Status Active Venue Del Mar Fairgrounds Country USA | Genre Antiques Location(s) Del Mar, California Inaugurated 1961 | |
The Del Mar Antique Show & Sale is the longest-running family owned indoor antique show in California and the largest south of San Francisco, with over 65,000 square feet (6,000 m2) of exhibition space. As of November 2012, the show was in its 51st year.
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History
The show is held at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in the seaside city of Del Mar, California, 20 miles north of San Diego. It was established in 1961 by Joseph and Bettye Grimes, who at one time had shows throughout the Southern California region, known as the Calendar Shows. The Grimes advertised the Del Mar Antique Show as having everything "from tin to Tiffany". Today, the show, which is open to the public for a fee, is owned and operated by the Grimes' son, Michael.
Show highlights
Typically visiting the shows, where up to 7,000 people attend, are costumed members of the San Diego Costume Guild and Red Hat Society members. Each show is themed. For example, the theme for a 2010 show was "Masquerade: A Venice Carnivale at Del Mar." In 2007, organizer and producer Michael Grimes produced a similar themed show, named the Wild West Expo, which Today's Vintage newspaper described as the "Old West starring alongside traditional antiques."
The Del Mar Antique Show attracts 250 antique dealers from across the western United States. During the downturn in the economy, the 2009 show had 20 percent less exhibitors than usual. But participation over the next two years increased again, surpassing the 2009 number.
In 2010, Grimes organized The Green Meets Green Expo, also held at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. The San Diego Union-Tribune wrote that the expo was "where old and new converge with an eco-friendly theme."