The old-timers all say that it's nothing like it used to be. The heady days of big money antiquing has gone the way of much of the country's economy, and most people who came to the show were looking, not buying. Mostly older, retired people, without the disposable incomes that impulse shopping requires.
Having said that - we had a very successful show! As is customary with these shows, the best customers were other dealers, and most of the trade was done before the gates were open to the public. This show was no exception, and so we declare the Tampa show to have been a moderate success for Time Travelers. Our next door neighbor proved to be our best single customer, for which I've thanked her in a note sent off this morning.
The dealers are friendly, kind, and really let us in on the sense of community that I was hoping we'd find, but hadn't truly expected. We kept an eye on each other's booths if an errand (or a quick shopping trip) needed to be made; when the skies opened up on Saturday afternoon and Bob and I discovered that we didn't actually possess enough tarps to adequately cover all of our tables, someone was quick to make a loan of an extra one; that's the kind of people these dealers are. Nobody I spoke with was familiar with the internet for commerce, or used it as part of their trade. Most didn't own a computer. This might be a reflection of the caliber of shows that we've chosen to participate in, or it may just be an oddity of the area that we're trading in - I just don't know, but I was really surprised!
The weather cooperated for the most part for this show. Friday afternoon was the finest, with comfortable temperatures and blue skies. Saturday was very mixed and the threatening clouds kept the crowds at home; we covered up early when it started to rain in earnest, around 3:30. Sunday started out cold, and though it became sunny, it never really warmed up completely. Would it have been a better show had the weather been better? Maybe. Who knows?
The van is all packed up and will remain so in preparation for the coming weekend's show in Sarasota. This one is just Saturday and Sunday, with no Friday preview hours. Then we'll have a break of a few weeks, and do another weekend show in Dade City.
1 comment:
Not only did you have a great time, but you looked smokin' hot, too! Way to go!!
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