Once again, we set up to sell at the fabulous Elkhorn Antiques Fair at the Walworth County Fair Grounds in Wisconsin. This Fair is run by N.L. Promotions, in their 27^th year and it still remains the best in the area. It has kept its integrity and has not allowed the “tube socks and Tupperware” dealers to peddle their wares! We always find super bargains here as well!

The weather was ‘iffy’ at best but hubby and I set up on Saturday afternoon. Friends always say “boy, that sounds like a lot of fun!” and “you guys must really make a lot of money doing that.” But when it comes time to setting up, they are at a picnic or relaxing in a lawn chair. It is doubtful that they realize how much work goes into it. In addition to hunting for items to sell, I usually spend 24-30 hours during the week doing research on identifying what we have to sell, then pricing, wrapping, and finally, another 2-3 hours are filled in loading up. It’s over an hour drive from our home and we head out early Saturday afternoon.

This time we barely got several of the tables set up, and filled when the skies darkened. We re-wrapped the pieces that could be hurt by moisture, tarped the rest and sat in the van, waiting. And boy, did it rain. Big, heavy drops pelted the windows and the winds came up too. I wish I had brought a bunch of umbrellas from my collection!

About 30 minutes later, the sky was blue and we ventured out again. Hubby took a squeegy to the tables, we dumped out bowls, wiped everything down and cautiously put out our wares. A few buyers came over, we had a some ‘early-sales’ and we continued to work until 7-ish. Then once again, we put away the pieces that could be damaged by the rain, covered the rest and headed home for a quick snooze.

The next morning we arose at 4:00 A.M., cleaned up, grabbed some coffee and headed back to the Fairgrounds. It was a beautiful morning, cool and clear and we were so relieved since rain was predicted. The weathermen who love to cover their butts now do the percentage thing. They’ll say “50% chance of rain”, which means they are right either way. Not too many jobs where you can give that type of projection and still stay employed. “Hey, Steve – what are the chances these car seats are safe?” “Oh, I’d say about 50%.” “Great job Steve-o!”

In any case, the weather was wonderful and the crowd gathered early; gates open at 7 but we all know that dealers buy from dealers so we had several sales before then.

Hubby is always optimistic and cheerful, calling out “what a gorgeous day” to all who entered our booth. You hear all sorts of responses from “Yep, sure is” to “it’s really too cool” to “Yes, but the sun is too bright” or “Sure wish it was not so darn breezy” to the one we hate most or all “You are right but it is GOING TO RAIN!” We always shoo those folks away, no matter how much they would buy.

But they were right; not just 50% moist but 100%. Before you could say “Why now black cloud?” the skies opened up. We raced around with tarps, covering what we could, putting items into the back of our vans. Then we sat, dripping wet in the van, trying to remain positive.  chatted and made comments such as “It was moving pretty quickly so it will end soon”, or “Just an isolated shower” and the like. It ended after about 15 minutes and once again, vibrant blue skies and puffy white clouds appeared. We came out again and cleaned tables, wiped everything down, bringing out the wood and paper items. The crowds became quite heavy and we had some decent sales. I would yell out “come on in – everything was just freshly cleaned!” We do have our fun. Years ago, hubby had a rubber mallet, bright green and very ‘limp.’ He’d act like a barker and pound it on the table. It brought on a lot of smiles. He is the type who can always do a 15 minute show anywhere! Much too young for vaudeville, but that’s where he could have really done his ’schtick.’

Well, you guessed it, our reverie was short-lasted and the black clouds re-appeared. We usually stay set up until 4 or 5, then slowly begin taking the tables down. But it was about 2:30 when we started to close ‘er up. And it was a good thing, because as we put the last box in the van and slammed the door, it rained again.

Well, now you are thinking – are these people, nuts? All that work for what??? It may surprise those of you who have never done it, but it was actually fun. You meet a lot of nice people, many from out of the area. They share stories on their collections and what they are hoping to find. You learn more about the trends and what people are seeking and you often re-affirm that what you have been offering is what collectors want to find so you can continue your passion of the hunt. It is an ‘instant gratification’ thing, albeit some of the items have been around a while. We enjoy our day together and even the dripping wet part makes us laugh. If that stops being fun, then perhaps we’ll stop too. But for now, it’s our hobby and we love it!

We have been traveling to the most fantastic flea market in Wisconsin for many years! It is the Elkhorn Antique Flea Market! I had the chance to interview Nona Knapp, the owner and operator of “N.L.Promotions” who runs the show! Nona has been ‘in charge’ for over 25 years and watched it grown from a small market with 20-40 dealers to over 500 dealers at the present time. It was not an ‘easy ride’, but she has a marvelous attitude about it and really appreciates the dealers, friends and workers that make it happen four times a year.

