Today we are participating in Junkapalooza which is a gigantic yard sale and flea market that is held once a year in beautiful Aurora Missouri. We had not attended this event before since this is our first year participating in this environment since my bride of thirty plus years makes and sells paracord and jewelry crafts.
We went to bed early last night since we needed to be on site by 6 AM this morning and after a rainy fall drive in the dark we arrived and set up our canopy hanging tarps on the sides to keep Renee’s crafts dry. The weatherman predicts that the rain will stop by lunch but shows that it will stop and start every hour until it finally clears.
Setting up was uneventful other than untangling tags that had become knotted from the wind, so I finally gave up and cut the strings using zip ties to attach instead. The inventory of zip ties was a genius. When we were nearly set up, a rooster crowed in the background letting us know that we were crazier than chickens to be out here at this early hour.
There are a few hundred booths out here that are genuinely selling cherished goods that may be called junk by some. I believe that we will need to rent two spaces next year and in one of the areas hold a yard sale based on what I see. We are about five minutes away from the official opening time, so I am anxiously waiting to wander around and see all the goods.
Renee (my bride of thirty plus year) continues to hang additional signs, organize her goods, and check the rain to see if we can move our stuff closer to the canopy perimeter. The rain has stopped I believe so we will give it a little more time and pull the tarps down and slide the tables out for easier access. We have come a long way in setting up since our first event in early 2018.
The official opening of Junkapalooza stated with the national anthem and a prayer. It is nice to live in the heartland of the US and after all our moving around Missouri is home to my family and I. Bring on the crowds, and I hope today is a good day for sales. We shall see.
We have a few more outdoor events to attend during 2018 and will start the winter indoor events. I believe we have outdoor activities in Republic and Willard and start our indoor events in Marshfield but cannot say for sure since Renee sets the schedule.
Next year we are signed up at Hippie Fest in Ohio so look forward to traveling and participate. We attended a Hippie Fest event in Missouri in August as a non-vendor, and we are anxious to be a vendor at the event. I am a Libertarian so I guess you may question my participation, but it is part of my legacy.
Renee is out looking at the other booths right now, and I glanced at some and saw some goods I could take and cherish until I sell later as cherished goods. We do have plenty of cherished products at home that we will offer next year, and it looks like it is time to clean them out of the house and position them in the garage for future sale.
The dogs are home fending for themselves and were confused about why we left at 5:30 this morning. I will head home to check on them a little later and return to Junkapalooza after leaving Renee to fend for herself. I need to also pick up a battery for Nate’s motorcycle today since it died a couple of weeks ago.
We survived our daughter’s wedding last week, and she is not participating in this event since she is in Hawaii on her honeymoon. If I was just married, I think I would have chosen Hawaii over Junkapalooza also, but I would have had to think about it.
Well, it is my turn to take a walk around Junkapalooza since everyone is set up so wish me luck that I do not buy anything I shouldn’t or somebody doesn’t sell me as an antique. It does make me ask how much I may be worth though, I am sure not much for this fifty plus going on fifteen but who knows.
I took my first walk around Junkapalooza and found quite a few things I am interested in, but I am homing in on some electrical pole insulators at fifty cents each and some metal buckets that could be painted and resold or made into planters. We will let the crowds roll in and see what goes on clearance.
Renee took off for a bit and once she returns I will head home to make sure the dogs aren’t throwing a party or tearing up the carpet after three hours plus away. I will probably fill the coffee thermos again so we can make it the next seven hours and hopefully on my return Renee will have made some big sales. You never know at these events but can hope.
I checked on the dogs, pulled my son’s motorcycle battery out and purchased a replacement, and when I was driving back to Junkapalooza, I noticed that Billings Missouri is hopping with a festival and there are no entrance fees, so next year we will look at Billings instead unless our current venue works out.
Arrived back at Junkapalooza and our booth has earned a total of sixteen dollars after four-plus hours so this event is not very promising as of yet. Perhaps it will pick up during the second half, but I believe that is probably not going to happen.
Two hours remain until the end of Junkapalooza and business has picked up mainly on dog leash sales, so we are in the black today if you do not take into account materials, miles, and meals. That’s okay, we are becoming smarter and planning for next years activities.
Junkapalooza results are in, and we brought in over $100, but this was not one of our most successful events based on the cost to set up a booth. We will probably set up in Billings next year.
I always enjoy being fifty plus going on fifteen and today was no different.
Please let us know if you know of any events that would be of interest to attend. We are looking for a variety of products, many kids and pet lovers attending, much foot traffic, etc.
Have a great one.
Jay
