EDP Grows Post Covid w/ CASC & AGCA

After the initial shock of Covid; many Gun & Knife were shut down for months throughout the South. Many were affected more than others and some almost a year later, some are still under more strict regulations than others. Alabama is back up with little regulations and are allowed to start back up, EveryDay Preppers to advantage and immediately started booking shows. We were down for several months and it hurt us tremendously. While we were able to do some internet business thru our online store, we always do more in person! One of our main issued too were our suppliers; until recently we were not able to get product. One particular item we have been waiting on for over 9 months for products. Things appear to be somewhat normal with getting product again, but no one knows how we will be affected by the trucking industry as a result of the shipping container issues with the ships off the USA Cost. Even is you buy USA only product, someone of these trucks may be in line to pick up these shipyard products before heading to inland warehouses too pick up USA branded products to be delivered to your warehouses and no one knows how this will be delayed. (Sorry, got sidetracked for a minute!)

In 2018/2019 we focused more on traveling and building our name / brand and we did 47/49 shows in 6 states and this about killed us and did a toll on us mentally & physically much less tore up our vehicles / equipment and cost us more in fuel and overall cost. When we were allowed back after Covid and were able to book shows, there were still many states like Mississippi and Louisiana that still did not allow shows so we made a decision that we wanted to focus more on staying closer to home and ironically found out we could do fewer shows, travel less and make more money and get home sooner on Sunday night and actually be healthier, mentally and physically. We focused on the shows that we started with when we got into the business:

Collector and Shooters (CASC) was one of the first to return to Alabama along with Alabama Gun Collectors Association (AGCA).

CASC has shows throughout the entire state of Alabama from the Northern part of the state including: Huntsville down thru Hoover, Montgomery, Dothan, Mobile and Robertsdale, Alabama rounding out on average throughout a given year of 22 shows. We have started with 3 tables several years ago with them and now as of 2021 are up to 7 tables displaying a variety of merchandise, much personally requested by the customers. CASC is the largest Gun & Knife Show Promoter in the State of Alabama to date. AGCA on the other hand is more local too Hoover and only does 3 shows a year. Their Hoover show is focused more on collector’s items but is one of the largest shows in that part of the state hands down featuring on average 700 +/- tables at the Hoover Met / Finley Center Spring, Summer and Fall. Maybe 1/3 or less is on displays and collector items from Vietnam and Korean war as well as WWI & II and the rest is gun & knife show products. One of the things I do like about them is they are very selective about whom they allow in; meaning it has too me Gun or Knife related: NO Perfume, No Candles, No Jewelry, No Wood Carving, supposedly No Home-Made Jelly’s or Jams but we have seen them at the show lately. Supposedly no fruits but we saw someone selling grapes and Muscadimes at one of this past years shows. I do think they get a little carried away with some of their rules as they should allow T-Shirts if it is 2nd Amendment related as they allow military clothing. As of Fall 2021 we recently approval to add more tables at the AGCA show so we are growing at this show in 2021 too. Far cry from where we started in the earlier years and there in telling where we will be next year too. We have tried a few other shows in Alabama, but for us those shows have not been productive for us. Call it poor promotion or lack of advertising or whatever they just were not good shows to date. This is not too say, we will not give them another chance but we will always focus more on shows that help build our business and we will not be going too any shows that book n top of CASC or AGCA as this is bad business! We are also not saying we will not return too Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida and Louisiana but for now until the powers that be can get a better grasp on this virus, we will be staying closer to home. Plus some of the Louisiana trips are just too hard on my older vehicle and we are looking for something newer. Six and half / seven hour trips get’s old when you are doing them several times a month and traveling the same roads. It is bad enough we are down to the Mobile area 10 times a year and travel those back roads so much, LOL. So, thank you for supporting us thru the years and we hope you will continue to support us as we will be growing more throughout 2022. Come see us at shows throughout Alabama and the South!