Travelling Vendors Idea Exchange

[DesertDweller]

Are there any other travelling vendors here? I thought I'd start a thread for idea exchanges about event venues, festivals and fairs around the country. It would be great to exchange ideas and venues here for those of us who travel and vend for a living. We currently sell mostly in Arizona, but plan to travel across the country, so it would be cool to know a few weekend stop offs to sell at. 

Anyone sell at Quartzsite? We haven't set up there yet, but that's one of our goals. Any info would be so appreciated! What has been your experience? 

If you're travelling in Arizona, here are a few places we vend at, and all are good venues:

London Bridge Swap Meet from Sept to May. Good marketplace. Sundays only. $17 booth space.

Parker Strip, La Paz Park, swap meet is from October through March. Saturdays only Relaxing, fun venue. Lots of cool vendors to chat/brainstorm with

Mohave County Fair, Kingman. Happens in September. Four day event. Great sales, and good folks. Load up on kid stuff and you can't go wrong here.

Hualapai Mountain Craft Fair and Swap Meet, first Sunday of June, July and August, and one at the end of August. Beautiful mountaintop venue, peaceful among the tall pines. Fees are low and there's a good traffic flow there. Single 10x10 booth runs $25

Route 66 Festival, Kingman. This took place around August/Sept. This one is disorganized, at best, but a fun venue on the grass in Locomotive Park.

Mesa Marketplace, Huge venue with lots of traffic! You have to get your tax ID for this one, as well as some others, but it's well worth it. Has about 1500 vendors. Seasonal, as summers just get too blazing hot!

Peddler's Pass, Prescott, AZ. Kind of a funky venue, but the buyers are there! Cheap space rent, only $18 for a double 10x10 tent, and you can camp overnight for just $4. This is an "old school" swap meet, so I love it there. Lots of funky, used stuff mixed with new stuff. This one is every Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

What's in your area? 

 

[WriterMs]

I am not a vendor nor currently able to travel, BUT... I think you have a good idea here and it seems you have shared a lot of valuable info for others already.

I know there are several "regulars" on this forum who are artists who sell their works and also a few musicians who attend festivals, etc.  And there is a knife-maker and a wooden sign maker... you get the idea.

We just have to have some replies so that this tread stays up in the "Today's Posts" long enough for those who can benefit to see your thread.    

 

[Almost There]

I don't travel and sell anymore but I did live on the road for 14 years. All of it east of the Mississippi - winters in Florida, spring and fall in the south and summers anywhere from Cape Cod to Illinois.

What constitutes a good show will vary not only by region but most importantly by what you're selling.

If you've a high quality hand made by yourself product it will take a radically different markeplace than if you're reselling either new or used items.

I also found over the years that what was a good show (for me) could deteriorate over the years to the point where it was no longer viable. In particular a lot of the volunteer group run art/craft shows changed hands and with it so changed the quality of the jurying!

If there is anyone interested in learning HOW to find good quality hand crafted shows, I'd be more than happy to discuss the criteria I used to figure out if the show was of interest to me.

 

[DesertDweller]

Almost There, do you have any good selling venues you wish to share? We'd love that 

 

[Patrick46]

Neat thread idea there DD

...but like AT touched on, it makes a huge difference on the events you want to attend, based on what you're selling.

Me?? I'm a pinstriper, so for me, motorcycle rallys are the ticket. I'm also in the unique position to be able to ride to my rallies and carry all my gear in the trailer I pull, so my own bike becomes part of my display.

If I were out on the road full time, and couldn't find a M/C rally to work, then there are always rod-runs to pick from too.


Flea markets?? Nahhh, not for me.

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

Me?? I'm a pinstriper, so for me, motorcycle rallys are the ticket. I'm also in the unique position to be able to ride to my rallies and carry all my gear in the trailer I pull, so my own bike becomes part of my display.

   Not often i'm envious of other people's careers but that lifestyle sounds way cool!

 

[Almost There]

Almost There, do you have any good selling venues you wish to share? We'd love that 

My list of venues that *I* found to be successful are almost a decade old now.

And what was a successful show back then may be the crappiest show on earth now.

Also what was successful was highly dependent on what you were selling.

I've seen fine artists placed next to me at a art/craft show sell absolutely nothing all weekend even though their work was quite nice and probably should have been in a gallery, while I could barely keep up with customers because I was selling a $5.00 item that had an immediate benefit to the customer.

Tell me what it is that you're selling and I can tell you HOW to figure out what venues you should look to market your product in.

 

[DesertDweller]

I know where our stuff sells, I just wanted to start this thread so that other vendors can share venues they currently sell at, where and what type of venues they are, what kind of traffic to expect and any other particulars about each venue. Some are good, some are mediocre, and some are simply not worth the drive. It's all about making money to live on 

For instance, there's one in Flagstaff off the 89...don't bother. No vendors show up and no sales occur. My Dude went there, and he was the only other vendor. It's not worth the drive at all. Don't get me wrong, Flagstaff is truly a beautiful place to visit, but don't count on sales there.

In the Sedona area, there are no "swap meets", most of their selling venues are the artsy type. These venues are for the artsy crowd, and the metaphysical type stuff. You may want to try the area if you sell these types of items. Most are shows are for handcrafted items only. 

We've spent the past three weekends selling in Prescott Valley, AZ. Peddler's Pass is the name of it. I really like this marketplace. Something for everyone. It's one of those "old school" type swap meets. New stuff, used, junk...you name it! I loved walking this venue! Bought us a huge tent there, and a new Igloo cooler, both of which we really needed. The tent is the size of a dang condo, haha! This venue is a windy place, and you're "out in the dirt", but it's well worth the trip as far as selling goes.