CHICAGO, IL.- When Covid-19 hit the US, organizers of the Fall Fox Valley Antiques Show weren’t sure if they would be able to host the annual event. Fortunately, the popular Antiques Show will open on October 17th but with a twist. The show will take place completely online, allowing local antique aficionados, and those from the around the world, to attend from the comfort of their own home.

The Fall show will take place on October 17th and 18th thanks to a new online portal that will enable people from anywhere in the world to see and experience what antiques lovers in the greater Chicago area have enjoyed for more than six decades.

“We’re excited to expand this show to include vendors from across North America thanks to the new virtual platform. Both the fall and spring antiques shows have generated much needed funds for historic preservation and educational opportunities for 63 years and we are looking forward to increasing our audience and surpassing our fundraising goals with this exciting innovation,” states Debbie McArdle, President of the Chicago Suburban Antiques Dealers Association.




The show will feature an extensive mix of authentic antiques representing many centuries from country to formal, pilgrim century to modernism, folk art to fine art, garden to holiday, jewelry, toys, books, ephemera and more. Hand-selected dealers from across the U.S. and Canada will be represented.

The Chicago Suburban Antiques Dealers Association (CSADA) typically hosts shows twice a year in St. Charles, Illinois but Covid-19 forced the group to pivot; fortunately Marvin Getman, an experienced east coast show promoter, had already experienced the cancellation of several of his own shows in the spring and developed an online solution. Working with a software team from South Africa, Getman created a unique and robust platform which has quickly become the gold standard for virtual product shows.

One of the unique features of the new online platform is the ability for the CSADA to hide the show ‘booths’ until the moment the show starts so that buyers and dealers all have the same opportunity to buy first. Getman’s platform makes it easy for dealers to display their merchandise in a user-friendly format and the robust search function makes it simple for customers to find items of interest whether searching by dealer, category, keyword, or price range. Customers deal directly with the individual dealers, no ‘middleman’ involved.

As in past years, the show enables CSADA, a not-for-profit group, to continue their support of organizations devoted to historic preservation and educational pursuits. The show will run for a continuous 32 hours, from 10 a.m. CST Saturday, October 17 until 6 p.m. CST Sunday, October 18. Dealers from across the U.S. and Canada, including several who have never exhibited at Chicago area shows, will offer their finest antiques at Fox. Admission is free.