Sheffield & Manchester Xmas fairs

[footballprogrammes.com]

I have confirmed the dates for the post Christmas Northern fairs as follows:

2011
Thursday 29th December 11am - 2pm
Sheffield Programme Fair
Royal Victoria Holiday Inn Hotel,
Victoria Station Road
Sheffield
S4 7YE

Friday 30th December 11am - 3pm
Greater Manchester Programme Fair
Cresta Court Hotel,
Church Street
Altrincham
Cheshire
WA14 4DP

[oldbolt]

Is there any chance of turning the heating down in the room at Altrincham? I'm sure if I went on a Christmas break to Barbados it would be colder there!!

[surfinjim]

As usual, the room for Sheffield is far too small and not enough variety of dealers. Will be the same faces for the last 5 years.......


Hey ho


Jim
_________________
26th December 1979

Bolder, Blackhall, Williamson, Smith, Pickering, Hornsby, King, Johnson, McCulloch, Mellor, Curran.

Scorers; Mellor, King, Curran, Smith (pen)

GODS EVERY ONE OF THEM!

[Senior82]

surfinjim wrote:

As usual, the room for Sheffield is far too small and not enough variety of dealers. Will be the same faces for the last 5 years....... Hey ho Jim

See you there!! If anyone else is popping along, come and say hello over a pint

[surfinjim]

I'll be there Andy, actually off work Christmas week for a change (subject to change! )

Would imagine there'll be the usual dealers there:

Mick Brodie, Denis Clarebrough, Mick Hewitt.

Room isn't big enough, especially as you get 7/8 stalls tops and it's the same stall holders every year.


Jim
_________________
26th December 1979

Bolder, Blackhall, Williamson, Smith, Pickering, Hornsby, King, Johnson, McCulloch, Mellor, Curran.

Scorers; Mellor, King, Curran, Smith (pen)

GODS EVERY ONE OF THEM!

[surfinjim]

I'll be there Andy, actually off work Christmas week for a change (subject to change! )

Would imagine there'll be the usual dealers there:

Mick Brodie, Denis Clarebrough, Mick Hewitt.

Room isn't big enough, especially as you get 7/8 stalls tops and it's the same stall holders every year.


Jim
_________________
26th December 1979

Bolder, Blackhall, Williamson, Smith, Pickering, Hornsby, King, Johnson, McCulloch, Mellor, Curran.

Scorers; Mellor, King, Curran, Smith (pen)

GODS EVERY ONE OF THEM!

[pnefan]

Thanks for the info
Will try to make at least one of these .
_________________
http://www.sportsattax.net/ Paypal accepted No Pies - Ticket stubs added daily

[BAZZABAGGIES]

surfinjim wrote:

As usual, the room for Sheffield is far too small and not enough variety of dealers. Will be the same faces for the last 5 years....... Hey ho Jim

Both of these fairs are very well organised and with top quality dealers and programmes for sale including 100s of Pre War.
I personally carry over 3,000 1950s, 300 Pre 1950 Programmes and 50 pre war.

I visited a fair several months ago and there were 11 dealers and the quality of memorabilia on display was appalling with many of the dealers selling nothing earlier than 1970..
A bigger room would cost twice as much and not many dealers would pay the high end of the market stall fees.

So as Ive had a few women say to me its quality and not quantity.

Stop moaning and try and turn out to these fairs as you might miss them if the dealers decide to call it a day.

[surfinjim]

You've got to admit though Barry, that venue is far too small?

I think it was 2 years ago that you had to stop part of your stall getting crushed by the rush and crowd flocking round Mick Hewitt.

As far as I am aware it's the same dealers year in year out. I know of one Sheffield dealer who can't get a spot at that fair due to the limited number of places and looking at the stock on offer and price, he beats them hands down of variety, quality and price. That is from my own knowledge of Wednesday and United programmes.

Crickey, Denis has had the same Sheffield/Glasgow programme on his stall for the last 2 years. No doubt it will make its annual appearance in December, still taking pride of place on his stall at its inflated price.

I am sure there are other venues in the area which could accomodate this fair at that time of year. Perhaps it's just laziness from the organiser?

