September 15, 2005

Antique and collectable fair offers treasures for everyone

By Jeanne Carbone Lewis
Staff Writer

Do you love attending antique and collectable fairs? Well, there’s one in our backyard at the Almaden Oaks Plaza the second Saturday of every month.

The Antique and Collectable Fair vendors set up for business every second Saturday of the month. Photos by Jeanne Carbone Lewis

Besides the antiques and collectables new and old, there’s jewelry, soap, photography, paintings, handcrafted items and a host of intriguing items begging to be discovered. In other words, something for everyone. And the exhibitors are as entertaining as the items they present.

“I have loyal vendors,” said Nada Kennon, who organizes the event. Her company is Alpha Zeta Events and also presents fairs at the Princeton Plaza Mall and is planning a Christmas fair there in December. Today, she has set up a collection for the American Red Cross for the Hurricane Katrina victims. “And a few new people, too. They present a lot of interesting items and are a great group.”

Alex showcases 200-year-old Russian religious icons and jewelry made from charoite, seraphinite, rhodochrosite, amber, turquoise, jade and other stones. The crosses and saints are displayed artistically and Alex is knowledgeable about his specialized antiques. He has been displaying his wares for 12 years.

“Beadzilla” and belly dancing is Laura Thomp-son’s creative outlet.

Deborah Eddy is a landscape pastel painter whose collectable sales have helped support her for 30 years. A Santa Cruz resident she loves to paint plein air [outdoors] nature scenes. Her booth is full of antique furniture, glassware, pottery, items of another time and place and of course, paintings. And Eddy knows about each of the artist’s background and when the work was completed.

Ed Flemate has shown at all three of the Antique and Collectable Fairs at the Almaden Oaks Plaza’s parking lot.
“Fifteen years ago I started walking to lose weight and I’d go to flea markets,” said Flemate. “I really started collecting 35 years ago. Unusual things I couldn’t refuse that I’d hand pick. I’d sneak them in the house so my wife wouldn’t see them. I ran out of room so here I am. And it’s really fun communicating with people.”

Laura Thompson presents her custom jewelry designs. Her company is called Beadzilla but she also teaches belly dancing at the Ladies in Motion gym at the Almaden Oaks Plaza. Her professional stage name is Setareh. One of her specialties is balancing a candle on her head while she moves her hips.

“It’s a hobby gone wild,” said craftsperson Donna Lang about her bath soap.

“I heard they were looking for artists and craftspeople at the fair,” said Thompson. “This is my second time here. I love creating.”

Then there’s Donna Lang and her handmade vegetable soaps with names like lemon sunflower, rosemary mint and oatmeal almond. The air is aromatic surrounding her covered booth. It is her first time selling her soaps and assorted bath items at the Almaden Oaks Center and sales appear brisk.

“It’s a hobby gone wild,” said Lang. “It’s very addictive making soaps.”

And it can be just as addictive discovering that special one-of-a-kind item at the Antique and Collectible Fair.

The Antique and Collectable Fair held at the Almaden Oaks Center [Albertson’s] the second Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Alpha Zeta Events may be reached at 408-997-1775 or www.alphazetaevents.com.