St. Louis area members

Gerald

Active member
Are there any SAPFM members in the St. Louis area?  If so, are there enough to start a St. Louis chapter?  If there aren't enough members to start a chapter but there is someone with whom I can visit and talk shop, please let me know.  When it comes to period furniture, sometimes it feals like if you're not in New England then you're wandering lost in the vast wasteland.
 
Gerald,

I am in Springfield Mo, and am in St. Louis a few times a year as my wife grew up in Kirkwood.  We are moving back to Kansas City at some point this year, it would be great to get a KC/Stl group going.  Send me an email if you want.

Calvin Hobbs
 
Gerald,

I live in eastern Kentucky, and I hear you on being in the vast wasteland.  The nearest SAPFM members are about 75 miles away in Charleston, WV.

I went through my membership list and I counted about 10 current and former SAPFM members within MO.  If you want to discuss a Chapter, just let me know and I will give you a phone call, and we can talk about it.

Also, I really enjoy the Ohio River Valley Chapter and it is amazing how much you can learn from the group.  Being in this wasteland, the Chapter meetings have become my main source of information and contacts for when I get in over my head or want to try something new.   

Cheers,
David
 
David and Gerald,
At some point I would like to see the midyear conference being held somewhere other than the east coast. By referring to this area as a "vast wasteland" we only continue to propagate the myth that we are a fly over zone and nothing happens here. In an organization with a goal of spreading knowledge of 18th century American furniture we are a land of untold opportunity. A frontier of possibility. Start meeting and sharing what you know, there are some great people out there doing amazing things and many others that want to learn. Let's think better of ourselves and the places where we live. George Washington owned land in Indiana and traveled there, he saw it for its potential, not its past. We are a huge untapped resource out here, start tapping!
Mike Siemsen
Minnesota chapter
 
Mike,

I agree with you.  Let's have it in the mid-west.  I brought up this idea years ago but was shot down quickly.  The reason was that the mid-west has no furniture schools just carpentry schools and being a furniture society we must hold the conference at a furniture school.  The fact is we can hold the conference anywhere - even in my backyard.

Dennis Bork
 
Dennis,
The best furniture finishing program in the country is at Dakota County College in Minnesota. George Frank started the program. Everything great isn't on the East Coast. The founding fathers wanted the the nation to expand into the heart of the continent, just look at the 1803 Louisiana Purchase. I think SAPFM could think more along those lines, after all the goal is disseminate knowledge of period furniture. There is a receptive audience out here. We may have to start our own conference.
Mike
 
Mike,

NOW YOU’RE TALKING!! 

Actually, we already have SAPFM conferences in the Midwest.  They are the Local Chapter Meetings.  As you know with your Minnesota Chapter and me with my Ohio River Valley Chapter, they basically cost you time, because we run them on a shoe string budget.  But, that doesn’t diminish the educational value of the meeting.  They are great!!

The major problem with the official SAPFM Mid-Year Conferences is money.  They have to attract 75-100 people to pay for a place to hold the conference, the food, the professional presenters, etc.  Therefore, they have to be in locations that will attract enough people to balance revenue to expenses.  And being non-profit, we just want to balance the money. 

The other issue is: where do the members live?  The originally SAPFM members were the ones who attended Colonial Williamsburg/FWW Conference.  Thus, the bulk of the original members lived close by, and as you move further away, the numbers thin out.  The membership has expanded a lot since then.  We are now starting to see clusters form around the Local Chapters.  We are still a young organization and are expanding. 

In my previous post to this thread, I mentioned that Missouri has about 10 members.  Also, Minnesota has about 10 members.  West Virginia with 1/3 of the population of either state has 15 members.  Thus, there is a great potential to form successful Local Chapters in St. Louis, St Paul, or Kansas City. 

I also would like to see a Mid-Year Conference be a little closer to home.  And as the membership grows, I think you will start seeing the Mid-Year move around the country.  I think the Ohio River Valley Chapter is close to being able to host the Mid-Year in Columbus, OH.  Our last meeting attracted about 35 members, and with the Great Lakes and Indiana Chapters being close by, we could possibly send 50 members to the conference.  Add in those who normally attend the Mid-Year and we are close to being able to host it. 

Cheers,
David
 
To all,

I thought I would throw my "two-cents" in on this discussion.  Being one of the founders of SAPFM, David is indeed correct regarding our roots as to membership distribution.  When we devised the idea of mid-year conferences, we first met at Thaddeus Stevens in Lancaster, PA as we are once again doing for the third time this summer.  To attract the caliber of presenters and conduct workshops and cover meals for the weekend costs money.  Given that Thaddeus Stevens bascically doesn't charge us for the use of their facilities areason why we are returning there once again.  We would rather invest in the program and not the logistics so much.  It is also hearteing to hear that the ORV chapter might be willing to host a future conference.  As chapters grow in numbers and strength, this is a natural flow of events that I would gladly support....even in the mid-west and west coast.  The formula for success in our mid-year conferences has been to have a venue that can handle at least 75 to 100 attendees, cost little or nothing and have additional activities in the surrounding area for members of family that travel with our attendees.  In addition, we rely on having a side trip or two to museums, etc. that help round out the experience.  If we can full fill this criteria in the mid-west or west coast and attract volunteers to help organize and run things then you have my support.  I daresay all the other EC members would do the same.

Mickey
 
Mickey,
That is what I assumed the situation was. When we are bigger I am sure we can plan a conference. Whether or not is it is the official SAPFM Mid Year or not remains to be seen. I believe we are all on the same page and that we will all work together to further the goals of SAPFM. My problem with the conferences isn't the distance or location but just finding the time to attend. In the mean time we can continue to have informative chapter meetings and enjoy each others company. I personally have no complaints with SAPFM I have seen only continued growth and improvement and met some fine people.
Mike
 
Columbus may be worth investigating as a potential mid-year location for SAPFM. CCAD (Columbus College of Art and Design) is here and has a wood shop, the Ohio Historical Society is here which houses the Christopher Collection (early American furniture), and has conference/banquet facilities on the grounds, and Garth's is here, the world's tenth largest auction house specializing in early American furniture and Americana, which might make a nice day trip. Andrew Richmond, who wrote The Cincinnati Price Book of 1830 for volume 5 of APF (and who has written for The Magazine Antiques and American Furniture) is now on staff on Garth's. Columbus  is an easy drive from many locations.
 
Winecountrywoods & Gerald,

I can help you out, if you want to explore the possibility of starting a new Chapter. 

Helping people start new Chapters is one of my SAPFM duties.  I've helped every one of the Chapters listed on the Forum get started, and I can provide some insights and a list of SAPFM members in your area.

Just let me know,
David
 
Is there anyone out there interested in a Southern chapter? I know there is a large contingent of woodworkers on the south but I am unaware of any who are interested on period furniture. By southern I mean Ga. but I would be willing to drive elsewhere to meet so long as I don't have to drive into Yankee territory!
dlb
.
 
David,

With all of the interest in starting new chapters,  it  would be most helpful  if SAPFM would publish a Directory of membership as was done in 2005.  I feel like this is somethng that should be done every year.  What do you think?
 
Norman,

You are the second person that has asked me that same question today. 

As far as the Chapters go, we support them by developing a list of current and former SAPFM members in their region.  They can use this list as a starting point in developing a Chapter.  Also, we now have SAPFM applications that can be placed in the region’s woodworking stores as you have done and is being done in the St Louis area.  So, we do support the Chapters with all of the membership information that we have.

Cheers,
David
 
Back
Top