The Golden Days of Autumn Bring Challenging Times Calling for Grit & Flexibility

Francesville Fall Festival, Francesville Indiana
Held the third weekend of September.
(click to enlarge)

Looks like we are headed into what I call the "golden" days of selling. Autumn or Indian Summer, is a great time of the year for setting up and selling. The public loves to be out and about on a beautiful fall weekend, strolling down the aisles of vendors and looking for pretty’s. You can make some great money at the local or not so local festivals. I always enjoyed them and the money was always good. Folks come into town for some of the best seasonal celebrations the country has to offer with the intentions of spending a few bucks and buying something new and shiny to take home with them. Sounds good to me! This year should be a good one with the way the economy is going (as in straight into the toilet)! Seriously - if you are going to stay ahead of the down turn and get a piece of what discretionary money is out there, my advice is to appeal to those looking for affordable low end merchandise that they won’t have to float a bank loan for or those on the upper end with higher priced, quality goods that the financially secure shopper can and will purchase without hesitation if what you have appeals to them.

This past Friday Georgia and I went down the Highway 61 Yard Sale which runs from Bloomsdale, Missouri to Jackson, Missouri, about 90 miles. Sad to say this sale is getting like the subdivision sales that are held in the same neighborhoods year after year. What I call "fished-out". Just lots and I mean lots - mile after mile of sales with nothing but clothes and pretty shabby housewares. All the goodies seem to have been picked over in years past.

I have not been to the great Highway 127 sale for a few years and I hear that it is still booming, what with so many dealers and haulers bringing into fresh items each year that buyers haven’t already picked over. This one should be pretty good for quite some time. Even though my outing Friday was a bust for finding goodies, I still really like those long highway sales. Georgia and I did enjoy a day in the country all things said. And of course the thing that keeps most of us hooked on this life is that there is always the potential when you are on the "hunt" to find that Diamond waiting to be discovered.

I must admit that the road was pretty expensive just for the short hop that we took Friday. I put $25 worth of gas in the van when we left and I will be darned if I didn’t have to put in another $25 just to get back home. $50. Worth of gas for a one day outing. I can see that if I was still doing events that I would be really careful about booking my shows pretty close together.

I can remember making jumps from Davenport, Iowa to Memphis, Tenn and then on to Columbus, Ohio. I don’t think that would work anymore in this tight economy but my hat is off to those of you who are making it work!

At the events that we have been to lately I have noticed the publics willingness and the want-to to still spend money. Especially on the kids. We Americans are resilient and even when times are rough people still need to find entertainment and diversions to counterbalance the everyday stresses. Special events like the country fairs, festivals, flea markets and community celebrations fill that need for FUN that everyone has. It is just a matter of time until the economy shifts in an upswing as it always historically has. The thing is for you as a dealer to be creative and find ways to keep your business flexible and changing with the times.

Don’t forget that with winter coming on and perhaps things slowing up a bit for you that it is a good time to try to get to some Trade Shows. We have updated the Trade Show section of the web site so there are a lot of shows to choose from.

One way to add more money to your pocket is to cut down on what you are paying for your goods. A great way to find good sources for merchandise is the wholesale trade shows. The end result of setting up is what I call "CIH", cash-in-hand - what you ride away from the event with; how much money you have left for yourself.

Lets all hope that the upcoming election will generate some excitement and good feelings with the public so that they will loosen up their spending. Keep in mind that for the most part we make a living off of the impulse items that the public has an urge to buy at the moment. I don’t think that anyone really lays awake at night thinking about buying a new belt buckle or t-shirt.

Until then, here's to good sales and may the sun shine on every one of your spots.

Jim Goodridge