Using An RV For Fun AND Profit!

 

    After I had gotten my trailer wiring squared away, I was ready to tackle something new. Namely, a HUGE 1000+ Vendor flea market in Stormville, NY. With the weather getting colder and colder in the North East and RV trips dwindling down to a precious few, this seemed like something different and...maybe...fun! So we loaded up a borrowed trailer with lots of stuff, made sure we had a confirmed space and off we went! On the way there (and back) there were steep hills, up AND down that I had to tackle. Not completely fun on the way there in the rain...but doable if you didn't rush.

Saturday Setup

The company that organizes this event had been doing it for MANY years, so getting some reserved space was easy. They even assigned me two spots that I could easily pull straight in and out of, all the while using the RV and trailer combination as my "back wall." Each space was 20' x 20' so I had 40' x 20' to work with. This was a good thing, because, even though my RV is only 23'8" long, add a trailer to that and I was at around 37' plus a few inches. I made sure the door was facing correctly so I could go in and out while "working" the show. The trailer had 3 12' x 12' EZ up style canopies and 5 6' tables. When setup and organized it made for a cozy and secure "shop."

So Nice We took A Tent DOWN!

It was pretty cool that the organizers of the event allowed RV dry camping at the location. They even let you come in Friday afternoon for a Saturday and Sunday market. Once we arrived on Friday, there was just enough time to set up the tents and the tables. Make sure the tents are well secured!!!! Wind can be crazy at night. We just managed to beat the rain showers and were safely inside eating a hot meal and watching a movie before bed. If we hadn't arrived Friday, you could arrive Saturday at 5AM (You KNOW I'm not a morning person!!) and then begin setting up for a market that opens to the public at 8AM. Doesn't sound fun at all. We woke at 7AM, made coffee, showered, dressed and began unpacking in a very relaxed manner. Not bad at all.

Back At Home

The show went quite well. I managed to get rid of a bunch of stuff that was cluttering up my garage and house. Stuff I didn't even know I had lying around! Made back the 240.00 dollar space rental fee (2 x 120.00 for the entire weekend) and only purchased 1 item. (A large Cornflower pattern Corningware casserole dish 12.00) Each day I made lunch, several pots of coffee and dinner. Being right next to the stuff made me feel more secure than simply leaving it overnight AND I didn't have to drive 2 hours each way to go home. That second night the temps dipped to 37 degrees. No problem right? Wrong. My 15-year-old  Hydro Flame thermostat decided to die right then. After some major diagnostics, it turned out to be the contact strip that gets electricity from the front of the thermostat to the back. A jumper wire got it working overnight...whew! [See an article later on about how to fix one!]

Exiting on Sunday evening was a snap. Especially since I was packing less stuff going back than we'd brought. It was easy to maneuver out once the people blocking us in had moved a bit. Drove home, parked and that was it. I may even do this again. After some final calculations, I paid for gas, food, the space at the market and my aforementioned Corningware dish with a few hundred leftover. I may try a few more of these next season. Who knows, I may end up with some extra storage space!

Be Seeing You...Down The Road,

Rich "The Wanderman"
www.thewanderman.com