Proceeds of the 59th Bloomfield Charity Antiques and Collectibles Show will go toward Camp Restore Detroit. The 59th Bloomfield Charity Antiques and Collectibles Show will include 34 antique and collectible dealers.
By: Mary Genson | Birmingham-Bloomfield Eagle | Published September 19, 2023
BLOOMFIELD HILLS — Thirty-four antique and collectible dealers from Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky and Indiana will be selling a variety of treasures at Cross of Christ Lutheran Church, 1100 Lone Pine Road in Bloomfield Hills.
The 59th Bloomfield Charity Antiques and Collectibles Show will be open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 29, and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 30.
Whether one’s interest is antiques from the 18th, 19th or 20th century, organizers say there will be something for everyone. Dealers will be selling antique and estate jewelry, china, glassware, linens, pottery, furniture, vintage clothing and purses, porcelain, silver, cut glass, paintings, quilts, art glass, and much more.
Almost 60 years ago, this event began as a small church fundraiser.
Fundraising efforts
Throughout the years, the Bloomfield Charity Antiques and Collectibles Show has raised more than $705,000 for metro Detroit charities.
After last year’s fundraiser, $27,000 was donated to St. Paul’s Community Lutheran Church in Pontiac. They are hoping to use the money to build a picnic shelter on their campus.
“They recently built a basketball court and a playground area, and they really wanted the shelter so that families would come and maybe have picnics and watch their kids play basketball or on the play structure,” Bloomfield Charity Antiques and Collectibles Show Chairman Marilyn Nix said.
This year, they are raising money for Camp Restore Detroit, a nonprofit organization that brings together volunteer groups to help work beside the people in the community to repair homes and more. They operate from Mount Calvary Lutheran Church, 17100 Chalmers St. in Detroit.
This organization started in New Orleans when communities were drawn to help after Hurricane Katrina. This eventually led to the organization to expand to serve Detroit.
Nix said they hope to help this organization update their fire suppression system in their building, which does not meet current fire standards due to its age.
Antiques and collectables
“This year, one-third of our dealers come from out of state, so I feel like they will probably be bringing things that people are not seeing at other shows,” Nix said.
Sandra McElroy, from Crimson Rose Antiques, 205 Pierce St., No. 103, in Birmingham, has participated in the Bloomfield Charity Antiques and Collectibles Show for 14 years. Crimson Rose Antiques specializes in vintage and antique costume jewelry. She will also bring purses, perfume bottles, compacts and more to the show.
“The jewelry is the most popular only because it’s all across the board,” McElroy said. “It’s for the young, the teens to the millennials to as old as those in their 90s still buying the jewelry. Women will always adorn themselves, no matter what.”
She said that in the past decade she has observed more people in their 30s appreciating antique jewelry and pieces.
McElroy personally selects each piece that she sells, so she looks forward to seeing what people find interesting.
“It is nice to see that somebody loves it as much as I love it,” McElroy said.
Something for everyone
Guests can stop by the show’s Country Store for fresh apple, pumpkin, pecan and key lime homemade pies and other baked goods. Gluten-free options will be available. The Country Café will serve chicken cherry salad, gourmet sandwiches, brats, home cooked soups and sloppy joes. Guests will have the option to eat outside, weather permitting.
Proceeds from the Country Café and Country Store will go towards this year’s fundraising efforts.
For the first time, Birmingham-based Manya Basile Personal Property Appraisals will be at the event to offer services to guests looking to find the historical and/or financial value of an item. They will be doing appraisals 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30. Guests can have up to three items appraised for $10 per item. Proceeds will be donated.
Items donated by Cross of Christ congregation members and sold at bargain prices will also be featured in “Estate Treasures for Charity” to benefit this year’s charity.
Returning this year, there will be printed notecards of the original murals by local artist Matt LeBarre around Cross of Christ Lutheran Church’s Light Center. These notecards are exclusive to the 59th Bloomfield Charity Antiques and Collectibles Show. They can be purchased in boxes of 10 cards with five different images for $10. Postcard proceeds will also be donated to charity.
“They are really popular because they are just such quality art, and they’re really good for almost any kind of purpose,” Nix said.
Attendees will have the opportunity to enter a prize drawing for free to win one of several Target gift cards. The drawing will take place at the end of the show, and winners do not have to be present.
For more information, visit bloomfieldcross.org/annual-events/antiqueshow.