Greenberg's Train Show or How to Become a Booth Babe

My in-laws build and sell accessories for model trains. While most of the sales are through distributors and on-line, some are through train shows. Since 1976, Greenberg's Toy & Train Show has been the largest traveling show featuring operating model train displays, hard-to-find railroad items and much more according to their web-site. And despite the bad economy, model railroading is alive and well. This was the first time I had attended a train show. My previous experience with shows was when I was working with a jewelry designer and we did shows like the Smithsonian Craft Show in Washington DC. So I asked my mother in-law what the appropriate attire was for a train show booth babe. Should I bring a dress, a skirt, nice pants, specific colors to complement the booth? She just laughed and said to wear something that would fit in with bib overalls and train hats. Hmm..... do I OWN bib overalls or a train hat......and where might these items be purchased..... so much to do to get ready. I settled on tan pants and a variety of plain tee shirts in solid colors. Then I had to learn about my product. My father in-law designs, makes and sells power controllers for G scale (that's Garden scale or the big outdoor model trains) layouts. He has recently designed a controller for HO Scale (that's the Lionel small size that you may have had in a basement layout or under your Christmas tree). These power controllers have an excellent reputation and are sold under his company Bridgewerks. But they are VERY complicated if you are trying to quickly learn all the lingo and information about them..... like they are "pure DC" (I think that is direct current).... and they have volts and amps and that is not the same thing and the number is not the only thing you should think about and they are track powered and.... I decided that my in-laws could talk them up. I decided to stick with the latest product - billboards. My father in-law designed to-scale billboards for G scale layouts. They are made of metal with metal interchangeable signs and are built to be put in an outdoor layout  withstanding weather. You buy the billboards separately and because they have magnets on the back, you can change them. Recently, he designed to-scale HO billboards with refrigerator-type magnets that attach to the metal sign. Greenberg's was the debut for this new product. The billboards are sold under the company name Mountain Billboards. Now that product information was easier to learn.

Before we left North Carolina to drive to the show, my father in-law decided that we needed matching show shirts. So we got black and red Land's short sleeve polo shirts. And with our tan pants, we looked very professional. We loaded the mini-van and took off. The show was held in Timonium MD.... that's on the other side of DC. And no matter when you drive through the DC area, you hit traffic.... LOTS of traffic. We finally arrived, set up and headed to the hotel for dinner and bed.
I was very excited to be doing a show again. I lay in bed remembering all the wonderful art at the craft shows I had attended when making jewelry. And the amazing artists that I met.... and the lovely customers..... 
We arrived bright and early at the Exhibition Hall on the Fairgrounds. The show filled the space with not only rows and rows of tables/booths, but several large layouts.

I took a few moments to wander a bit. While most of the vendors were selling train related stuff, many were also selling toys - old old toys, not-so-old toys, comic books, Barbie dolls. When I went by the entrance, the lobby was packed full of waiting customers!

 

I hurried back to the booth to be ready. The doors opened and we were off. Now, I am an experienced booth babe. I know how to look encouragingly at the customers and make pleasant conversation while describing the features of the products. But that was all with ladies looking at jewelry. Model train shoppers are a bit different. First of all, the shoppers are mainly men. And second..... well, they aren't wearing Gucci and they aren't interested in how the billboard will bring out the colors in their layout. So I smile at the gentleman who is standing in front of the table studying the metal billboards tastefully displayed and I say (in my best salesperson voice), "Aren't they cute?" And he slowly looks up at me and replies, "Honey, you NEVER tell a man that something looks cute. That's death for the sales." I suppose I should describe this shopper... he was quite tall and bald with an earring and a belly and he looked like the motorcycle was parked outside. So, maybe "cute" was the wrong approach....
Sales were busy Saturday morning when all the serious model railroaders rushed in to get the ONE thing they needed for their layout and then left. The afternoon was D-E-A-D! And Sunday was all families with small busy children who wanted to touch and play with everything. By 2:30, things were not selling and we were beat. So at 3pm, we started to pack up. Now, for those of you who haven't done shows, the show organizers really don't like vendors to pack up until the show has officially closed. Some organizers will even penalize vendors who start to pack early. Our show ended at 4pm. But we threw caution to the wind and were packed and outta there by 3:40pm. I must say that, overall, it was a great time. And I am happily looking forward to the two shows in December. I'm thinking a bit of greenery and ribbons to brighten up the booth.....

