Attitude is Contagious...What are You Passing Around?

Absolutely one of my favorite quotes and so very applicable to the Saturday Trade Days Sale. It poured all day Friday....dealers were skeptical and anxious to say the least. We had all put a lot of work into getting ready for the day and knew we couldn't control the weather, which was not looking like it was going to be our friend. I emailed all the dealers.....told them if they got up Saturday morning and it wasn't raining.....the sale was ON. I have to admit I had no idea how any of this would go, but that is one of the advantages of being the owner of a small business....you can make it up as you go along. I was at the Shoppe at dark forty, having no idea what to expect. The air was heavy....although it was still very dark, you could tell there were clouds covering all of the sky......but it wasn't raining. I still had my doubts and was honestly dreading the day as it currently presented itself. My first dealers started showing up......they weren't any more optimistic than I was, but I was able to bluff my way into convincing them we had to at least try...if we got rained out, then we got rained out.....we all started setting up since we didn't get to on Friday because of all the rain. The lot was very, very quiet.....and you could feel every one's desire NOT to be there....including mine. Then something happened.....and I did some self talk....reprimanded myself about a bad attitude....and did some adjusting......and something just seemed to immediately take hold. My conversations with dealers, my positive attitude, and my desire to be there was contagious and the whole atmosphere changed........before we knew it the back lot was full of dealers and customers....and they kept coming all day long. I had changed my approach to the sale this year, inviting fewer BETTER dealers, giving the lot less the appearance of a gypsy camp, and more the feel of a festival......and it worked. This was the seventh sale to date, and the feedback I received from dealers as well as customers, indicated they loved it. The one word that I heard used the most was "friendly".....proving I did choose the best of the best for the sale and they represented the Shoppe well. I was so very proud of how this sale turned out......and it started out so very shaky.......thank you everyone who set up, who shopped, and who continue to support my efforts........you're the best!

The day was so incredibly busy that I didn't have a chance to take as many photos as I should have. Still, these are a good representation of how the lot looked and some of the things for sale. There were so many new requests from dealers wanting to participate in the Fall sale on October 25th that I know it will just keep getting better and better!