News-Antique.com - Oct 07,2009 - The new Atlantic City Show, under the direction of Allison Kohler has risen from the ashes of the recently defunct Atlantique City Show. The only vetted show in the country, the new Atlantic City Show will share nothing in common with the old show other than the location.
Kohler will bring a level of dynamism to the show not seen since it was taken over by F&W media.
The Atlantique City Show, which started out as the granddaddy of antique shows with over 1,000 dealers, had become so irrelevant that when F&W put it out of its misery in September, it hardly made the trade news, with the exception of their own house organ, the Antique Trader.
Although F&W blamed the economic downturn for the need to cancel the show, critics suggest that it was their inability to connect with their dealers. In their swan song, F&W used oblique expressions such as "core community" when referring to their surrounding cities, and the organically growing of their new businesses. It is likely they meant they would be starting from scratch, but perhaps they meant they wouldn't be adding any pesticides.
F&W claims they will be putting all their attention on one upcoming show which will be sharing its venue with a car show, but instead of saying that, they chose to express it as "co-locating."
The new Atlantic City Show will literally be filling the void left by Atlantique by taking place on March 27th and 28th, 2010. After F&W dropped the bomb, the Atlantic City Convention Center had been interviewing and evaluating a number of promoters and on Friday, October 2nd, Kohler, owner of JMK Shows, got the call that she had been chosen. Within hours, the new Atlantic City Antiques and Collectors Show was born and had been added to the JMK website.
JMK Shows, based in Succasunna, NJ, produces antique shows in Sarasota and Morristown, doll shows and home shows. Allison's parents, Rona and Jesse Kohler, founded the company in 1972. They are still active in the business.
Kohler, a Jennifer Connelly lookalike, is thrilled at the opportunity to bring Atlantic City back even better and stronger than it was before. She is currently working with decorators to create the look of the show, which will have separate sections for the various genres of antiques and collectibles. Floor plans are being set and contracts are ready to roll.
"I am honored and welcome the opportunity to create, re-invent and re-brand an event of this caliber in Atlantic City," said Kohler.
She plans to lasso in around 800 dealers to fill the 250,000 square feet of space.
The Atlantique City Antiques & Collectibles Show was founded in 1986 as an antique toy show by Norman Schaut, a former New York advertising agency executive best known for the "Don't Squeeze the Charmin" campaign.
At its height, the show used to draw 50,000 visitors to the Boardwalk over a single weekend each spring and fall. The show was filled to the
