Saturday, February 1, 2025, Salvation Army Community Center, Oak Creek, WI
Many of you know my good buddy Mark Smith from Michigan. Mark used to set up all over the Midwest but has narrowed it down to mostly the monthly Taylor and Grand Rapids, Michigan, shows these past few years.
He had a rare venture into the Chicago area for the Bridgeview show on February 2. As you may recall, Mark was my partner when I first started the Oak Creek show. We used to hang out at the old Gonzaga Hall show in Milwaukee which is where we planned to create the Oak Creek show back in September of 2014.
Mark lasted the first five shows before he tired of driving to Milwaukee from Michigan twice a month -- can't blame him. Though, we were a pretty good team. As promoters, I was the good cop, he was the bad cop. He would get pissed off if a dealer no-showed or cancelled right before the show. I, on the other hand, was just thankful for any dealer willing to set up at our new show and gave a lot a leeway.
We were talking about those early days on Sunday in Bridgeview and Mark commented that when we started the show he thought I was too nice. He was right, I was too nice. I let the dealers really slide. Mark had some experience promoting card shows and I learned a lot from him. He was so helpful starting the show. One of the lessons from Professor Mark was that you can't be too nice. Mark was happy to learn that I have been hardened after more than 10 years of operating the show. I informed Mark that I am kicking dealers out left and right these days and not taking any guff from anybody.
I seem to get in some sort of altercation with a dealer or two every month and have to kick them out of the show -- which really boggles my mind because I have the cheapest tables around and bring in a huge crowd. Why fight with me? In addition, there are few things in life easier than being a sports card/Pokémon dealer. All you have to do is reserve the table, pay for the table, set up your stuff, sell stuff, pack it up and go home. There is no need to complain to me or demand anything from me. You would be surprised at the constant complaints and demands. I don't take kindly to complainers and demanding dealers. Luckily, it is not 2014 and I don't need these demanding dealers. With more than 150 dealers on my Oak Creek waiting list, I have a quick fuse these days and have been regularly tossing out problem dealers.
My problem dealer this month told me he can't make the Oak Creek show on the night before the show. He had a good excuse. He said he his wife went into labor and was in the hospital. The problem began when I congratulated him and then commented that I can't guarantee a spot for him the following month because I had to replace him with someone off the waiting list this month and most likely the new person would want to return. In addition, I placed a newsletter on every dealer's table the previous month letting them know that if they missed a show for any reason, I can't guarantee them a spot the next show. In the newsletter and in person, I told this dealer that I will try my best to get him in next month, but it is mathematics, there might not be space... and if I can't get him in, he would go to the top of the waiting list and get back in soon.
The guy went nuts. We spent hours going back and forth in emails which made me wonder if his wife really was in labor. Why would you fight with me all day over a $30 table at a card show if you are at the hospital with your wife who is in labor?
The guy called me names, insulted me, threatened me, and was ultimately kicked out of the show. Good riddance!
This happens every single month, especially lately when I just don't have space for guys who miss shows. So entitled! I have a four-letter word for them. As a result, I am no longer nice. Mark is so proud of me!!
Having said that, I don't think I am overly mean. I set up at a ton of shows and know that I bend for dealers more than any other promoter in the world. I only charge 30 bucks for a table when most promoters charge $50 or more. I make a concerted effort to set up the building so dealers have space to get out from behind their table and go to the bathroom. I make a concerted effort to have decent size aisles throughout the building, while other shows have miniscule aisle space, i.e. Joliet. Admittedly, there are a few tight spots in the building but overall there is much more space behind your table in Oak Creek and in the aisles than most any other show, again, see Joliet. I actually kicked out a dealer at the January show, who complained that he did not have enough space -- yet he had enough space to place out two tables, when he only paid for one and I mapped out his space for just one table. The audacity of some of these people! I have a four-letter word for them!
Along those lines, the amount of time I am putting into the show has increased ten-fold and I am going to slightly raise table fee to $35 for the April show. Hoping the increased fee will ease my pain from dealing with knuckleheads.
Knuckleheads aside, 99-percent of the Oak Creek dealers are awesome! Amazing people, who unlike the few knuckleheads, are a joy to be around and I have a great appreciation for them.
There were no knuckleheads at the February 1 Oak Creek show (I kicked out the phony baby guy on the day before). I had a great time and really enjoyed hanging out with everybody.
