Vendors Bank On Crowds For Profit

FAYETTEVILLE — The rumble of motorcycle exhausts and the ringing sound of cash registers are two joyous noises in the ears of vendors.

“We love a down economy. When people aren’t buying new motorcycles, they’re looking for ways to dress up what they’ve got, and that’s where we come in,” said Ben Coppock. “Big rallies or small, we’re doing pretty good this year.”

Coppock and his crew at Wide Open Customs specialize in add-on plastic windshields and fairings, which wrap around the headlight and handlebars of a motorcycle. About $750 each, the Kansas-based crew has to sell about 20 to cover the cost of their booth, gasoline and food.

“There’s fewer people at most shows, but the ones coming are still buying. It keeps the lookers and tirekickers away, but not the hard-core riders,” he said.

A national sales slump hasn’t stopped riders from jumping on Harley-Davidsons for demonstration rides, said Andi Raabe, manager of event marketing for the iconic manufacturer.

“Demos are huge everywhere we go. The economy hasn’t changed that at all,” Raabe said. “Even if it doesn’t convince them to buy this year, it’s a great boost for our brand.”

Jenny Bivins’ inventory aren’t big-ticket items, but appeal to a wider audience, the owner of J Fashions said.

“We’re down a little this year, but people are still buying. A shirt is a cheap way to make a memory of any event,” she said. “The crowds are lower, but sales haven’t suffered quite the way you’d think with the drop in attendance.”

Grant Gullett learned his lessons from last year’s rally, but forgot just one detail.

“We learned quick that we needed to simplify our menu and really hang out the signs, since they jam a bunch of bikes into parking right in front of our door. We had to take advantage of it, and we had to cook fast,” said Gullett, owner of Gullett’s Gourmet on West Avenue. “We’d only been open a few months before the rally last year, but we’ve got it down now.”

There’s still the unexpected, or at least some scheduling snafus.

“I’ve got to get a 150-person catering job out of here tonight, and that’s going to be tough,” Gullett said. “When the lady called Monday to confirm everything, I thought, wow, did I ever screw up trying to take a catering job in the middle of all this.”

RALLY SKED