At The Kane County Flea Market you'll find a great mix of primitives, industrial, and shabby treasures. You'll also find the dreaded beanies, t-shirts and cheap imports. Countless customers at other shows have commented to me that they no longer shop Kane because there's too much new stuff. From a shopper's perspective, I say just walk past what you don't like and you'll have more time to spend in booths like
The Frenchman's Wife...
...and Altered Ever After
Kane does have a different vibe than any of the other shows that we do. The show opens at noon on Saturdays and this weekend traffic was steady but we never felt the type of "rush" that we get at other shows. (We don't have the established customer base at Kane that we do at other shows so that may account for the quiet start.)
Sundays at Kane just feel surreal. Few shoppers arrive at 7:00 when the show opens and many dealers don't stroll in to open their booths until 9:00 or after. It's one of those chicken/egg things. Do the customers not come because the dealers don't bother to show up, or do the dealers not come because they don't want to open for just a few potential sales? Personally, if I've paid for a space I'm going to be there for every possible customer. A later show opening on Sundays might be warranted at Kane since the hardcore buyers probably come on Saturday.
Traffic was steady later on Sunday, but many times during the day it just felt like there was no energy in the building and people were plodding along. (A little background music in that hall would probably help a lot.) One of the vendors that came in late on Sunday just packed up and left around noon. An hour or so later another did the same. If I were the promoter I wouldn't tolerate that and those folks wouldn't be welcomed back.
We appreciate each shopper that helped make our weekend a success. If you shop at the Kane County Flea Market I'd love to hear your overall opinion of the market. And if you sell there, likewise...we'd love to hear from you!
