We Made It To The Dallas Market

We made it to the Dallas Market.  This is a trip we take at least 2 times a year, if not 4 times a year.  And going to the Dallas Market is like shopping in the biggest mall ever, but you never take anything home with you!
Well, sometimes there are samples to take home and there are tons and tons of catalogues, tote bags, occasionally candles and flip flops.  Some showrooms at certain times of the year do sell their showroom merchandise to make room for the newer products.  But we never have room in our car to take anything back to Tulsa.
Here's what happens when you arrive at the Market.  At the Registration Desk you show your driver's license and get a badge with your name and your store name and city.  You also get a catalogue which lists all the company lines and showrooms and temporary booths and even Cash and Carry booths.  The January and June Market catalogues are a good size, since those 2 Markets have several floors of temporary vendors and Cash and Carry across the street from the main buildings.  You never ever want to carry around any extra weight....so one catalogue is all we take!!
For 20 years we have been going to the Dallas Market.  When I step through the door I really do feel like I am home.  I know the floor plans, the showrooms, the bathrooms (highly important), the restaurants and our sales reps.  Sometimes we literally run into retailers from Tulsa or other cities. 
One of my most memorable "run ins" was the year that The Farm Shopping Center had done a promotion using men's ties....one was a cow design.  I was rounding a corner when I literally bumped into the tummy of one of our Farm retailers.  I didn't have to look up to see his face....that cow tie was a dead giveaway that he was a Tulsa retailer!!
We shopped for 4 days, from morning to late afternoon.  We spend most of the day walking, standing, looking at merchandise, talking about merchandise.  And when time comes to get in the car and go back to the hotel or out to eat, we are definitely ready to sit down for a good long rest.
I'll write some more about our trip to the Market, but I just want you to know that some great new merchandise will be coming our way this summer and this fall.  I will drop a few hints in my next blog.