                                                 Boys and their toys

Learning to Play Again

I have just spent a week with my six year-old nephews. And I am exhausted. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. I have always wanted to be the Auntie/Grandmother that PLAYED with the kids – not just visited them. And Andrew and Brian are GREAT playmates. As soon as I arrived, they wanted to play our special game of “Cosmic Space Spider”. But we had to change it a bit as the space spider went to where broken toys go…… So now it was Cosmic Space Snake…. Or Dragon….. or whatever stuffed animal the boys selected. I have to tell you that I made up the game. But I no longer know the rules as the boys kept pointing out. “No Auntie Sharon! You have to hold the Black Hole up more.” The “Black Hole, by the way is a hula hoop. I sit on the floor in the upstairs hall and hold the hoop up and wave it about and growl and make cosmic space noises and try to catch the boys as they run past or dive through the hoop. The space animal comes in as my assistant trying to attack the boys who are squealing and laughing and running and jumping and having a great time. We also play the Cosmic Quicksand Game…. That’s when the hula hoop is laid flat on the floor and swirled around and the boys have to jump over it as it swirls. Sometimes the quicksand gets rowdy and starts flipping and flopping around and it is much harder to jump over it. And the quicksand LOVES little boy toes. So you had better be quick! If I don’t perform correctly, I’m reminded – No Auntie Sharon! Keep the quicksand on the floor! I have a digital camera which makes a very good toy. I take photos of small boys flying past me and then, with Photoshop’s help, they become aliens from outer space. They find this hilarious. It has been very interesting watching their sense of humor evolve. I have seen a big change with this last visit. They are developing “school boy humor”. You know, where ANY word related to bodily functions sends them rolling around on the floor. And the sillier the joke the better. I now realize why all those really bad knock-knock jokes keep surviving…… They were MADE for school boys! And if one pig snort will make you laugh, how about 30 in a row really fast? Knocking your socks off yet? And then there is the one where they say something cute and you laugh and then they say a wacky version of the same thing and you HAVE to laugh…. Because they are and they are just so darn cute! So even if “snickerdoodlesillypuff” isn’t hysterical, just look at that sweet face eagerly waiting for your guffaw. Another great advantage of being a playing Auntie is that you have to keep up on all the latest kid movies. So I took Mark to see “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” because I heard that when I got to the boys’ house, I would be receiving sorcerer lessons. And I HAD to go out and get black shoes as you can’t be trained wearing flip flops – the plasma balls might land on your feet. I missed “How to Train Your Dragon” which was a real liability. The boys tried hard to bring me up to speed so that I could assist with dragon training and care….. I don’t think I did very well …. We didn’t play that game for very long. And now the boys have met Harry Potter. Granted, they have only watched the first 4 episodes. It does get a bit dark after that and they are only 6. But now, we wear Harry Potter scars on our heads that have the amazing capacity to shoot lightening bolts at bad Cosmic Space operators when the Cosmic Space Hole/Quicksand starts to misbehave. I know when the punishing bolt is about to arrive – Harry grabs his scar in pain and winces and then….. I’m done for. So I have to play the “Cosmic Space” death scene. We also play the Guessing Game. Coral, the stuffed coral snake blocks the hall way with the hula hoop and she tells the boys that they have to guess the password. They usually want AT LEAST one hint. And of course, Coral has QUITE the personality. She sings (albeit not well) and she promises not to eat the boys or bite them if they feed her…. So we get piles of stuffed animals and pretend possums (I guess that’s what coral snakes eat…. Oh and lots of ribs…. Hmmm….) and, of course, they guess the word. So Coral cries and they have to hug and kiss her and make her feel better. And I learned about Ben Ten and that you can pull yourself up the stairs pretending that it is a mountain. Playing sure is fun! But I think I need a nap.