One of the brightest ideas ever to enter the antiques trade calendar, National Antiques Day 2008 was once again a day to remember, especially for the people who bought their first antique then.

National Antiques Day in Britain 2008 proved a great success for dealers who took the initiative and did something special.  The BADA, The British Antique Dealers’ Association and LAPADA, The Association of Art and Antique Dealers, led the trade association support. Individual dealers downloaded posters from Antiquesnews, organised exhibitions and other events. Publicity appeared in many local newspapers.

The LAPADA group of co-operating Associations which includes Cotswolds, (CADA), Kensington Church Street, (KCSADA), Portobello Road, (PADA), Petworth, (PAADA), Thames Valley, (TVADA) and West of England (WEADA), have pledged their support for the first National Antiques Week.

The aim is for every dealer to encourage newcomers - particularly the younger generation, into the world of antiques and to publicise the fact that dealers offer excellent value to buyers.  Much has been written recently about what good value antiques offer – this is the ideal time to promote that fact.

A new poster will be designed to promote NATIONAL ANTIQUES WEEK and will be available to download from summer 2009.

• “Antiques are Green” – the largest recycling business in the world is the antiques trade!


• Joining with other dealers in the same town or at the same fair can increase the impact – dealers in the same area could combine to organise an “Antiques Trail” for the week with a printed route map.  Dealers with large premises could host stock from other dealers in the group or antique dealers’ association to make more impact.


• "Enjoy a glass of wine from an antique glass" – an advertising slogan inviting anyone who has never been into an antique shop to visit during the week.


• Fair organisers use National Antiques Week to publicise forthcoming events.


• Dealers arrange an “Antiques Phone-In” on the local radio station. Listeners call with questions about the antiques world and there are one or two local dealers in the studio to answer them.


• Advance publicity of National Antiques Week with a poster in the window or on a stand at a fair.
  

REMEMBER YOU READ IT HERE FIRST!

Since the article reprinted below appeared in Antiquesnews in 2007, there has been a growing interest in the promotion of the message "Antiques are Green" . We have encouraged the logo that  appears at the bottom of every page of this website to be widely used wherever appropriate.  Not least, "Antiques are Green"   has been designated as the theme for the first  National Antiques Week  from 23-29 November 2009 which replaces National Antiques Day now in its 11th year.

How often have we been told antiques are not fashionable anymore? Well, fashions come and go - and come round again. Currently everything eco-friendly is catching attention, not least anything that can be recycled. As antiques is the biggest recycling business in the world that should bring them back into favour.
But as John Fiske, editor-in-chief of the "New England Antiques Journal" points out, "Recycling is associated with garbage." Rubbish collection is not the image we want!
However, John sees a solution. Being eco-friendly is green, living in the world without damaging it, "Behaving green usually involves some self-sacrifice," he says. "But we are just not good at self-sacrifice. We want convenience, comfort and to feel good about our contributions to saving the planet.
"Antiques call for no self-sacrifice - the opposite in fact self-indulgence. Green self-indulgence, what could be more attractive....it should be easy to persuade people to buy antiques, because everyone knows antiques are green."
That is the sort of thinking that is going to take the antiques trade forward and appeal to the broadest audience of potential buyers.
And the "New England Antiques Journal" has done something positive to promote the idea. It has designed an eye-catching motif that you can download free from its website, www.antiquesjournal.com - or click onto our associate magazine's logo at the foot of this page. The logo is on the NEAJ home page. Use it anywhere, in advertising, business cards or as a poster.
"Don't treat this as something that you've just thought of, treat it as something that's already taken for granted, a piece of common sense. If we can make "Antiques are Green" part of American common-sense, our future would be assured." John concludes.

Antiquesnews says - why confine the campaign to America?  It makes sense worldwide.

John Fiske's article can be read by clicking onto the "Antiques are Green" button on the Home page of www.fiskeandfreeman.com