Bobbie Jean Smith, loyal Vintage Fashion Expo dealer, died suddenly in October from complications relating to a surgery.Texas-born Smith sold pristine vintage clothing at the Ashby Bart Station Flea Market for 16 years from 1981 to 1997, building up a clientele and preparing herself for the big one, the Vintage Fashion Expo, which she joined in 1990. ”She would show up on set up day at the Vintage Fashion Expo with the most amazing clothing,” said Elisabeth Normoyle, one of the Vintage Fashion Expo’s promoters. “I would always kid her that I was going to put on a wig and sit outside her house and follow her to figure out where she found her remarkable inventory. Later, I just had to say ‘I’m going to get the wig’ to let Bobbie know that her latest discoveries were fabulous.” Bobbie is survived by her husband and shopping partner of more than 50 years, Colbert. The October Vintage Fashion Expo was dedicated to both Christie Romero and Bobbie Smith.
Category Archives: obit
Bove reflects on his fondest memories and gives an update on martha
Steve Sanford’s enthusiasm for life was definitely contagious, and since his death about a year ago, it has spread to his wife, Martha. ”Martha has been taking care of her grandkids, Jacob and Savannah, and has been traveling a lot,” said Chuck Bove at the San Francisco Arts & Crafts Show. Bove has plenty of fond memories of Steve, who died last year after suffering from a brain tumor. Bove traveled every year with Steve to Ashville, North Carolina for the Grove Park Inn Arts & Crafts Show. ”He and I traveled everywhere together,” said Bove. They went to Zanesville twice together for the Pottery Lover’s Reunion. Every couple of months they made pilgrimages to Reno or Las Vegas to try their luck at cards. ”He loved to throw the dice,” said Bove. Everyone knew Steve as a funny guy, a pottery dealer and collector, an author and a publisher, a photographer, and late in his life, an amazing oil painter. But his list of talents stretched far beyond that. According to Bove, he was most impressed with Steve’s natural ability to mentor those in need.
One year since death of Muff's owner
Sheila uses Muff’s Hardware in Orange as the deciding factor of the rarity of a piece of hardware and the piece of furniture it decorates. She knew she had a gem with her late Deco chest of drawers when she found only one in Muff’s vast inventory that matched it’s Tiffany style brass Art Deco drawer pull. August 18th marks the one year anniversary of Muff’s founder Gary Hahn. He died a year ago of a heart aneurism. After 38 years in business, Muff’s is still going strong in downtown Orange as one of only a few stores in Southern California that specialize in vintage hardware. Liz’s Antique Hardware, located on La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles, offers a complete selection of door, window, furniture hardware, lighting and accessories from 1860 to 1970. Pasadena is home to Crown City Hardware, which has been carrying antique hardware since 1916.
Hard-fought lessons lead to success
The death of a family member is traumatic, but it is not always in the way one expects. It is not necessarily the sudden thought of loss, it’s the sudden gaining of a long list of responsibilities that all have an emotional component. On Friday, July 10th, at 9:40 p.m., the publisher of Collector magazine, Frank!, was in the checkout line at Sprouts grocery store when he received a call from his 83-year-old uncle Danny, who announced that he had something very important to tell him. The news came at a great relief. He feared his Aunt Vera, who had just had back surgery, had died. Frank’s thoughts went immediately to his Uncle. He was concerned about how it would effect his Uncle who would suddenly be without his wife of 40 years. Instead, he was told that a couple of policemen had just left his Uncle Danny’s house and let him know that his sister had died that night. His sister was Frank’s mother, Margaret Jean. For the better part of 40 years, Frank! and his mother had been estranged only having about a dozen exchanges in the form of personal visits, telephone calls, and letters. However, he sent birthday and Christmas cards and gifts religiously, until she put him in a precarious position by demanding in writing that he not send gifts or cards. The first compliance to that new rule, he was greeted by an angry phone call. In all Frank’s years, nobody has terrified him more than she. After 30 years in the publishing business, he has faced lawsuits and threats on his life. After he spoke with Margaret Jean, he would be shaking for several hours. He knew he shouldn’t have been that upset by her. She was an older woman who lived more than 40 miles away, but there was such a sense of dread that he could not escape no matter how hard he tried. When he received letters from her, he could not even bear to look at her handwriting. Although when someone dies, it is a traumatic thing, when your estranged, it has a particular flavor. There was a certain amount of guilt, especially imposed by others suggesting he should feel sad and even invent