Welcome back to the Heavenly Junk Blog. Today I wanted to share some things I have learned as a promoter (one show many moons ago), vendor (at to many shows to count), and as a shopper. (Man have a shopped.)
There is a lot of shows out there and as a vendor we try to find the best shows for us and our shoppers. There is a mini check list I go through before choosing a show.
1) Pray- I pray before anything and everything I do. I pray that God will show me the right show to go to.
2) Location- I try to pick a location that is no more then 8hrs away so we can make it in one day. A location that is in a good area. I try to find some shops in the area to see what they sell to see if people buy junk.
3) Promoter- I look to see if the promoter is doing advertising for that show. How many people say they might go to the show on Facebook. (Which you can always except 1/2 of them to really make it.) And how long that show as been in the area. We do 1st time locations but we don't expect to make a lot of money at those.
Picking a show is the hardest thing to do but as soon as I pick one I start adverting that we are going to the show. This is to help our customers know where we are going to be at so they can make plans to be there.
After picking a location it is time for a #pickin'day!!! When pickin' for a show I again look at shops in th area, look at what we sold in that area before and my favorite go to JoJo!!! That is right I have watched every Fixer Upper on Netflix 2 or more times. I never watch the show I look at the end to see how she decorates. You know the metal scoops she put flowers in on one episode...Yeah I have sold them. You know the windmill on the wall....Yeah I have sold them. In her shop in Waco, TX she has white milk glass vases... Yeah I sell them at our booth at The Old Store in Piedmont, OK. (More about our booth in another post.) Pinterest is another place I go to find out what to take to shows. Just the other day I heard Pinterest is the new Google because you type it in and you will find it. I also just pick stuff that I would put in my own house. (One day I will give you a tour of our house that we have been working on for 7 years.) But all in all it is just what God has put on our mind to bring.
The next part is the set up or #setupday as we call it. The tings I have learned on set up day. That maybe a whole post by itself. LOL!!! But 2 quick tips...
1) Bring a tool box of every tool you can think you might need during a show. I have my dad's tool box that has Heavenly Junk on the outside. We use it as a check out stand and it has everything in the world in it. From zip ties to duck tape, from price tags to scissors, from sacks to decorations. It has it all.
2) Decorate your booth with flowers, table clothes, burlap, etc. Then we always have room spray that smells like the season we are in at the time. At our first Junk Hippy Show a vendor next to us sprayed a Christmas in her booth. She said if people smell Christmas they buy Christmas. So from there on out we bring something that smell good so people enjoy their buying experience.
The last thing I have learned at show is for the buyer. I have to sides of this, the buyer and seller. I will talk about the buyer first.
1) Bring CASH!! Some vendors will take a credit card but some will not and I don't know of any that will take a check. Just bring the cash and it will talk!!!
2) Bring comfy shoes. Most of the shows we do are inside but even at that you might be standing for hours looking at everything.
3) Bring something or someone to help you haul your item. A shopping cart or a friend for the inside and a truck or trailer for the getting it home part. I have had a lot of people say I will pay for it and then come back with a truck to get it. Of course I say yes but it will save you time if you bring it because you never know what you will find at a show.
4) Be nice!! As vendors we work very hard to come to your area to sell our stuff. We have climbed metal piles, gone though spider barns, cleaned 50+ year dirt, traveled a long way, set up for one or two days and more to get you the best junk around. So please if we are busy, a little cranky, look like a train ran us over just be patient with us.
Now for the vendors be nice to the customers because they are the one that will put the food on the table for you, put your kid through baseball/ dance class, pay that bill that is two weeks past due, etc. So you need to be off your phone (unless it is business), talk to the customer, say hi to them when they walk by, fix your booth when it looks bare. BE NICE!!!!
Promoters they try to bring the very best vendors to the people, vendors bring the very best they have, buyers buy so vendors can make a living. We all work together to help one another out. So promoter keep the shows going and improve every time, Vendors step up your game to make sure the show looks great and buyers we can't be in this business without you so keep on buying!!!
Happy Junkin'
Sarah
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