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The next morning, I headed over to the Building #5 to pick up an early admissions badge and perhaps beg permission to take a few photos of the show floor while the tables were still empty and dealers were bringing their boxes in for later set-up.  Show rules state that sellers may unload their vehicles and stash the boxes beneath their tables during the morning hours, but they had to wait until 1:00 pm to start setting up.  Early buyers enter just minutes later. 

The early admission fee was a hefty $45 for FOHBC members, $60 for non-members, which was something of an eye opener.  But then again, this was California where even breathing the air costs more (pun intended).  I spotted June Lowry just inside the entrance and wandered over.  The FOHBC would essentially collapse if June and Wayne (aka the "Jar Doctor") Lowry decided to quit because together they hold multiple key positions on the board.  June recently also took over editing the FOHBC's Bottle and Extras magazine when Kathy Sathe was forced to step down for health reasons.  June was kind enough to allow me to wander round the show room with my camera and I was introduced to the show bouncer (a petite lady who writes one of the columns for B&E) to make sure that I wasn't thrown out on my ear.  At that moment, I felt a firm hand on my shoulder and found Paul Van Vactor behind me suggesting that throwing me out was indeed an EXCELLENT idea -- thanks Paul, so good to have friends!

Paul and Pat Van Vactor had driven clear across the country from Louisville, KY in order to attend and set up at the show.  Once again, Paul's table of goodies would prove to be the deciding factor in whether the show was great, so-so, or a total bust.

June said that the show had sold around 180 tables which sounded promising, but when I headed into the room, I started to get a sense of déjà-vu, as in Collinsville, IL, 2007. The building was a fair size, but appropriate for a national show being held in Los Angeles.  Unfortunately, the sales tables occupied only 60-70% of the available space, leaving a large area of empty promise (right). Apparently the bad economy had kept many potential exhibitors away, plus there were many more that just didn't want to deal with LA and the hassle of getting in and out of the sprawling, smog-choked metropolis.  The same issues were also on the minds of potential show-goers and it looked increasingly as if I was going to have the shots all to myself. Still, this was a national show and there were more than enough tables and exhibits to keep me busy for a while (below).   I found Jim and Julie Dennis of mail-order fame (Western Whiskey Merchant) setting up near the show entrance and they'd certainly have a good selection of shots, although I was disappointed to discover that Bruce Silva (Western Whiskeyana) hadn't been able to make it. After snapping a few more pics, I headed down into Pomona to check out Antique Row and grab a bite to eat before the show opened for real.   << back    next >>

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