EUROPEAN ANTIQUE BUYING TOUR SLATED FOR APRIL Intensive seven-day antique trip will comb Leipzig, Prague and the hinterlands of Bohemia and Germany. Shipping included. First in a series of escorted buying tours planned for 2006.
News-Antique.com - Nov 30,-0001 - For Immediate Release
March 2, 2006
Fast and Fearless on the Antiques Trail – April Buying Trip Offers Savvy Shopping In Places Where Few Americans Venture
Philadelphia, PA – March 2, 2006 – A Philadelphia-based dealer is planning a fast-paced buying tour to Europe in April for antique buffs who have a long shopping list but not much time. Reservations are on a first-come, first-serve basis.
“Our April trip is ideal for the dealer, designer, collector or antiques buff who wants a focused tour with lots of buying opportunities,“ said Tom Conrad, whose company, Heart of Europe Tours (www.heartofeuropetours.com), will lead five antique tours to Europe this year. The spring trip runs from April 25 – May 1, 2006.
“We offer new destinations, a brisk pace and hot sources in a region of Europe where most American antique lovers never venture,” says Conrad.
“We designed the April tour with a single-minded focus on antique markets and larger dealers with lots of furniture and smalls” says Conrad. The group will visit wholesalers, trade sources and the two biggest and best antiques markets in southeastern Germany and the Czech Republic.
The escorted tour includes Leipzig and Prague as well as several small towns and villages in Franconia and Saxony (Germany) and Bohemia (Czech Republic). “We’ll help participants wring the most out of their seven days on the antiques trail,” says Conrad. The stops include
• A huge Stalinist-era mill with four floors of painted furniture, accessories and smalls;
• Three Prague warehouses loaded with 19th century, Secessionist, Deco and postwar treasures, and a dealer who specializes in Biedermeier; Louis Philippe, Baroque and other classical antiques;
• An old tile-factory-turned-antique-warehouse in the former East Germany which features smalls, farm antiques, restored and un-restored furniture, artifacts and collectible treasures;
• Wholesale dealers in the Bohemian countryside with upwards of 3000m2 of furniture, Black Forest items, pottery, glass, porcelain, architectural elements and more;
• A 14th Century “Antiques Castle,” which serves as a combined warehouse-store-workshop for a dealer couple;
• Antique markets that attract up to 1000 sellers from across Germany, the Czech Republic and other countries
The group travels by chartered coach. Airport transfers, ground transportation, accommodations, breakfast and some meals are included in the tour. The trip starts and ends in Frankfurt. Transatlantic container shipping is included.
"We see antiques, collectibles, art and furnishings in all price ranges, from all periods and in all styles -- formal, high style, vernacular, relaxed, country and everything in between,” according to Conrad. Prices are friendly and purchases are tax free because the items are for export.
Some slots are still available on the April tour. Space is limited and reservations are handled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Information is available online or by phone.
Central Europe is a terrific new spot for affordable antiques, collectibles, toys, furnishings, art, jewelry and other treasures in every price range, according to the company.
“Western European dealers are beginning to discover this region, but virtually no Americans shop there, “according
