 Re: Fleamarkets vs. Retailers
Hey man flea markets are good business if YOU ARE PICKY. No small ones, must have at least 500-1000 vendor with (arbors, unless allot of vendors, or have a good rep). I have been setting up at flea makets with my father for over 20 YEARS and some of them are not lame yunkyards in fact I now hundreds of people who work one weekend out of the month and make more $$$ then most people make all month. NO JOKE my father NETTED almost 40,000-60,000 in a year just with 1 small booth renting handicap equipment out. 4 DAYS WORK A MONTH!!!!!
Retail VS flea market is a simple solution. DO BOTH untill the retail picks up or if you want some quick $$$ stay in the flea markets. Retail people come to LARGER POPULAR fleas markets all the time (w/familes) so that is a good way to promote your product to them. Keep good records of your sales and what areas you sold them in cause if you get enough sales at fleamarkets you can use your selling numbers to promote the product and the customer demand for it. ALSO DONT CALL THEM FLEAMARKETS, CALL THEM LOCAL SHOPS AND TRADE SHOWS , SPECIAL EVENTS WHEN YOU TALK TO RETAILERS. Word play, but it will keep some retailers that dont shop at (fleamarkets) from getting turned off. Its kind of like guns, guns are bad only in the way you use them.. Fleamarkets are not bad unless you go to crappy flea markets then call them fleamarkets.
Also do advertise about being at the local "SHOPS, Special Events" and retail locations (but seperatly if you are worried about it). Some retailers might even want to come out and check what you have and it gives you a good way to talk to the customers and adjust your products for what the people want. Dont jip flea markets they are a valuable tool to selling your product line to the "PEOPLE". AND DONT FORGET, OTHER RETAILERS HAD TO START SOMEWHERE FIRST ALSO.
Hell i have even seen some larger retailers go to some of these events to promote thier new products lines to get people in to the stores. |