Business vendors find success at fair

"Come and get it," is what vendors at Ozark Empire Fair said to fairgoers looking to buy.

During the 2003 fair, 144 commercial vendors and 26 food vendors displayed their products to fair attendees, and they said the price of booth space at the fair is well worth the investment.

"It gets your name out there and gives you leads for parties and customers," said Tina Ulmer, independent representative for Country Bunny Bath and Body in Nixa. Ulmer said she received about 200 sales leads from fairgoers in 2002.

More than 231,200 people attended the fair in 2002. Attendance numbers for 2003 are not yet available.

Commercial vendors pay set prices for booths, with rates depending on placement.

Thirty-eight outdoor vendors who line the back of the fairgrounds pay $28 per frontage foot for space. For commercial vendors in the E-Plex main hall, the cost is $380 for a 10-by-10 foot booth. For the 2003 fair, which ended Aug.3, 106 vendors filled the hall with 158 booths.

Susie Montgomery, of Oklahoma City, Okla., has been a novelty vendor inside the main hall for 14 years, and she said the Ozark Empire Fair has one of the best vendor prices in the Midwest.

Montgomery said the high profit margin in Springfield is one of the reasons she comes back every year.

"Out of the 23 shows I do, the Ozark Empire Fair ranks in the top five" for profitability, Montgomery said.

She added that a good day for her means selling 45 $12 shirts plus many novelty items ranging from jewelry to garden equipment at prices from $1 and up.

She also praised the fair staff's flexibility with vendors something lacking at other venues. "They are great to work with; they cater to the vendors' needs," Montgomery said.

Nancy Bright, concessions coordinator for the Ozark Empire Fair, said the fair's competitive prices and customer service have limited business turnover and made for many repeat vendors.

Eddie and Phyllis Westmoreland, who follow the fair circuit during the year, have been a part of the Ozark Empire Fair for nearly 35 years.

"This is my life; it's all I've ever done," said Phyllis Westmoreland, who started working at this fair in 1968, 15 years after her husband, Eddie.

The Westmorelands' sausage, nacho and drink stand costs $44 per frontage foot, the price for all food vendors. Vendors are also required to pay utilities on their rented locations. Bright said utility costs can range from $50 to $250 depending on the vendor.

Even with booth fees and utilities, the cost of operating a booth at the fair is worth it, said Westmoreland, with profits comparable to those at larger state fairs.