Portland Gun Show Report--June

Scott H. · 06-14-2004, 11:02 AM

I went to the Portland Gun Show early Sunday morning. I was walking up and down the aisles as the dealers were uncovering their tables. I could not help but overhear the negative comments that many dealers made about the show. Most of the dealers felt that Friday and Saturday were a waste as they said attendance was low and they did not sell much. These dealers were not expecting anything better to happen on Sunday. I spent some time talking with one dealer that sells gun accessories. This dealer thought there were still too many "flea Market" items on many tables. I tend to agree. I found a great selection of flashlights, eyeglass cleaners, small animal figurines, knives, clocks, and printed tee shirts. The number of gun dealers and gun related dealers goes down with each show. I keeping hoping for this show to turn around and get better, but at this point I think the show will just disappear someday. Fifteen years ago this show was a full 1,000 to 1,200 tables. This last show was nowhere close to that size. What are the other shows doing differently that makes them grow and get better each year?

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06-14-2004, 11:02 AM	#2
Scott H. User Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: The Great Northwest Posts: 66 Thanks: 10 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	I went to the Portland Gun Show early Sunday morning. I was walking up and down the aisles as the dealers were uncovering their tables. I could not help but overhear the negative comments that many dealers made about the show. Most of the dealers felt that Friday and Saturday were a waste as they said attendance was low and they did not sell much. These dealers were not expecting anything better to happen on Sunday. I spent some time talking with one dealer that sells gun accessories. This dealer thought there were still too many "flea Market" items on many tables. I tend to agree. I found a great selection of flashlights, eyeglass cleaners, small animal figurines, knives, clocks, and printed tee shirts. The number of gun dealers and gun related dealers goes down with each show. I keeping hoping for this show to turn around and get better, but at this point I think the show will just disappear someday. Fifteen years ago this show was a full 1,000 to 1,200 tables. This last show was nowhere close to that size. What are the other shows doing differently that makes them grow and get better each year?