a relationship that he didn’t have. When Frank was informed of her death, the thing he dreaded most was cleaning out her apartment, which was jammed with personal items. There were toppling stacks of personal papers, closets of clothing, drawers of costume jewelry, and a vanity piled with make-up. From the very beginning, he came up with a strategy. He would leave behind Margaret Jean’s bifocal reading glasses, her sterling repousse hand mirror, and her annotated, gilt-edged Bible. Frank would keep only legal papers that could be confined to a single green plastic Rubbermaid bin that he used to bring coffee makers to the Collector’s Conference. He knew he wouldn’t have the state of mind to hold onto any memento or oversee the careful disposal of her things. Contrary to what he encourages people in the business to do, he would not be hiring a residential appraiser even though there were certainly plenty of desirable things in the mix. Should he have been tempted to go through her things more thoroughly, the heat and the stench, would have killed that interest. Admittedly, there was a certain amount of hypocrisy. but when faced with the situation he did not have the courage to do what he recommends to others by ensuring the items went to a better home. For his emotional well being, he sacrificed any financial gain. He has no idea if her items were resold at flea markets or dumpstered because he left it in the hands of the superintendent where she lived. Frank! paid him $150 cash and $100 in quarters to take on the responsibility. Although their relationship would not have made for a popular Hallmark card, Frank! has gained plenty of positive values and lessons from the experience. Most cherished, he gained independence and self reliance as a very young man. He started his own business at the age of 6 selling envelopes and greeting cards door to door. He made about .75
Fawcett's death creates frenzy over Charlie's Angel Collectibles
Now that Farrah Fawcett has died, Charlie’s Angel collectibles are expected to soar in value.The Charlie’s Angels star, whose feathered blonde hair and dazzling smile made her one of the biggest sex symbols of the 1970s, died on June 25th after battling cancer. She was 62. Fawcett burst on the scene in 1976 as one-third of the crime-fighting trio in TV’s “Charlies Angels.” A poster of her in a clingy swimsuit sold in the millions. Her full, layered hairstyle became all the rage, with girls and women across America adopting the look. She was on the show for only one season, and was replaced by Cheryl Ladd. Fawcett had been diagnosed with anal cancer in 2006. As she underwent treatment, she enlisted the help of her longtime companion Ryan O’Neal. Fawcett, Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith made up the original “Angels,” the sexy, police-trained trio of martial arts experts who took their assignments from a rich, mysterious boss named Charlie (John Forsythe, who was never seen on camera but whose distinctive voice was heard on speaker phone.” The program debuted in September 1976, the height of what some critics defensively referred to as television’s “jiggle show” era, and it gave each of the actresses ample opportunity to show off their figures as they disguised themselves in bathing suits and as hookers and strippers to solve crimes. Backed by a clever publicity campaign, Fawcett
Conaty's dies of liver failure three months after wife's death
In the wake of San Francisco dealer Jon Conaty’s death, the December Art Deco & Modernism Show remembered the life of the owner of X-21 by presenting a photographic homage and set up a memorial fund for his surviving family. He died of liver failure in late 2008. Conaty’s partner, David Shaw, helped in the creation of the memorial at the show. Conaty was preceded in death by his wife. She died just a few months before he did of cancer. He is survived by his two children. The four-year-old, from his most recent marriage is now an orphan. The Sacramento native owned a store called X-21 with partner David Shaw. Their specialty was space age to mid-century modern eccentricities, including vintage office, Art Deco, paintings and sculptures, industrial design, glass, ceramics, lighting and props. Shaw has kept the business alive, but has changed the name to Sultana. The business is located at 890 Valencia Street in San Francisco. He can be contacted at (415) 647-4211.
Marcus Pennington's memorial an extravagant event
Interior decorator Janice Lipson hosted Marcus Pennington’s memorial in her extravagant Glendora home on Sunday, April 26th. ”It is actually the old Singer Sewing Machine family mansion,” said Lea McNabb. “It was fabulous.” The Spanish style mansion is on over five acres of land and was originally built by Charles Kregelo as a replica of the Mission San Miguel in San Luis Obispo. Natasha Stoddard was one of many close friends and colleagues who spoke at the event. She said that she hoped there was an antique store in heaven because Marcus couldn’t stop buying. The memorial was held at 4:00 p.m. in the afternoon, and it ended at around 7:00 p.m.