I'm suprised there aren't more fairs in Sheffield/South Yorkshire through the year tbh.
_________________
26th December 1979

Bolder, Blackhall, Williamson, Smith, Pickering, Hornsby, King, Johnson, McCulloch, Mellor, Curran.

Scorers; Mellor, King, Curran, Smith (pen)

GODS EVERY ONE OF THEM!

[surfinjim]

[/quote]

A bigger room would cost twice as much and not many dealers would pay the high end of the market stall fees.

[/quote]

Do you know that as fact?

How much is that room? What others have been considered?
_________________
26th December 1979

Bolder, Blackhall, Williamson, Smith, Pickering, Hornsby, King, Johnson, McCulloch, Mellor, Curran.

Scorers; Mellor, King, Curran, Smith (pen)

GODS EVERY ONE OF THEM!

[Auchinleckian]

Has Hillsborough or Bramhall Lane ever been considered?

[BAZZABAGGIES]

Auchinleckian wrote:

Has Hillsborough or Bramhall Lane ever been considered?

The last Fair i did at Bramhall Lane there was a poor attendance and it was a a long miserable day.
In the Midlands Ive tried to organise fairs at Villa Birmingham Walsall + West Brom. The venues are expensive and most of the dealers if you can get them to come wont pay more than £50 for a stall.

Im all willing to attend programme fairs with 20+ dealers and pay £30 to £40 a stall but its impossible to get the venue and the dealers.

Football Fairs are becoming a thing of the past in the hey day I have done over 30 fairs a year and over 250 YES 250 in LONDON.
Now I do less than 10 Fairs a year because of low takings and expensive costs in petrol and stall fees etc.
So dont knock fairs they need your support, so if you have them in your area you are one of the lucky ones, and you dont have to go trudging around car boots and getting fat using Ebay..

[Auchinleckian]

I suppose it's all down to individual relations organisers may have with their clubs. I remember when I used to organise fairs at Blundell Park in the late 80's we were given the keys to the ground after the game on Saturday and told to lock up behind us after the fair on the Sunday. I'm well aware that circumstances have changed immeasurably since those days, and the instances of having fairs at grounds is now minimal (and Stoke is****ing freezing on the concourse)
However, a lot of clubs outside of the Premiership are now making moves to have greater contact with their fanbase so now might be the time to look at whether grounds are viable again? Most clubs have fan's forums nowadays so it could possibly be easier to organise than a while back. Plant a few seeds on a forum and you never know here you may end up, especially if the moneys raised from stallholders and any entrance money goes to a club specified charity?

[sharrowblade]

On behalf of a number of forum members and myself can I just thank Bazza for putting a smile back on our faces, this miserable evening, apparently good humour never goes out of fashion.

advising the punters to stop moaning about fairs



Err.......have we not had to endure months of your posts where you are 'moaning' about it not being worth your while doing them?

I carry large stocks.......and yet it should be 'quality rather than quantity'.



Well, thanks for clearing that up.
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/sharrowblade/sets
A Sheffield United Programme guide

[BAZZABAGGIES]

sharrowblade wrote:

On behalf of a number of forum members and myself can I just thank Bazza for putting a smile back on our faces, this miserable evening, apparently good humour never goes out of fashion. advising the punters to stop moaning about fairs Err.......have we not had to endure months of your posts where you are 'moaning' about it not being worth your while doing them? I carry large stocks.......and yet it should be 'quality rather than quantity'. Well, thanks for clearing that up.

Thank you
I look forward to your £1 spend at each of the stalls at Christmas.

Dont forget its free admission so bring a friend

[sharrowblade]

Auchinleckian wrote:

Has Hillsborough or Bramhall Lane ever been considered?

Can't speak for our feathered friends in S6, but Bramall lane, used to hold a fair. I tend to agree with Bazza here, football clubs aren't in the business of giving anything for nowt.

We do have a couple of stalls (inc. Dennis) selling programmes etc when we hold our open day (Sun July 31st, before we play Blackpool).
Picked up a nice bound volume and a pile of tickets last year.

Unfortunately, it's a closed shop at Sheffield.

