Clearance sale at Braswell's starts May 4th in Stamford

Beginning May 4th, the unique Braswell's Gallery Shop in downtown Stamford, Conn., will hold a massive inventory clearance sale in preparation for a relocation to new quarters. The firm has been housed in the historic former Yale & Towne Maufacturing building, at 737 Canal Street, since 2001.

[ClickPress, Wed Apr 25 2007] Dealers, start your engines and prepare to load your trucks. Beginning May 4th, the unique Braswell's Gallery Shop in downtown Stamford will hold a massive inventory clearance sale in preparation for a relocation to new quarters. The firm has been housed in the historic former Yale & Towne Maufacturing building, at 737 Canal Street, since 2001.
The 40,000-square-foot showroom is crammed with upscale merchandise and quality antiques, to include lighting; art; Victorian items; advertising memorabilia; porcelains; and period and decorative furnishings. “There's easily $3 million worth of inventory here and everything has been reduced for quick sale,” said Mark McCarty of Braswell Galleries. “We'd like to move all of it.”
Braswell Galleries is one of the Northeast's largest estate property and antique dealers. It is also one of the country's largest single-owner antique shops. Its holdings include the Gallery Shop, which features thousands of contemporary and antique items at wholesale prices; and the Braswell Galleries Estate Center, which holds a large selection of quality antique furnishings and decorations.
Braswell Galleries also shares space with yet another holding – Stamford Auction, formerly Braswell Galleries Auction in Norwalk. Stamford Auction is also moving, to 24 Harbor View Avenue, in the heart of Stamford's burgeoning Antiques District. “The new facility will have 13,000 square feet of nicer, more user-friendly space,” Gallery manager Kathleen Keating said. “It was a win-win move.”
Conveniently, Stamford Auction's inaugural sale at its new quarters will happen on May 6th, just two days after the Gallery Shop clearance sale begins. “Dealers who would make the drive to one or the other can now do both,” Ms. Keating remarked. “The clearance sale is a wonderful opportunity for dealers to load up their trucks. And the auction is going to be a good one.”
Stamford Auction's May 6th sale will feature hundreds of important pieces, to include property from the set of the Andy Warhol movie “Bad.” The entire contents of the Riverdale, N.Y., estate location that served as a film set for the cult classic black comedy will be offered, unreserved (all final prices will be honored, no matter how low -- none of the lots will carry minimums or reserves).
The sale will also feature important 20th century designer furnishings, to include a set of 10 George Nakashima dining chairs and a Philip Laverne dining table, as well as many exceptional paintings from the American Collection of Swiss Re-Insurance Company; plus additional paintings from an important New York estate. Just a few of the renowned, listed artists in the auction include:
Hermann Herzog (American, 1832-1932). Born in Bremen, Germany, in 1832, Herzog died 100 years later in Philadelphia. He was known for his landscapes and seascapes, as well as many views of Norway. Among his collectors were Queen Victoria and Czar Alexander II. Two of his paintings will be sold: “The Little Goose Girl” (oil on panel) and “View of the Mountains” (oil on canvas).
Eliot Clark (American, 1883-1980). Son of the landscape painter Walter Clark, Eliot was a precocious artist who became a landscape painter in the late American Impressionist style. A move from New York City to Albemarle, Va., in 1932 made him one of the few Impressionist artists in the Southern states. His work “At the Pond, Autumn” (oil on canvas), will come under the gavel.
Ernest Albert (American, 1857-1946). Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., Mr. Albert was a distinguished theatrical and scenic designer who later became a noted landscape painter and muralist. He showed talent early on, and received the Graham Art Medal at age 15. Two of his works will be offered: “A Sea of Opal” (oil on canvas) and “Winter Twilight” (oil on canvas).
Richard Edward Miller (American, 1875-1943). A plein-air painter as well as an illustrator, Mr. Miller was especially known for his paintings of female figures in sunlit interiors. He was part of the American art colony in Paris from 1894-1914. Two of his works will be sold: an oil on canvas portrait of a seated lady; and an oil on canvas portrait of a father and daughter on a farmstead.
The roots of Braswell Galleries stem back to 1958, when Harvey Braswell opened a small used furniture store and auction firm in Amarillo, Tex. A strong Southern antique market prompted Mr. Braswell to acquire inventory from the Northeast. Strong relationships with shippers led the family to migrate to the New York area, where Harvey continued his business with the Southern market.
Mr. Braswell's son, Gary, joined the business after graduating from college, buying antiques and shipping them to the South. In the mid-1980s the Southern market calmed, which led to Gary's opening the Braswell Galleries auction house in Norwalk, Conn. The firm relocated to Stamford in 2001. The firm has grown from a small local auction house to a large antique and auction center.
Taking space in the Yale & Towne Manufacturing building made sense because it placed Braswell Galleries and its three holdings in a larger city – Stamford – and in a downtown that was gentrifying. But the owner of the building recently made the decision to sell the property to a developer who has planned a mixed-use project for the site. And, a fire in 2006 destroyed a part of the structure.
Stamford Auction is a full-service auction house. Stamford is about 45 minutes by car north of New York City. The company conducts about 10 fine estate auctions per year. It also holds specialty sales, when supplies allow. The flexible nature of its auction system permits the company to conduct on-site auctions.
To learn more about Stamford Auction, and for more information about the May 6 sale, you may visit the firm online at www.stamfordauction.com. To consign a quality item, estate or collection, you can call them at (203) 327-2227. The e-mail address is staff@stamfordauction.com. To learn more about Braswell Galleries and the merchandise liquidation sale, click on www.braswellgalleries.com.

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