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GCCA Swap Meet - September 30th

4139 Views 48 Replies 13 Participants Last post by  shinycard255
Greater Chicago Cichlid Association is having a Swap Meet!

Sunday, September 30th
10:00am-2:00pm

Best Western Plus
4400 Frontage Rd
Hillside, IL 60162

Entry fee:
$5 for everyone
Kids 16 and under free when accompanied by an adult

For more info: click here
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Anyone know the area near the Motel. Let's find a spot for a meet & greet before the Swap.

I'll going to have a lot of used tanks for sale that I can bring to the swap. I'll also have the plants from my Whiskey Barrel pond.
Anyone know the area near the Motel. Let's find a spot for a meet & greet before the Swap.

I'll going to have a lot of used tanks for sale that I can bring to the swap. I'll also have the plants from my Whiskey Barrel pond.
Only place I'm seeing on Google Maps that is relatively close is a Starbucks. It's next to the Target on Mannheim

The West Point Mall Shopping Center is really close as well, I just don't know if there are any coffee shops or places along those lines in there
We have some time hopefully someone will post up on the topic. It would be nice to be with in walking distance. Like the D.Donuts at the Elk Grove location.

Once we ID a coffee spot we can start a Parking Lot Swap thread.
:icon_mrgr
Always a fun time. Seems like a central location.
Only place I'm seeing on Google Maps that is relatively close is a Starbucks. It's next to the Target on Mannheim

The West Point Mall Shopping Center is really close as well, I just don't know if there are any coffee shops or places along those lines in there
The starbucks is inside the Target.


There is an IHop and Walgreens on Roosevelt and Mannheim Rd. About a half block west of there on Roosevelt is a McDonalds. I live really close to there and those are the only places that I can think of at the moment.
Also there is a Petco in the mall where the Target is at.
will5 - Anywhere within walking distence. Like a block? In the past we have done a meet & greet then we have are own plant swap in the parking lot. before we go into the GCCA swap.
Nope, nothing within a block or even three. That area has a Chruch and the rest is company or hotel land. Cops are pretty strict about enforcing the law around there as well, so watch your speed and use your signals.
Most people will be using the Frontage Road exit off of Mannheim there. I concur the Target area parking lot may be best suited. Going west there is really no where and will is right walking somewhere most likely won't happen. Down Wolf Road there is a Dunkin Donuts, but then people would be going past the swap. The church used to be a movie theater and right by the Menards used to be a secretary of state office, sigh. At least it is a weekend and the Hillside Strangler won't be in full effect. Thankfully that week the Bears play on Monday night, otherwise there might have been some traffic.
Then maybe we 'Tailgate' instead.

Pick the remote corner of the property parking lot meet there. We 'll make it B.Y.O.D (Bring your own Donuts).
Wow, $5.00 to get in to a swap meet? Did this not use to be $2.00? Are we paying for the price of the room? I thought that was the point of dealers fees?
Wow, $5.00 to get in to a swap meet? Did this not use to be $2.00? Are we paying for the price of the room? I thought that was the point of dealers fees?
I know from chatting with Rick & Rich that GCCA has tried to hold the cost down but the event venues keep increasing the room rates.

Swaps/Auctions are the Club's money makers. The goal is to not have any overhead. So yes, the tables and the door fees are to pay for the room and generate profit.

Sellers are not interested in sight-seeing touristas. When I've had a table it's $40, so until I hit $50 (gas, donut & coffee) I'm losing money. Typically people will to drive to a Swap and pay admission are motivated buyers.

Try to think of the admission as helping to promote the hobby. Bring and spend money. :D

"Our" PARKING LOT SWAP is totally free and it intended as a meet & greet, so get out of bed a little earlier and say hello
:icon_mrgr
I totally understand as I too was a show promoter for sportcard shows. I was never in it for a profit just to cover room and table costs. I always broke even on a $1.00 admission. I just seen these costs go up for these swap meets and hope the extra money is going for a good cause.
While I completely understand the reasons, don't think I would not love to have a free table with no admission. I've got 7 tanks to sell now, I'm even willing to deliver them to get them sold at pretty much give away prices. Factor in my Gas & time... not much profit. But, in a small way I'm helping to keep our hobby going.
We all know the extra 5 bucks is for the "security" detail of Dogfish and his Rott. The meet and greet in the parking lot is just cover for his secret mission of tapping our cell phones and installing GPS on our cars in the name of plantedtank security.

On a side note, I really have no excuse to miss this one. Hopefully I will have at least some Java Moss, Java Fern and Anacharis to trade. Possibly some RCS as well.
So... this thing is coming up in a month and I'm stoked. I missed the last one so it's been a while for me since I've been to one. Too bad I don't have a new tank to set up yet...

I think we need to decide where we want the parking lot swap and get that thread up and going here soon :)
So... this thing is coming up in a month and I'm stoked. I missed the last one so it's been a while for me since I've been to one. Too bad I don't have a new tank to set up yet...

I think we need to decide where we want the parking lot swap and get that thread up and going here soon :)
My vote would be tail gate in the parking lot of the venue. The idea has been to make our Meet & Greet as painless as possible. At the Elk Grove site it was at Dunkin Donuts because they are directly across the street from the hotel.

I do agree it's time to get the Parking Lot swap thread going. :biggrin:
What do I need in order to sell there???? I have a LOT of stuff because I am moving out of State and really need to sell...=)
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