting architectural and garden elements also appear in the mix. "Quirky isn't our focus - it just takes the edge off the severely brown furniture," owner Wayne St. John explains. Here, rustic does not mean broken. "Condition is always a priority," St. John says. "We only sell items in excellent condition; we want it to not be a project for the client."
Eighteenth- and early -19th-century Georgian and European antiques are the focus at a dazzling shop run by Alexander Westerhoff. You'll find period chandeliers (from Russian and Swedish neoclassical to Waterford) and sconces, as well as large sets of dining chairs and medium to massive French polished dining tables. Things are a little less serious on the front porch, where there's a set of 12 Edwardian Period painted lyre-back chairs - with bright pink terry-cloth seats.
Around the curve, where the road heads toward Gloucester, stop at Walker Creek Furniture, a 200-year-old yellow barn. Inside, you'll meet Robert Hanlon, the owner, and see the tables he makes using boards rescued from old houses. Each tabletop is like an abstract painting composed of patinated wood and peeled paint. Hanlon also sells some wonderful antiques, mostly chairs and odd wooden items such as the colorful spools, called patterns, once used for casting ship parts.
Diversity reigns at Chebaco, which offers the wares of 10 antiques dealers under one roof. There are displays of old linens, vintage handbags, and old buttons. Elegant bundles of six silver spoons sell for $60-$95, next to chrome stools from the 1950s. You can find a bright yellow dining nook with a pair of benches, or pick up one of the vintage aprons hanging from a mannequin in the window - a cool gift for only $10.
If you're looking for oak and pine furniture from 1810 to 1920, Americana is the place to go. As the store's name implies, everything is American. There are chests of drawers, armoires, and even an antique baby carriage hanging in a window. Some unique Arts and Crafts pieces are also in the mix. A smoking stand with an unusual shape, in dark stained oak, was hard to pass up at $265. Kenneth Monroe, who has run the shop for 36 years, also lives in the circa-1871 building. On his wall hangs one collectible that's not for sale but is rich in town history: a blue-and-white porcelain sign from the old Essex train station.
Main Street Antiques is hard to miss: The porch holds stacks of old glass bottles, chairs, shutters, and bed frames. You name it; it's piled up here. Inside, there are three floors of oak, pine, and mahogany furniture; artwork; old rubber stamps; and lights, even an old neon Coors beer sign. The owner, Robert C. Coviello, is an intrepid collector who also owns Joshua's Corner, located on a hill at the edge of town. This shop resides in a beautifully weathered clapboard house with pumpkin trim. A row of pink painted garden chairs lines the lawn. Inside, you'll see new items and a few finds in the rustic-country vein. A wooden butter churn with its original paint and stenciling, circa 1890, is marked $315.
Another jumble of old items awaits at the White Elephant; the name implies the style at this emporium, which actually has a white elephant on the roof. Inside are old records, books, paintings, and glassware. You also can visit the White Elephant Outlet a mile down the road. Many pieces sit along the road, facing lovely fields; others are stacked on the porch. Items are heavily discounted. It may take time looking through piles, but hidden treasures can be unearthed.
Howard's Flying Dragon is another warehouse-type affair where items are stacked and the mass of objects extends outside the store. Slightly rusted garden furniture, old shutters, signs, and lobster traps are waiting to be snapped up.
If Biedermeier treasures are more your thing, visit A.F. Brosch Antiques. Deborah Brosch has run the shop for 16 years, and she and her husband, Friedl, live in the back section of the 1810 house. "Cherry, walnut, the Central European woods are what interest me," Brosch says. Her wares include lovely Czech glass lamps, neoclassical French statues, and a fabulous set of Jacobean-style cane-seat chairs. An 18th-century Baroque chest of drawers with parquetry is stunning, as are the 20th-century Italian sconces that rest against the screen of an open window.
Behind the shop is Friedl Brosch Custom Woodworking. Brosh, a master craftsman trained in his native Austria, makes remarkable custom pieces by hand. He typically works with cherry, walnut, ebony, and maple, and makes very thick veneers. A recent commission - a 13-foot-long bubinga wood dining table - incorporated tree stumps in the base.
Whether looking for a one-of-a-kind piece or just wanting a fun weekend getaway, Essex has much to offer. And spring is the perfect time to go.