Pennington dead at 70
The whole Pasadena antique community was stunned when they heard that legendary dealer, Marcus Pennington, died suddenly and unexpectedly on March 30th. He was 70. News of the tragedy quickly spread from as far west as Fair Oaks and California Street to Fair Oaks and Del Mar, all the way to Novotny’s on East Colorado Blvd. Leah McNabb first made the announcement to Collector’s Chairman of the Obituary Department. Shauna Novotny was suspicious that something was wrong almost instantly. She had just seen Pennington at the Bustamante Show earlier that month. ”He seemed great,” said Novotny. However, when he didn’t show up to her glass repair event, she became suspicious. ”He always brought great pieces of glass in need of repair to Montano’s,” she recalled. “The last time, he brought a huge cut glass punch bowl.” Pennington’s cause of death was determined to be a heart attack. For many, Pennington was their greatest resource when it came to identifying an object. Pennington had been to Pasadena was Ron Hillman had been to the Pomona Mall in 1990s. Pennington was show promoter Darryl Fischer’s mentor. Some thought it was a God-given gift…the way he could miraculously find the one gem in the midst of a heaping pile of junk. However, it was far from inherited. It was earned. Pennington spent countless hours pouring over Christie’s and Sotheby’s auction catalogs in order to build up his encyclopedic knowledge, reading every detail and going back over them to commit the listings and descriptions to his memory. He scoured antiques shops, malls and flea markets, looking at items, analyzing prices and learning what sells and what does not. Although he was mostly a local boy, having been born and raised in Glendale, there were no boundaries when it came to acquiring knowledge. After exhausting local museums and galleries, he traveled to foreign countries to learn about porcelain, art and architecture. ”He always knew what he was looking it,” said Antiques on Fair Oaks dealer Dave Chambers, who knew Pennington for 40 years, back when he was a dealer on Melrose in Los Angeles. “He had the ability to go to any venue and zero in on that one great item.” Many of these items came from one of Pennington’s greatest sources, Tim Gurley, architectural salvage specialist who owns a store on Fair Oaks. Gurley had been selling to Pennington for more than 20 years. Pennington started on Melrose in the 1970s, opened the Antique Depot in Tujunga in the 1980s, and finally set up shop in the Pasadena area in the 1990s. He was a dealer at Antiques on Fair Oaks (space #130), and then opened up a shop with former Antiques on Fair Oaks dealer Natasha. Their store, Medea, was located adjacent to the Pasadena Antique Center. After hearing of her business partner’s untimely death, Natasha, wasted no time liquidating the merchandise and closing the store. She knew she couldn’t run the business without the expertise, merchandise, and endless support of her partner. ”He had very good taste,” said Natasha, a psychologist turned interior decorator and antique dealer. Pennington was a lifelong Republican who voted for John McCain, but originally supported Mitt Romney. Although it has been difficult for his business partner, it has hit nobody harder than his life partner of 38 years, David Evans. The two moved in together after the 1971 Sylmar earthquake. ”He was out there salvaging architectural items from fallen and damaged buildings,” said Evans. He specifically remembers Pennington getting some pieces from the old Gothic church in his hometown of Glendale. Evans started out life very differently. He was born and raised as a Mormon in Salt Lake City, Utah. He joined the Navy in 1959 and ended up in California to start a career. He went to a vocational school where he took what was considered the less serious path…courses in art and interior design. Although he was creative, he wanted a profession that was more stable and lucrative so he decided to become a fine art restorer. Aside from his extensive knowledge on antiques and unerring ability to find treasures, Pennington was also generous. Several of his fellow dealers at Fair Oaks explained that there was no favor too great. He would move furniture, he would loan out his van. ”He was a giver and the epitomy of the old school work ethic,” said one of his colleagues. He was certainly willing to help fellow dealers, so when it came to donating a kidney to help his ailing twin brother, Marlow, there was never a moment’s hesitation. Their similarities were unmistakable. Aside from looking absolutely identical, they shared the same deep voice. According to Evans, there personalities were different. Marcus had a greater depth in spiritual matters, which Evans attributes to his mother’s influence. She would tell him tales of astro-travel, when she would move out of her body while she slept. The only problem came in Pennington’s distrust of doctors. He was willing to make an exception for his brother, but according to Evans, he never went to the doctor. He didn’t need to make the trip after all, because just when he was ready to undergo the surgery, another perfect match kidney became available from a 40 year old. It was a mixed blessing, explained Evans. The other kidney was much younger, making it a better choice, but if Marcus had needed to donate his organ, he would have undergone a physical and doctors may have detected the clogged artery that ultimately led to his death. Alhough he has suffered a great loss, Evans admits he finds comfort in all the people who loved him. A memorial service is being planned for the end of May.