Interestingly, out of the six dealers at Sheffield who currently have stalls, there is only one dedicated to Wedneday (Mr Brodie) and United (Mr Clarebrough). The lad who jim mentions would definately add to proceedings as he spans both, and it's a great pity that he doesn't get a look in.
_________________
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sharrowblade/sets
A Sheffield United Programme guide

[Auchinleckian]

Do any of the non league teams in the area have social clubs? If there is a decent one somewhere I'm sure it wouldn't be too difficult to convince them of the benefits - media attention, bar takings, stall for themselves etc? What about the old Working men's clubs / miner's clubs...are they still on the go?

[goonerboy]

"So dont knock fairs they need your support, so if you have them in your area you are one of the lucky ones, and you dont have to go trudging around car boots and getting fat using Ebay.."

Would agree with Bazza on the first part ie try and support the fairs by going to them. Trouble is if you come back disappointed then puts you off next time.

Trouble is that the dealers are as much to blame for the demise of the fair. Too often they have unrealistic/greedy prices which worked in the past without eBay etc but now why bother going to a fair to pay twice as much as if you wait for it to come onto ebay. Of course there are rarer items which only come round once in a while but you rarely get those at fairs anymore because the dealers leave them behind and put them on ebay or into auction !

So it is chicken and egg. Do the collectors not come because dealers don't have right stock/right price or is it that dealers don't bring the good stock because they don't get enough collectors at the fair. Maybe there should be a dealer/collector summit for ideas on how to keep the hobby vibrant. Maybe a role/cause for programme monthly.

[footballprogrammes.com]

Having read the negative comments from surfin jim and sharrowblade as the organiser of the Sheffield fair I feel I should add a few comments of my own.

The post Christmas fair has been ever present in the same suite at the same hotel for over 25 years now. There is a lot to be said for continuity and it certainly contributes to Sheffield fair's standing of being one of the few left with an attendance of well into three figures. In a nutshell people know where it is, when it is and what’s on offer.

The dimensions of the room are more than adequate for both stallholders and customers. Yes it gets busy for the first hour or so and long may that continue! Isn’t it great to see so many people all interested in the same thing you are? You fail to mention it has the best bar area of any fair in the country with chesterfield sofas to review purchases, chat with fellow collectors and folk can bob in and out of the room as they please as there is no admission fee. There’s no doubt that the silent majority are happy and indeed sharrow blade and sufin Jim are the only ‘less than complimentary’ comments I am aware of in the 25 years that I have been exhibiting there. It has certainly always been my favourite fair of the year.

Sharrowblade, not for the first time you liken me to a Third World dictator with comments such as the fair is a ‘closed shop’

The simple truth is that there has NEVER been an enquiry for a stall from this Sheffield based dealer you guys keep mentioning??? However, if he has a shop in the city, the programme collecting folk of South Yorkshire can see him as regularly as they like whereas the dealers at the fair are only accessible to them once a year.

I believe we have a powerful line-up of dealers – A Sheffield United specialist, a Wednesday specialist along with Yorkshire’s biggest dealer and four other dealers’ from completely different parts of the Country offering the full range of programmes from the FIFA Club World Cup final programme (played days before Christmas in Japan) to Pre first World War programmes and everything in between PLUS memorabilia/books/magazines etc.

Some of these dealers have supported the fair for over 25 years! They are not stupid and if people didn’t buy from their stalls then they wouldn’t rebook! I reiterate it is NOT a closed shop – I simply show loyalty to those who do likewise.

Your negativity does no-one any good and the irony of it all is that both Sharrowblade and surfin jim are ‘stick on certs’ to be at the fair – maybe they are trying to put everyone else off so they can be the ones to buy those 1940’s Sheffield County cup single sheet postponed programmes I have put aside for the fair at 50p each!!!!

David Allen

[Auchinleckian]

Your negativity does no-one any good and the irony of it all is that both Sharrowblade and surfin jim are ‘stick on certs’ to be at the fair – maybe they are trying to put everyone else off so they can be the ones to buy those 1940’s Sheffield County cup single sheet postponed programmes I have put aside for the fair at 50p each!!!!

As it is going to be difficult for me to get down to Sheffield and because of the very generous offer from the organiser to put some really rare programmes up for sale at Xmas prices, can I be over presumptious and make an offer of £1 each for them?