PromotersTo hear some vendors tell their stories when asked about what they like or don't like at swap meets, one would be led to understand promoters have horns and cloven feet. Nevertheless, they have their own side of the story to tell, and we wouldn't have an event to go to without their investment and foresight.
A simple, small, club-run event in a parking lot is pulled off only by first jumping through a number of hoops, such as insurance, dumpster rental, notifications to the local gendarmes, and perhaps hiring of security, signage, rental fees for the property, advertising, laying out spaces, and cleanup duty at the end of the day.
Anyone who's done it can probably add a litany of other details and headaches we haven't listed, but imagine you're managing an event that is 100 times that size! The work of the professional swap meet promoter is tougher than one might think. Hot rodder Marshall Topping runs Topping Events, which hosts 15 events annually in Southern California, nine in Northern California, and 11 other shows for either collector bicycles or motorcycles. "One of the biggest problems we face today is the ever-increasing price landowners want us to pay for rent," he said. "As open land anywhere near populated areas of California keeps skyrocketing in potential market value for development, they charge us more rent all the time, and there are less places to hold an event. Unfortunately, we have to pass these costs onto our vendors."
At Topping Events, they listen to the requests of vendors to refine their operations. As a result, they offer streamlined entry/exit flow, and all but about 15 percent of their spaces are assigned to vendors who have reserved space for one to six future events. Now their vendors can even do the whole process online. This drastically reduces the lines of last-minute sellers outside the gate. They endeavor to keep a good balance between semi-pro sellers and guys just clearing out their garages, and they also try hard to police their rule of "no non-auto-related items."
"What we would call perfect [is] a full event with variety in the vendors," Marshall said, and "an event that we ourselves as hot rodders would find fun if we walked through the gate."
Gary Williams, operations coordinator for George Cross & Sons-promoters of the Pomona Swap Meet for 32 years-added some additional thoughts on what he liked about the business. "Beyond the finance and logistics, it's the people that make an event," Gary said. "We've dealt with some of our vendors for decades and formed many friendships out on the tarmac.
"I particularly like to see variety in our 2,500 vendors-lots of interesting and unusual parts and project vehicles; and our large cars-for-sale section at Pomona is like a car show in itself," Gary continued. "I've met buyers here from all over the country and many foreign countries too. I'm friends now with a car collector who lives in a castle in Belgium. He comes over here to buy finished replicas of Porsche Speedsters to bring home, since the old Porsches in Europe are completely rusted out. It's these kinds of people connections that make this business enjoyable."
Desires In Common
Despite the seemingly different goals of the three groups, there are a number of aspects of a swap meet that are important to everyone involved. To really appreciate the many sides to the perfect swap meet, the really expert swappers have done time as both buyers and sellers. Experiencing what it's like in the other guy's shoes is always a humbling call for reevaluation of his role.
Weather is another huge factor. While we have no control over Mother Nature, she does exhibit some predictable behavior. If the geographical area of the swap meet is prone to violent thunderstorms in March, for instance, that would be a risky month to schedule an outdoor swap meet, especially if the ground is dirt or grass instead of pavement. Most areas of this country have some local weather phenomena, such as rain, lightning, wind, tornadoes, hurricanes, or extreme summer heat that would be prudent to schedule around.
Have you ever followed a set of signs to a garage sale, winding through lefts and rights down 18 different streets, only to lose the thread near the end because a sign was missing? Signage would seem like such a given item on any swap meet promoter's checklist that it wouldn't be worth mentioning here, but both buyers and sellers vented to us about poor or nonexistent signage at events. Professional promoters usually have this down, but there's a horde of buyers and sellers vying for entry at one-day events, and without plenty of clearly written and strategically located signs directing each group, you have the makings of a first-class Chinese fire drill peppered with colorful language from 100 pickup trucks. We attended one club-run swap meet advertised as being from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. They had excellent, professionally painted signs, but the tired club member in charge of them had been up early that day, so he collected all the signs into his truck at about 10 a.m. and went home. Any buyer who had not been to this event before and came along after that would be somewhat frustrated, especially if he had traveled some distance.
As the great philosopher Charlie Chan once said, "When money talks, few are deaf." Cash money is important at the swap meet. You may find some vendors will take a check if it's local and they have sized you up after some conversation, but cold, folding green is the currency of choice. Buyers and sellers agree that it would be great for everyone if the promoters would post signs indicating the nearest local ATM machines, whether at the swap meet grounds or a nearby store or bank.
If there is any one singularly common wish for all participants of a vintage-car swap meet, it is making that one great deal. An event with shade, pleasant surroundings, that's close to freeways and amenities, packed solid with "the good stuff," no empty spaces, plenty of parking nearby, and great weather is "the perfect swap meet" for most of us. Like fishing, you can't go out expecting to catch your limit every time; you just have to enjoy the surroundings. If you catch a nice trout, that's just a bonus. Likewise with swaps, you just never know what you're going to find. Whether at a little swap meet at a community college parking lot or a big venue at the fairgrounds, when you find the exact part you need at a reasonable enough price, and the dealer has finally found the right buyer for his unusual item, that's the magic that makes all parties happy and keeps us on the hunt like those 49ers of old, whose motto was "Gold is where you find it."
Buyers' Pet Peeve: Sellers who have a ton of stuff, all of it disorganized and none of it priced, and then leave someone in charge of the space all day who knows nothing about the merchandise.
Sellers' Pet Peeve: People who buy a swap space just to get into the event the day before so they can sweep the place for bargains. They stay within the rules of the event by placing three car-related items in their space, which they overprice so no one will buy them. They take up a space that could have had a legit vendor in it.
Best Swap Meet Anecdote: Mike H. told of being at the Pomona Swap Meet in California some years back, where he saw a stunning '41 Willys in one of the far-flung spaces of this huge venue. Mike stepped over the plastic rope in front of the car to get a better look when he was motioned back by a photographer standing at a tripod, poised for a photo of the car. It was only when Mike stepped back that he noticed the two equally stunning models in bikinis who had been to one side of the car. He was still looking at the car when the photographer looked all around and motioned to the girls, who promptly dropped their tops and bottoms to pose with the car for a calendar!
There are large and small auto swap meets all over the country. Listed below are links to some of the largest and oldest swap meets, but surf the Net and check with local antique and street rod clubs for info on local swap meets in your area.