Nona’s first husband, Dennis, was a music teacher and worked summers as a superintendent on the Walworth County Fair Grounds. They often talked about all the possibilities for the location, other than an occasional horse race or annual County Fair.

Friends of theirs were antique dealers and they often discussed what a wonderful setting it would make for an antique flea market. Their friends, the Wagners, were members of WADA, Wisconsin Antique Dealers’ Association, and knew a lot of other dealers. They joined a ‘partnership’ and ran it together for the first three years, from approximately 1982-1985. The Wagners actually handled the food concession. Nona handled all the paperwork and record keeping and Dennis helped with the upkeep on the grounds, sign-in, etc. The dealers would just ‘show up’, and you never knew who would be there or what they’d bring. They were competing with some pretty heavy-duty markets in the area. They felt truly lucky if they had 50 dealers. The ‘gate fee’ was 50 cents and they would be pleased with close to a thousand people passing through. At the time, Nona was teaching full-time but this was a great summer hobby.
Nona tells me they were lucky to have a ‘full row’ of booths from the office in front to the grandstand – that is where the food was located. The flea market has steadily grown through the years and today they have between 500 and 700 dealers, with approximately 200 indoors, located in animal barns, and 500 outdoors. Their ‘benchmark’ for attendance is 5,000, a far cry from their 800-900 attendees in the early days!

They currently have ten food providers on the grounds and let me tell you, it is top notch, quality food, lots of variety too. Another plus is that there is a lot of ample free parking, right on the grounds!

In 1995, they added table rental. Her present husband, Skip, came up with the idea and made 200 wooden tables to rent, then added another 100 the next year. These have been very popular and an easy solution for sellers who do not have the extra room in their vans or trucks for tables. They can fit in a lot more items to sell that way!
There have been numerous changes through the years. An ATM was added several years back for convenience to shoppers. Advertising has greatly expanded with ads being placed in about 50 newspapers! These include publications throughout Wisconsin, Illinois, and into Iowa and the Auction Action News covers even further. For those that drive quite a distance, they’ll find very pleasant accommodations in Elkhorn or nearby Delavan and Lake Geneva.
They have four shows in Elkhorn a year. There is still one left – to be held on September 30^th. They also have another show scheduled for early 2008, January 19^th and 20^th at the Washington County Fair Park (West Bend, Wisconsin.) They expect approximately 60 top-notch dealers for the West Bend Antiques Show. For locations and their complete schedule for the remainder of 2007 and 2008, check their website at www.nlpromotionsllc.com.

Nona was kind enough to share some time with me the week before ‘everything goes crazy.’ For two weeks before the show, the phones go wild. There are the ads to place. She has to be sure all sellers have their Vehicle Space Reservation Cards showing their booth location. She has to answer questions from those that are new to the market as to what they can and cannot sell. She also does some ‘screening’ to ensure that no one brings in ‘tube socks and Tupperware’, since she runs one of the rare ones – an Antique Flea Market that has maintained its integrity and high quality goods. On occasion, a seller will be found offering reproductions or newer items. These are frowned upon and they will be asked to sell those items ‘elsewhere.’

Dealers can set up on Saturday afternoon or early Sunday morning. Nona and her husband arrive at the Fairgrounds approximately 4:00 A.M. on the day of the market, especially if there is a ‘weather issue’ and they need to spread sawdust over damp spaces, or help dealers with their set-ups, etc. The gates open at 7:00 A.M. There are the occasional ‘problems’ such as a vehicle in the wrong spot or crowding a walk-way, or an over-zealous dealer who takes up more space than they should. But the problems are few and handled with finesse. Nona credits her ‘team’ for the smoothness of the operation. They are on hand to assist buyers with large purchases. They do whatever they can to make this a pleasant experience for shoppers and sellers alike!

From a personal standpoint, I can honestly say this is the best flea market in the area. It has kept its high standards and offers some of the best and friendliest workers. The food is delightful and the bathrooms are exceptional. Not the Port-a-lets you find elsewhere, but clean, well-stocked, indoor bathrooms – and lots of them! We often find fantastic bargains at Elkhorn, and have set up a booth on occasion too. We have always found it enjoyable. We have had buyers from all over the mid-west, including Illinois, Iowa, Tennessee, Michigan, even several from North Dakota. They were very complimentary about the market – many of the flea markets in their areas have become more ‘craft fairs’ and with lots of beany-babies and such! You won’t find those things here.

You will find everything from high-end furniture to hardware and yard art to beautiful estate jewelry to fabulous antique glassware. There are also several booths with ‘seasonal flowers’ and produce. It is well worth the visit to those booths too. If you have not had the chance to attend one of these flea markets, plan to do so soon – only one left this year, but the 2008 schedule should be on your calendar!

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