Massachusetts Reptile Expo - May 21

[artgecko]

Massachusetts Reptile Expo
The only reptile expo in Mass.

May, 21, 2011
9am - 4pm
Holiday Inn - Rockland
929 Hingham Street
Rockland, MA 02370

http://www.massreptileexpo.com/

"Over 50 tables of dealers, breeders and hobbyists will be exhibiting and selling a wide variety of colorful and unusual reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates. Tanks, cages, terrarium supplies, books, and food animals will also be available at special show prices."

We (BostonGeckos.com) will be vending. Hope to see you there.

 

[acpart]

Wish I could go,but it's on a Saturday. They've promised that the fall one will be on a Sunday. I'm hoping by May I'll have nothing left to vend.

Aliza

 

[rockstarcustomz01]

Aliza do you have any geckos at the moment i'm located outside worcester,ma

 

[acpart]

Aliza do you have any geckos at the moment i'm located outside worcester,ma

PM sent.

Aliza

 

[artgecko]

Only 6 days away. Hope to see some GF members there. Stop by my table and say "hi".

 

[acpart]

Sorry I can't make it this year, since it's on Saturday. Steve (artgecko) will have 4 of my geckos for sale as well.

Aliza

 

[M_surinamensis]

I'll be wandering by in an hour or two.

I really hope nobody tries to sell me anything. Maybe I should wear a sign around my neck.

 

[robin]

I'll be wandering by in an hour or two.

I really hope nobody tries to sell me anything. Maybe I should wear a sign around my neck.

look for the small, angry, red headed irish man, carrying a pot of gold ...





DO NOT TRY TO ENGAGE!

 

[M_surinamensis]

I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the show.

The NEHS "shows" I remember from years back were three guys with maybe twenty total animals and access to the society's frozen feeder supply at cost. This was a pretty neat little show, enough so that I spent about five hours there poking around and talking to people (some of which I hadn't seen in years). Surprising variety... I know it's a leopard gecko forum but I don't really get excited about the species- there were lots of leos and balls as expected, but there were enough other things scattered here and there to keep my interest. Solid quality from the majority of vendors, along with consumer friendly pricing. Looked like things were selling too, a few tables seemed to be emptying at a good pace during the time I was there; decent crowd turnout considering the size of the venue and it seemed like a lot of them were in a buying mood. I saw Stephen's table in particular looking pretty empty by the time I left, so here's hoping he was having as productive a day as it appeared.

All in all, I'll probably make a point to stop by the shows more regularly if they maintain a similar level (and maybe even increase a bit, it looked promising).

Edit: Almost nobody tried to sell me anything, except the one guy who had something I was interested in buying. So my practice of stomping around scowling seems to have worked yet again.

 

[acpart]

Many thanks to Steve (artgecko) who took my last 2 geckos to the show and sold them for me. I enjoyed vending at this show last Oct. and am hoping that the coming Oct. the show will be on a Sunday so I can vend there. Seamus, the Maine Herp Society show at the end of August is also a nice little show with good quality.

Aliza

 

[M_surinamensis]

I enjoyed vending at this show last Oct. and am hoping that the coming Oct. the show will be on a Sunday so I can vend there.

Spring shows do tend to be a bit more useful to vendors, since they generally have most of their new stock available; lots of hatchlings are always in evidence, with proportionally smaller numbers of older animals. The fall shows are usually slightly smaller, though a good way to move anything that wasn't ready to go during the spring show or to make that last round of cuts for holdbacks.

I only mention it because it's my sincere hope that the fall show is similarly successful. I was told that the consumer turnout for this show had exceeded last October's total door count after the first couple hours. Spring shows tending to be a bit more popular probably had a little something to do with that, the organization and advertising was a little more refined than it has been in the past... I suspect the decline of the shows in Rhode Island probably contributed, at least a little bit, as unfortunate as that entire situation is, it may ultimately be beneficial to the NEHS.

They could have used a larger venue for this show though. The vendor space was filled pretty nicely (and I have no idea how many, if any, vendors were turned away) but the consumer space could have benefited from aisles twice as wide between the tables. It was crowded, it was hot, the kind of hot you get from a lot of people pushed close together because the room is too small to contain them all. Not that it seemed to deter anybody; it just made me feel guilty when I stopped to talk to anyone I recognized, because I was taking up one person sized space in front of their table, which meant someone else didn't have room to look (and buy). There's a demand there, for a show, which made itself manifest by the success of this one. Massachusetts is a tough state to hold one in, some vendors are automatically excluded as a consequence of a few of our existing herp laws, but the consumer end of it is pretty ripe with possibilities; lots of people wanted this, which seemed to make it well worth the time for the vendors who deal in animals which are legal to sell in the state. If it continues trending in that direction I wouldn't be too surprised to see the oddball dealer from New York or Pennsylvania showing up to participate with the New England crowd in the next year or two.