It all starts with my set-up crew: Lisa, Christy and George. Without these guys, there would be no Oak Creek show. The show has grown much too large for me to set it up by myself. I am so thankful for the crew! Plus, they always lighten my day, especially after fighting with some entitled idiot.
On Saturday, Lisa and I actually arrived a little early. I was able to set up my tables much quicker than usual and had more time to chat with the good dealers. Our friend Don August was back with more books and more free autographs. Don August is such a great guy and so much fun to be around. Unfortunately, with baseball season starting soon, we won't see Don until the fall. I'll try to get some additional autograph guests this year.
Now let's talk about the crowd -- WOW!!! Yes, it is no longer 2014 when we would sometimes get just 15 or 20 people at the show. We had 1,419 people at the show on Saturday!! New record. Woot! We also had 191 tables, another record.
It was a sea of people all morning. I am starting to think that maybe we are getting too many people. The show is just crazy crowded in the morning. I suggest that folks think about arriving after 11 a.m. when the crowd starts to die down a little. It was tight in the building.
My tables were crowded all day and sales were pretty good, oddly not quite as good as last month but still pretty good. Buys, on the other hand, were amazing! Oak Creek has become my best buying show by far. I picked up a bunch of old baseball and football programs from the 1950's and 1960's. I also purchased some old wax wrappers including a 1951 Bowman baseball wrapper. I purchased a complete set of 1971 Kellogg's baseball. I have only had a smattering of the Kellogg's baseball cards over the years, never a complete set because the 1971 issue is the most difficult to obtain and it has many variations in the set. Then I purchased Cubs team sets from the late 1960's into the early 1970's with many duplicates. I think I obtained at least 10 or 12 1972 Topps Jose Cardenal traded high numbers alone!! Tough card!! I spent some coin and came home with a nice haul!!!
This was a really, really enjoyable day. Everything went smoothly. My only regret is I failed to get back to the concession stand before it closed. I had a Sloppy Joe early and really wanted a brat late in the day. I gotta get my brat next month!!
A huge thank you to my crew, the volunteers from the Salvation Army, my main man Mark, my security, all the dealers and all the customers. You guys rule! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! What a day!!!!
We will tee it up once again in Oak Creek on March 1. Can't wait to see everyone next month... knuckleheads need not apply!!!
Now for some photos:
Many of you know my good buddy Mark Smith from Michigan. Mark used to set up all over the Midwest but has narrowed it down to mostly the monthly Taylor and Grand Rapids, Michigan, shows these past few years.
He had a rare venture into the Chicago area for the Bridgeview show on February 2. As you may recall, Mark was my partner when I first started the Oak Creek show. We used to hang out at the old Gonzaga Hall show in Milwaukee which is where we planned to create the Oak Creek show back in September of 2014.
Mark lasted the first five shows before he tired of driving to Milwaukee from Michigan twice a month -- can't blame him. Though, we were a pretty good team. As promoters, I was the good cop, he was the bad cop. He would get pissed off if a dealer no-showed or cancelled right before the show. I, on the other hand, was just thankful for any dealer willing to set up at our new show and gave a lot a leeway.
We were talking about those early days on Sunday in Bridgeview and Mark commented that when we started the show he thought I was too nice. He was right, I was too nice. I let the dealers really slide. Mark had some experience promoting card shows and I learned a lot from him. He was so helpful starting the show. One of the lessons from Professor Mark was that you can't be too nice. Mark was happy to learn that I have been hardened after more than 10 years of operating the show. I informed Mark that I am kicking dealers out left and right these days and not taking any guff from anybody.
I seem to get in some sort of altercation with a dealer or two every month and have to kick them out of the show -- which really boggles my mind because I have the cheapest tables around and bring in a huge crowd. Why fight with me? In addition, there are few things in life easier than being a sports card/Pokémon dealer. All you have to do is reserve the table, pay for the table, set up your stuff, sell stuff, pack it up and go home. There is no need to complain to me or demand anything from me. You would be surprised at the constant complaints and demands. I don't take kindly to complainers and demanding dealers. Luckily, it is not 2014 and I don't need these demanding dealers. With more than 150 dealers on my Oak Creek waiting list, I have a quick fuse these days and have been regularly tossing out problem dealers.
My problem dealer this month told me he can't make the Oak Creek show on the night before the show. He had a good excuse. He said he his wife went into labor and was in the hospital. The problem began when I congratulated him and then commented that I can't guarantee a spot for him the following month because I had to replace him with someone off the waiting list this month and most likely the new person would want to return. In addition, I placed a newsletter on every dealer's table the previous month letting them know that if they missed a show for any reason, I can't guarantee them a spot the next show. In the newsletter and in person, I told this dealer that I will try my best to get him in next month, but it is mathematics, there might not be space... and if I can't get him in, he would go to the top of the waiting list and get back in soon.
