For its second year in Atlanta, the Marburger Atlanta Antique & Design Show will showcase 50,000 square feet of antique and vintage furniture, art, lighting, textiles, decor, jewelry, gifts and collectibles at Southern Exchange Ballrooms July 15-19.
Marburger first earned a name in the antique expo space with its massive 43-acre show in Round Top, Texas, about four hours from Dallas.
That show has grown to include 10 buildings, outdoor farm exhibition space and roughly 300 dealers since it started in 1997. It has been known to attract celebrities, such as Gwen Stefani, Jenna Lyons and Camila and Matthew McConaughey, as well as design icons, including Kelly Wearstler, Martyn Lawrence Bullard, Joanna Gaines and Carson Kressley.
Last year, Marburger made its first foray into Atlanta.
Credit: Courtesy of Marburger Antique & Design Show
Credit: Courtesy of Marburger Antique & Design Show
“Atlanta is the capital of the Southeast and deserves a great design show,” said Mallory Culbert, dealer relations for Marburger.
“It’s a very different animal that represents a sort of yin to the yang of the farm experience … Being indoors in a historic building that has AC allows dealers to bring certain pieces that they couldn’t bring to our farm show.”
Atlanta’s second show will be almost double the size compared to last year, increasing from 60 to 100 dealers who hail from locations all across the U.S. and abroad. They are carefully selected via an application process to participate in the show.
Credit: Courtesy of Marburger Antique & Design Show
Credit: Courtesy of Marburger Antique & Design Show
One of those dealers is Hannah Khachadourian, owner of a boutique antique shop called The Modern Exchange in Hudson, New York. She has participated in Marburger’s Texas show for several seasons but will soon travel to Georgia for her first time in the Atlanta show.
She shared her story, offering a peek into the lifestyle of a traveling antique dealer.
Former nurse launches new life as antiques dealer
Khachadourian thought she was going to be a nurse forever. She had always had a desire to take care of patients and had done humanitarian aid work throughout her 20s.
But when she became sick herself, she stepped away from nursing and was left with spare time to fill.
She started meandering through estate and garage sales, a pastime she had enjoyed growing up. Very quickly, she amassed a stockpile of antiques and vintage wares.
She decided to curate a display and put on her first market sale to showcase her prized finds. She made $700 on her first try, igniting a passion to keep collecting and selling. That was nine years ago.
Over time, her passion took her to Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Italy and beyond to seek out beautiful antiques. She started selling at design shows and eventually opened a brick-and-mortar store in Hudson, New York.
From the beginning, Khachadourian had heard about Marburger’s legendary antique and design show in Round Top, Texas. Marburger has been a cornerstone show for serious antique dealers since it first started in 1997. The event is considered one of the largest shows in the country.
“I had always heard about it and was like, ‘Gosh, I wish I could do that show.’ But it’s hard to get into,” she remembers.
After the COVID-19 pandemic, she decided to try anyway. She applied and was put on a waitlist. To her surprise, she got a call days later, inviting her to participate in the Texas show happening just three weeks later.
“It was incredible,” she said. “If you’ve never been to one of their events, they put their heart and soul into curating the best dealers. They’re so thoughtful with who they bring in and how they work it.”
Marburger shows, she explained, are not a typical market. They are far more thoughtful. Like distinguished art curators, each dealer puts significant thought and creativity into building their show collections and exhibiting their prized pieces in artistic ways.
For Khachadourian, Marburger’s Texas and Atlanta shows are a fun opportunity to curate a display that’s different from what she has in her brick-and-mortar.
In Hudson, her aesthetic is more neutral browns and natural tones to match the local vibe. But when she comes to Atlanta, she will feature bolder colors, patterns and fabrics she’s hand-selected from her collection housed in a 2,000-square-foot warehouse.
Credit: Courtesy of Marburger Antique & Design Show
Credit: Courtesy of Marburger Antique & Design Show
Khachadourian’s husband is a lighting designer who alters unique fixtures from around the world to “create a one-of-a-kind lighting situation,” she said. His lighting illuminates her antiques, which, for the Atlanta show, will include some imported pieces from Europe — like a “beautiful, long French farm table paired with modern chairs” — some marble and stone tables, large credenzas, freshly upholstered antique Art Deco chairs and a pair of 1960s swivel chairs.
These days, being a dealer looks different from what it did nine years ago. With an established set of contacts abroad, Khachadourian often receives messages at 4 a.m. with images of new furniture that might interest her. She periodically ships a 40-foot container across the ocean packed with 200-500 pieces she’s never seen in person.
Sometimes the pieces are expensive (as much as 20,000 euros), which is risky to pay up front. But she’s developed an eye.
Garage and estate sales have gone downhill in recent years, she said. But she does still frequent antique centers and summer flea markets. Recently, she and her husband stumbled on a 14-foot old, English, oak store counter at an antique center.
“I absolutely lost my mind over it,” she said.
She and her husband wrestled with the massive antique to load it into a van.
As new tariffs have created some uncertainty, Khachadourian said she is “trying to be mindful” and keep her eyes on “more domestic buying.”
She is excited to attend the Atlanta Marburger show.
“(These shows) are like summer camp for collectors who love each other,” she said. “There’s great camaraderie between the dealers; everybody supports each other, and it’s truly a spectacular thing … The mix of what is brought to the table is phenomenal.”
The show suits casual shoppers and professional designers, Culbert added.
“You can have a six-figure budget or you could have a two-digit budget,” she said. “You’ll be able to find something.”
Credit: Courtesy of Marburger Antique & Design Show
Credit: Courtesy of Marburger Antique & Design Show
EVENT PREVIEW
Atlanta Marburger Antique & Design Show
July 15-19. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (closing at 4 p.m. on last day). General admission is free. Southern Exchange Ballrooms, 200 Peachtree St. (parking garage at 155 Carnegie Way NW), Atlanta. atlanta.roundtop-marburger.com.
After this article was published, a sponsor donation made admission complimentary.
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