Saturday, January 22, 2022, Lake Station VFW, Lake Stations, IN
This is one of those shows where I really like the promoter, really like the venue, really like the dealers, but attendance is off and sales are slow. I am at a loss as to why more people do not attend this show. There are not a lot of shows in the general area and many of the customers, who do attend, come from places far and wide like Michigan and southern Indiana. I do like the fact that I reach some customers here who I do not normally see at any of my other regular shows.
So, I had just three sales. The first was to a collector from Michigan who is working on the 1950 Bowman set and he was taken aback at the amount of 1950 Bowmans I had in my display case. He purchased quite a few along with a smattering of 1951 Bowmans.
My second sale was a 1961 Topps Stan Musial. The buyer was another dealer set up at the show from Crown Point, Indiana. He had quite a few vintage cards on his table at really good prices. I would have dropped some coin with him had I earned some more money. I hope to see him again when I have money in my pocket!
The third sale was to a guy who bought a bunch of stuff from me last month, he purchased my 1965 Topps Embossed Willie Mays. That was it! No other sales! A lot of my regulars did not attend which resulted in a lot of down time. I enjoyed chatting with Mike Slinkman, who predicted the 49er's win over the Packers.
Mike alerted me to a new menu in the bar consisting of toasted ham and cheese sandwiches and baked mostaccioli. As much as I love a toasted ham and cheese sandwich, I can't do it because I'm lactose intolerant. So I went with the mostaccioli which did not have much cheese in it, instead there were some nice chunks of Italian sausage. For three bucks, it was a great meal!
After lunch, I picked up a flyer from the dealer set up to my left and learned that he is promoting shows in nearby LaPorte, Indiana. I have conflicts for all of his dates. I would like to set up at one of his shows in the future. Bob, who runs the Lake Station VFW show, does not have any future dates currently scheduled. If he does schedule some dates, I will try to attend.
I love these old towns in northwestern Indiana. There are a few taverns near the highway in Lake Station and I have observed over the past few months that they are packed with customers when I drive by around 8 a.m. One of the taverns is called "He Ain't Here." This is my kind of town!
LaPorte is a little larger than Lake Station and always feels like a trip back into time when I visit there. There is a great old-time ice cream parlor in Downtown LaPorte that I like, along with some great antique shops. I hope to add Northwestern Indiana back into my show schedule soon!
I have some holes in my February schedule and just can't seem to find any nearby shows to fill them. There are so many new shows popping up but they all seemed to be bunched up on certain dates. I wish they were spread out a little more so I could set up at some of them.
One of the dealers at my Oak Creek show, Matt Lambrecht, is putting on a show in Green Bay on May 21. I'm going to give Matt's show a shot. It has been a few years since I last set up in Green Bay. I do love Green Bay, it is a really great town and the area around it is absolutely beautiful. Green Bay is kind of the gateway into northern Wisconsin which is filled with lush forests, amazing country towns and isolated beaches along upper Lake Michigan.
Right now I have February 13 and February 27 open. I don't think I am going to be able to find any shows to fill those slots. March is going to be a crazy month with two three-day shows on the schedule. Then I have a bunch of openings in April that I need to fill up. I am starting to consider driving a little further for some shows in Iowa, Michigan and further down into Indiana. I'll let you know what I decide to do.
Setting up at shows that are more than a few hours away present all sorts of problems, like increased overhead and a lot of time lost driving. I would rather set up closer to home. Though, I have to admit, it is fun doing shows further out because I rarely know anyone at those shows and I get to expose my inventory to a whole new group of people.
Anyway, this past weekend was of the double bill variety with Root River on Sunday. My show report for Root River is coming up shortly.
In the meantime, I have another busy weekend coming up with the Madison show on Saturday and Orland on Sunday. Then we are back in Oak Creek on February 5. Busy, busy, busy!
This is one of those shows where I really like the promoter, really like the venue, really like the dealers, but attendance is off and sales are slow. I am at a loss as to why more people do not attend this show. There are not a lot of shows in the general area and many of the customers, who do attend, come from places far and wide like Michigan and southern Indiana. I do like the fact that I reach some customers here who I do not normally see at any of my other regular shows.
So, I had just three sales. The first was to a collector from Michigan who is working on the 1950 Bowman set and he was taken aback at the amount of 1950 Bowmans I had in my display case. He purchased quite a few along with a smattering of 1951 Bowmans.
My second sale was a 1961 Topps Stan Musial. The buyer was another dealer set up at the show from Crown Point, Indiana. He had quite a few vintage cards on his table at really good prices. I would have dropped some coin with him had I earned some more money. I hope to see him again when I have money in my pocket!
The third sale was to a guy who bought a bunch of stuff from me last month, he purchased my 1965 Topps Embossed Willie Mays. That was it! No other sales! A lot of my regulars did not attend which resulted in a lot of down time. I enjoyed chatting with Mike Slinkman, who predicted the 49er's win over the Packers.
Mike alerted me to a new menu in the bar consisting of toasted ham and cheese sandwiches and baked mostaccioli. As much as I love a toasted ham and cheese sandwich, I can't do it because I'm lactose intolerant. So I went with the mostaccioli which did not have much cheese in it, instead there were some nice chunks of Italian sausage. For three bucks, it was a great meal!
After lunch, I picked up a flyer from the dealer set up to my left and learned that he is promoting shows in nearby LaPorte, Indiana. I have conflicts for all of his dates. I would like to set up at one of his shows in the future. Bob, who runs the Lake Station VFW show, does not have any future dates currently scheduled. If he does schedule some dates, I will try to attend.
I love these old towns in northwestern Indiana. There are a few taverns near the highway in Lake Station and I have observed over the past few months that they are packed with customers when I drive by around 8 a.m. One of the taverns is called "He Ain't Here." This is my kind of town!
LaPorte is a little larger than Lake Station and always feels like a trip back into time when I visit there. There is a great old-time ice cream parlor in Downtown LaPorte that I like, along with some great antique shops. I hope to add Northwestern Indiana back into my show schedule soon!
I have some holes in my February schedule and just can't seem to find any nearby shows to fill them. There are so many new shows popping up but they all seemed to be bunched up on certain dates. I wish they were spread out a little more so I could set up at some of them.
One of the dealers at my Oak Creek show, Matt Lambrecht, is putting on a show in Green Bay on May 21. I'm going to give Matt's show a shot. It has been a few years since I last set up in Green Bay. I do love Green Bay, it is a really great town and the area around it is absolutely beautiful. Green Bay is kind of the gateway into northern Wisconsin which is filled with lush forests, amazing country towns and isolated beaches along upper Lake Michigan.
Right now I have February 13 and February 27 open. I don't think I am going to be able to find any shows to fill those slots. March is going to be a crazy month with two three-day shows on the schedule. Then I have a bunch of openings in April that I need to fill up. I am starting to consider driving a little further for some shows in Iowa, Michigan and further down into Indiana. I'll let you know what I decide to do.
Setting up at shows that are more than a few hours away present all sorts of problems, like increased overhead and a lot of time lost driving. I would rather set up closer to home. Though, I have to admit, it is fun doing shows further out because I rarely know anyone at those shows and I get to expose my inventory to a whole new group of people.
Anyway, this past weekend was of the double bill variety with Root River on Sunday. My show report for Root River is coming up shortly.
In the meantime, I have another busy weekend coming up with the Madison show on Saturday and Orland on Sunday. Then we are back in Oak Creek on February 5. Busy, busy, busy!
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