Swappers Day, Johnstown Ohio. Another time and place. A short drive on Highway 62 takes you from Columbus to Johnstown. It is probably only about thirty minutes, but time is just a series of numbers that move through space and I am uncomfortable with numbers, and not a little unsteady with space. Let’s just say we could listen to my Obsession Playlist twice so my wife could decide which to choose (Don’t forget to exercise your right to vote)1. We still had time to talk about the knights suit of armor on the back porch of the small house right on the side of the highway, and the other things that make traveling so much fun.We have been going to Swappers Day for about five years. My wife started her new job, and one of her coworkers, one of her friends, who has become one of my friends, told her about it. We are always game for crowds, sales and festival food. We really had no idea what we were about to see. Even now, all these years later it is still new, and always interesting.
One of our favorites is the negotiations. Intense, occasionally difficult to understand.
“Look, I’ll take sixty dollars, but that is the best I can do, it is still a hell of a deal and you’ll still make money off it.” Which seemed, to me, an odd sales pitch for a compound bow. But, the quiet, bearded Amish man, dressed in his simple clothes was comfortable with the price and the implication and bought the bow.
Or the angry exchange between vendor and woman customer.
“It’s marked as ten dollars, I’ll give you five.” The woman offered.
“I’ll take seven.” The vendor countered
“Are you f*&#ing crazy?” An agressive counter offer from the woman.
You have to enjoy the people. It is always the people, more than the booths, the food, the wild variety of products displayed, bickered over, bartered for and occasionally sworn about. It is always the people.
There is an old couple with a really nice camper, an expensive, newer model that looks comfortable, and huge. They always have a “booth” right by the road. Several tables under an awning with a few trinkets scattered tastefully and sparsely, it looks more like a museum display than a sales booth. the sit in comfortable looking folding chairs and watch the crowd mill past. I can’t help but think they are there on a little vacation, to see some old friends, to make some new friends, money isn’t everything, right? For some reason the thought makes me happy.
Some places have no camper, no tents, just tables piled high with tools, like they were dumped there from a tractor’s bucket. Old tools, newer tools, wrenches, screwdrivers, hammers, chisels, tools for every job. All you had to do was pull out the one you wanted, and hope the rest didn’t fall on the ground in avalanche of clanging, clattering metal. You break it you bought it. I’m not very good with tools, so I just look, from a distance.
There are some people who are there on business. Pulling carts recklessly, homicidally through the crowded paths, looking for a bargain, they are the most aggressive negotiators, pity the poor vendor who has the item they want for their shop, sale, booth or swap meet table. They are as hostile stationary as they are moving.
One guy was pulling a cart full of guns, he stopped at a booth with a lot of guns laid out on a table, and asked “Are you interested in buying any guns?” He asked, politely, and they talked quietly about the guns. Before he moved on he bought at least one more gun from the table to add to his traveling sales cart. You have to love the people.
It was a good day, and we are already looking forward to next year.
1. At last check it was a three way tie between An Emotional Fish, Dr. John and Scandal. Which leads me to believe nobody watched the Midnight Oil video, Peter Garrett was a wild man.