Premiere at new facility saddened by two losses
There are big changes in store for Bustamante Enterprises. The most uplifting development is that after two years, the new upgraded Pasadena Center facility will premiere with their May show. It has state of the art illumination, air filtration and every amenity available in a modern exhibition hall. However, there is sad news as well. Elias Bustamante’s wife, Doris, died in February. He had been married to her for 60 years. Another great loss to the company is Bubba, the Chief of Logistics for Bustamante Enterprises, who will be retiring after the Santa Monica Bustamante Show in June. In his 30 years, Bubba, whose real name is Donald Lee Jacobs, has come to the aid of almost every Bustamante dealer. He has worked for Bustamante Enterprises in many capacities, but his duties have included driving trucks and forklifts, managing the hardware associated with dealer set-up, and even stopping the occasional theft. About 15 years ago, he caught a customer trying to pass himself off as a dealer. ”He grabbed a case and was walking out of the building with it,” he recalled. This was at the Brooks Center in San Francisco. The thief claimed that the dealers wanted him to bring the case to his car. Bubba became suspicious when he noticed that the man was not walking toward the parking garage, but towards the bathroom. The well-versed Bubba wasn’t falling for that. He made the customer return the showcase to the dealer, who hadn’t even noticed the case was missing. Bubba came to work for Bustamante through the Pasadena Center. ”I used to work at the Pasadena Center in 1977,” he said. At that time, Bustamante was holding his shows at the Pasadena Center. Before one show, Bubba requested a few days off at the Pasadena Center to help with the Bustamante Show. It was 1978, the year that Memory Lanes Antique Mall opened, and Bubba had come upon some rough times. ”I was actually in the streets one time and I had no where to go,” recalled Bubba. “Mr. Bustamante gave me a chance, he trusted me and I’ve been with him ever since.” Bubba was born in Southern Pines, North Carolina to Bertha Jacobs who worked as a house cleaner to support her five sons and two daughters. He never knew his father. After graduating from Pinecrest High School he went to work as a maintenance man at a Hilton hotel. After he retires, Bubba is moving to Texas to spend time with his son, Donald Lee Jacob, Jr. his daughter-in-law, and his grandchildren. ”Bustamante is one of the greatest men I have worked for in all of my life,” he said. “And the dealers have been great, too. They have made me feel very important and have showed me a lot of love.”
One death, one closing
There is trouble in Burbank. The Victorian Rose, a 20-year landmark, has gone out of business, and Frank E. Johnson, the owner of the White Elephant Antiques, tragically died. Johnson moved to Hollywood in 1973 from Connecticut where he opened what is known as an “old line” antique store filled with dust and treasures. His store was open for 30 years. He is survived by his daughters, Christine Paulson of Acton, MA, and Janice Johnson of Studio City. He leaves behind granddaughters Kimberly Paulson, Aimee Paulson Greene and Skyler, along with a son-in-law, nieces and nephews. The Victorian Rose was owned and managed by Sandra Crabb, who personally imported furniture from Western Europe, including amazing wardrobes and Art Deco armoires. One of her proudest moments was when she had an audience with Pope John Paul II. The good news is that Burbank Antiques is now the pre-eminent antique destination on Magnolia Avenue in Burbank. Ralph Persinger, known for his expertise on vintage lunch boxes, took over the business a year ago. He specializes in vintage toys, advertising and carries a large amount of early California dinnerware and china.