The guy went nuts. We spent hours going back and forth in emails which made me wonder if his wife really was in labor. Why would you fight with me all day over a $30 table at a card show if you are at the hospital with your wife who is in labor?
The guy called me names, insulted me, threatened me, and was ultimately kicked out of the show. Good riddance!
This happens every single month, especially lately when I just don't have space for guys who miss shows. So entitled! I have a four-letter word for them. As a result, I am no longer nice. Mark is so proud of me!!
Having said that, I don't think I am overly mean. I set up at a ton of shows and know that I bend for dealers more than any other promoter in the world. I only charge 30 bucks for a table when most promoters charge $50 or more. I make a concerted effort to set up the building so dealers have space to get out from behind their table and go to the bathroom. I make a concerted effort to have decent size aisles throughout the building, while other shows have miniscule aisle space, i.e. Joliet. Admittedly, there are a few tight spots in the building but overall there is much more space behind your table in Oak Creek and in the aisles than most any other show, again, see Joliet. I actually kicked out a dealer at the January show, who complained that he did not have enough space -- yet he had enough space to place out two tables, when he only paid for one and I mapped out his space for just one table. The audacity of some of these people! I have a four-letter word for them!
Along those lines, the amount of time I am putting into the show has increased ten-fold and I am going to slightly raise table fee to $35 for the April show. Hoping the increased fee will ease my pain from dealing with knuckleheads.
Knuckleheads aside, 99-percent of the Oak Creek dealers are awesome! Amazing people, who unlike the few knuckleheads, are a joy to be around and I have a great appreciation for them.
There were no knuckleheads at the February 1 Oak Creek show (I kicked out the phony baby guy on the day before). I had a great time and really enjoyed hanging out with everybody.
It all starts with my set-up crew: Lisa, Christy and George. Without these guys, there would be no Oak Creek show. The show has grown much too large for me to set it up by myself. I am so thankful for the crew! Plus, they always lighten my day, especially after fighting with some entitled idiot.
On Saturday, Lisa and I actually arrived a little early. I was able to set up my tables much quicker than usual and had more time to chat with the good dealers. Our friend Don August was back with more books and more free autographs. Don August is such a great guy and so much fun to be around. Unfortunately, with baseball season starting soon, we won't see Don until the fall. I'll try to get some additional autograph guests this year.
Now let's talk about the crowd -- WOW!!! Yes, it is no longer 2014 when we would sometimes get just 15 or 20 people at the show. We had 1,419 people at the show on Saturday!! New record. Woot! We also had 191 tables, another record.
It was a sea of people all morning. I am starting to think that maybe we are getting too many people. The show is just crazy crowded in the morning. I suggest that folks think about arriving after 11 a.m. when the crowd starts to die down a little. It was tight in the building.
My tables were crowded all day and sales were pretty good, oddly not quite as good as last month but still pretty good. Buys, on the other hand, were amazing! Oak Creek has become my best buying show by far. I picked up a bunch of old baseball and football programs from the 1950's and 1960's. I also purchased some old wax wrappers including a 1951 Bowman baseball wrapper. I purchased a complete set of 1971 Kellogg's baseball. I have only had a smattering of the Kellogg's baseball cards over the years, never a complete set because the 1971 issue is the most difficult to obtain and it has many variations in the set. Then I purchased Cubs team sets from the late 1960's into the early 1970's with many duplicates. I think I obtained at least 10 or 12 1972 Topps Jose Cardenal traded high numbers alone!! Tough card!! I spent some coin and came home with a nice haul!!!
This was a really, really enjoyable day. Everything went smoothly. My only regret is I failed to get back to the concession stand before it closed. I had a Sloppy Joe early and really wanted a brat late in the day. I gotta get my brat next month!!
A huge thank you to my crew, the volunteers from the Salvation Army, my main man Mark, my security, all the dealers and all the customers. You guys rule! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! What a day!!!!
We will tee it up once again in Oak Creek on March 1. Can't wait to see everyone next month... knuckleheads need not apply!!!
Now for some photos:
Blog from the Bridgeview show coming soon. FYI -- I am taking next weekend off from shows. I'll be back at it on February 15 for the Woodstock, Illinois, show.
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