I'm not sure what obligations you have that prevent you from vending a Saturday show, Aliza, but if they're at all negotiable, you might want to make the time. Animals were selling well, but the supply side of things were absolutely flying out of there. I was basically loitering and chatting, but I watched as ceiling high stacks of enclosures were sold piece by piece, replenished from stock the vendor had sitting in their van and then sold again. Incubators, lights, plants and substrate, rocks and branches and hides... all being sold for what I assume was a profit, but less than retail and with no shipping involved, people were just devouring that kind of stock. Watching people as they went out the door, about one third had live animals of some kind but well over half were carrying some new bit of habitat furniture or hardware. Your ceramics probably would have sold exceptionally well.

Not to me of course, I was stomping and scowling at everything except a juvenile savu python over in the back corner and the adult pair of perfect condition CB Elaphae prasina that Freight Freitas had with him. A species usually seen in mediocre to poor condition, short term captive, covered in scars and cuts and blisters, refusing to eat... so the animals he had, which were absolutely pristine and gorgeous looking, with great muscle tone, clean clear skin, active, alert and in immaculate health as captive bred adults are a very rare, very awesome thing to see. I am pretty selective these days about what I keep, but they interested me enough to talk to him about pricing. Although it's a bit depressing to realize that most the people through the door probably didn't give those snakes a second glance because they were too busy looking at boring, bland, yawn inducing ball python morphs.

 

[acpart]

Unfortunately, Sabbath is not negotiable. It's a bit of a moot point anyway, given my breeding predilections. I primarily breed leopard geckos (know it's not the most lucrative, but just love them) and in the spring, given my geckos' schedules, I'm usually selling off last season's stuff. I had a successfull time in April at Manchester and sold my last 2 thanks to Steve at this show. My best times for shows, in terms of inventory, is late summer through late fall, so I'm building up inventory for the Maine show at the end of Aug. followed by Manchester, MA expo and whatever White Plains shows I need to go to to sell out.

Aliza

 

[M_surinamensis]

Unfortunately, Sabbath is not negotiable.

That would be one of those ones you can't get around.

Out of curiosity, is the Saturday show less than ideal because you're busy engaged in religious practices, or is it a matter of abiding by a prohibition against work (or labor or trade or... whatever the specific case might be)? Would it be something you could attend, if you did not engage in any transactions, or is the day arranged for scheduled observances which leave no time for recreational activities?

Please understand that I'd never be so crass and disrespectful as to suggest looking for loopholes in the dictates of something as meaningful and important as religious prohibitions, but if it is acceptable to allow others to engage in business on your behalf, there's a potentially profitable market there for your ceramics. The habitat fixtures and dry goods were really moving.

 

[acpart]

No problem. I don't travel or engage in commerce on Sabbath and although there are many ways to get around some of the rules (people who don't use electricity on Sabbath often have timers in their houses so they can have lights when they want them) I can't think of anything more against the spirit of the Sabbath than to go to a show.

Actually, this is the first time the NEHS has run a show on Sat. When they scheduled this show for Sat. I emailed them (I'm a member) letting them know that I could handle missing a show in the spring since I rarely have much to sell in May but really wanted them to go for Sun. in the fall. Their website has a Sat. fall date (and I've emailed them about that) which they say is just a "placeholder". On a good note, the Manchester show has been only on Sat. for about 5 years, moved to Sun. for the April show and now seems to be more consistently on Sundays. Yay!

After years of taking children to gymnastics, karate and track competitions on Saturdays where we've stayed in hotels and walked, sometimes miles, to get to the meets, it's nice to have a break from all that even if it means missing the occasional reptile show.

Aliza

 

[artgecko]

Yes, the Expo was a big success. I sold 14 of the 20 leos I took to sell + 2 of Aliza'a. I had my big (100 g) eclipse albino male with me to show and someone offed me $100 for him. Just couldn't bring myself to part with him...
Also sold all the dubias, meal and super worms I took. This is only my 2nd show and at the first one in the fall, only sold 4 leos. So I am pumped!

The first hour of the show was crazy! I thought I would sell out and go home by noon. Then it slowed down and the last 2 hours were verrry slow, for me. I just sat there with my 6 little geckos. I could have sold more if I had "ready to breed" size animals. Lots of young people looking for breeders and bargains.

I was hoping to sell my 5 little raptors. I sold 3 to one person and the other 2 decided that Saturday was a good day to shed and looked dull. Of course they are brilliant now.

I noticed many people buying supplies, as well as reptiles, bugs, frogs...

I didn't buy any new geckos, but came home with a little beardie, and some supplies, crickets and more supers.

 

[Wbrown5496]

I bought 3 of steve's raptors and picked up another raptor from gecko elements but I must admit crowed small room made it impossible for me to stay the day. I left with money which I was proud of but would of probably went back for steve's other two raptors if I had spent more time there. I have extreme claustrophobia and was just lucky I got there on time. LOL I will be back for the next and hopefully be vending next season.