I attended my first Vintage Market Days show this past weekend in Charleston, SC and thought I would leave a few comments. The VMD shows seen to receive lots of hype and national promotions, but I felt like this show lacked real local advertising. The show is under new ownership and this was the first event they held. Most people who lived in the area commented that they did not see any advertising and only knew about the show from the previous years or heard word of mouth from vendors. They show was extremely unorganized and lacked communication from the owners before we arrived for set up. I was told that we had a booth inside the front door to the left, but when I arrived for set up was told they moved me and I was placed in the rear of the building. I had advertised my booth number on my social media platforms and the attendees that came to see me had a hard time locating m booth since I had been moved. The owners daughter seemed to run the show but I felt like it was a bit much for a 20 year old. Not once did the owner introduce herself to me or stop by my booth. They would not share how many tickets were sold, but I did the same amount of business in 3 days that I normally do in 1 at most shows.
Overall maybe a decent event and I hope it gets better and that the new owners learned from their mistakes. I spoke with many other vendors who felt the same way I did and the consensus was that most vendors would not come back again unless they were local to the show.
Replies
Laura,mi am sorry you had a poor experience. Since all these shows are franchises, they are independently owned and operated. The one I have a booth at in Southeast Louisiana is very different in how it’s run. The owner/promoter has multiple interviews with local media—-tv and radio. There are signs up, and lots of online advertising. There are plenty of repeat customers,... I usually ask if people in my booth have attended before. I get a lot of repeats and newbies.
The promoter sending out a series of informative emails once the vendors are approved. They offer staggered check in and unloading, vendor only lounge/private bathrooms, phone number to call if issues arise etc. Load out is one of the best run load outs we’ve encountered.
Sorry you had issues.
where was this held? I live here and never heard of it!!!
It was in Ladson at the Fairgrounds.
The one Laura attended was in Charleston. The one I went to was in Amite, La. VMD is held all over the country.