Antiques Dealer Turns 13 Tons of Bakelite into Thriving Business

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Karen Kronimus has been around the antiques business most of her life. But it was a break she stumbled upon 15 years ago that got her business going full throttle. She had the opportunity to acquire the entire leftover stock of a Bakelite factory that was going out of business. Not really knowing what to do with it but not wanting to miss a chance, she acquired 13 tons of Bakelite stock in the form of raw bars and unfinished inventory like dice without the pips and incomplete sets of dominoes and lots of domino blanks.

With her father as an accomplice, she set out to drill correct patterns in the faces of the blank dice and insert colorful beads. She also drilled and painted blank dominoes to complete unfinished sets. On the first weekend she set up at a show to sell her Bakelite inventions, she sold $11,000 worth of dice, dominoes and poker chips. Those items are now part of the inventory she displays at West Palm Beach, along with Bakelite bracelets and other jewelry she and her father make. All of the jewelry is signed by Karen or her father, so as not confuse any of her work with original Bakelite object.

But there is a lot more to Karen’s booth than just Bakelite. She also is a serious postcard collector and dealer with more than 20 boxes of postcards in her booth at any festival. She also has 24 showcases of costume jewelry and a staggering array of buttons, as well as tables with shelves to display glassware and silver. She estimates she displays more than 10,000 individual items in her booth.

And you can’t miss her. Hers is one of the first tables you see when entering the festival. She feels like she has two chances at customers— coming and going.

The next West Palm Beach Antiques Festival is slated for Aug. 6-7 (with two more shows scheduled for Sept. 3-4 and Oct. 1-2. The West Palm Beach Antiques Festival is held at the South Florida Fairgrounds located off Southern Boulevard in West Palm Beach, Fla., 1.5 miles west of the Florida Turnpike and 1 mile east of 441/SR7. For more information call 941.697.7475, e-mail to info [at] wpbaf [dot] com or visit the West Palm Beach Antiques Festival website.